The Vermont women’s swimming & diving team travels to Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts for the 2017 America East Championships this week. The 20-event competition begins on Thursday night (Feb. 9) and concludes on Sunday (Feb. 12). Live video of the event is available each day for free via AmericaEast.TV, and live results will also be available courtesy of WPI.
RELATED LINKS
Live Video | Championship Central | Event Schedule
SETTING THE SCENE
Vermont enters the championship event at 6-1 and 3-0 in America East meets this season. The Catamounts defeated Binghamton (177-105) and New Hampshire (175-125) in back-to-back home meets to begin their campaign in October, then beat Maine (168-123) in a road meet on Nov. 5. UVM’s three America East wins this season came by an average margin of 55 points. A road meet against the final league opponent UMBC was postponed due to travel complications after the team’s annual winter training trip in Florida.
ABOUT THE FIELD
Two-time defending champion UMBC enters the weekend 3-3 on the season and brings back standout Emily Escobedo, who won her third straight Most Outstanding Swimmer award last year. New Hampshire (5-3) finished second overall last season and has won five straight dual meets this season after an 0-3 start. Maine, which took fourth at the 2016 championships, stands at 1-4 on the year but defeated Providence by nearly 50 points in its last event on Jan. 28. Binghamton began the season 4-1 with its only loss coming at Vermont (Oct. 8), but the Bearcats have dropped four in a row to sit 4-5 overall.
2016 CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
For the fourth straight year, Vermont finished third overall at the 2016 America East Championships at WPI’s Sports & Recreation Center. UMBC defended its conference title with 885.5 points, while UNH placed second with 824.5 points. The Catamounts posted a total of eight All-Conference performances and closed the competition with 636.5 points in third place. Maine (448) and Binghamton (329.5) rounded out the team standings in fourth and fifth overall.
Vermont was named the 2016 America East Coaching Staff of the Year for the first time since 2009, recognizing the efforts of Gerry Cournoyer, Jennifer Fenton-Cournoyer, Cathy Seward, and Brian Keats. Sarah Mantz was honored with the America East Elite 18 Award for her combined accomplishments in the pool and the classroom. Mantz, along with Courtney Gray, Kira Hancock, and Christa Weaver, combined to claim the program’s first-ever title in a dramatic 200 freestyle relay.
LAST TIME OUT | Highlights
Vermont clinched a narrow 155-145 victory over Rhode Island on the final event of Senior Day on Jan. 21, winning the 400 free relay for a tight finish at Forbush Natatorium and a 10-point win over the Rams. Prior to the meet, the Catamounts honored their senior class of Carleigh Abromovitz, Molly Condron, Courtney Gray, Abby Holmquist, Sarah Mantz, Ali McClure, and Lauren Punger. UVM improved to 6-1 heading into this week’s America East Championships.
Mantz and Hancock joined Kelly Lennon and Sierra Sexton in winning the 400 free relay with a time of 3:31.79, touching the wall nearly three seconds ahead of URI for the clinching points. Mantz also won three individual freestyle events as she swept the top two in the 100 free with Lennon in 52.47 and 53.52. UVM took the top two spots in the 200 free, led by Mantz in 1:54.85 with Sophia Smith placing second in 1:57.12. Mantz later won the 50 free in 24.57 seconds.
SMART CATS
With a team GPA of 3.25, UVM has been named a Scholar All-America Team by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for the 2016 fall semester. A record 638 teams representing 394 institutions were named Scholar All-America Teams. The awards are in recognition of teams that achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester. The Catamounts were also designated as a CSCAA Scholar All-America Team for both semesters last season. Scholar All-America Teams for the 2017 spring semester will be announced in June.
WHO’S NEXT
Select student-athletes will compete for Vermont at the 2017 ECAC Championships from March 3-5 in Annapolis, Maryland. The event will be hosted at Lejeune Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy.
News courtesy of Vermont Athletics.