UMBC’s Rattsev Breaks Conference Record in 50 Free with 19.85 on Day 1 of ECACs

2020 ECAC Championships

• Swimming and Diving
• February 28-March 1st, 2020
• Annapolis, MD
• Short Course Yards
• Day 1 Results

TEAM STANDINGS (THROUGH DAY 1)

WOMEN

1. U.S. Naval Academy – 217.5
2. University of Pennsylvania – 141
3. Marist College – 112
4. Bucknell University – 95
5. Columbia University – 89
6. Yale University – 66
7. New Hampshire – 49
8. Catawba College/Connecticut – 46
9.  –
10. Maine – 40

MEN

1. U.S. Naval Academy – 194
2. Yale University – 127
3. Columbia University – 123
4. Marist College – 118
5. Bucknell University – 88
6. Catawba College – 61
7. University of Pennsylvania – 58
8. Loyola University – 49
9. Rider University – 47
10. Virginia Military Institute – 37
11. UMBC – 36
12. Roger Williams University – 34
13. U.S. Military Academy/St. Francis College – 29
14. –
15. Connecticut – 18
16. Frostburg State University – 16
17. Le Moyne College – 14
18. Maine – 6
19. Baruch College – 2

The 2o20 ECAC Championships kicked off today, hosted by the US Naval Academy. Navy leads the women’s and men’s meets by significant margins through the first day of competition.

It was UMBC senior Ilia Rattsev had the biggest race of the night, winning the men’s 50 free in ECAC record fashion. Rattsev swam a 19.85, touching as the only swimmer in the field to break 20 seconds.

Navy was dominant in the men’s 200 free relay, clocking a final time of 1:20.38 to touch first by well over a second. Ben Selnick led the relay off in 20.97, with Callen Aulizia following in 19.70, Warren Turner going 3rd in 19.86, and Brendan Sullivan anchoring in 19.85. Marist anchor Ahmed Sallam had a notible split, bringing his relay home in 19.84. Navy men also picked up a win in the 200 IM, where Jackson Schultz took the title decisively with a 1:48.07.Schultz swam a phenomenal breaststroke leg, splitting 29.88 for the fastest split in the field by 1.5 seconds.

Navy’s Noah Vial won the men’s 500 free in 4:27.69, finishing as the only swimmer in the field under 4:30. Vial got out to a quick start, flipping in 2:11.65 at the 250 mark. He was on pace for a 4:23, but fell off the pace slightly over the last 200 yards.

It was the Columbia men that took the 400 medley relay, with Joe Skimmons (48.91), Erek Cox (54.87), Liam Tan (48.52), and Thomas Shepanzyk (43.30) teaming up for a 3:15.60. Shepanzyk led the field with the fastest freestyle split, while Rider’s Justin Carey had the fastest backstroke split (48.35), Navy’s Patrick Lacore posted the fastest breaststroke split (54.09), and Navy’s Hugh Robey swam the fastest butterfly split (48.04).

Navy won the women’s 400 medley relay by a considerable 4.4 seconds margin, swimming a 3:45.11. Peyton Johnson led the squad off in 55.57, leading all backstrokers in the field. McKenna Resconich went next, swimming the top breaststroke split in the field with a 1:03.63. Navy flyer Madison Floyd swam a 55.32, which was the 2nd fastest fly split in the field. The top fly honors belong to Penn’s Anna Newman, who split 54.98. Navy was anchored by Lindsay Tanner in 50.59, which was the fastest free leg in the field.

Navy had won the women’s 200 free relay to open the meet, where they posted a 1:34.29 to win a tight race with Penn. Lindsay Tanner and Madison Floyd were also on that relay, splitting 23.83 and 23.70 on the first 2 legs respectively. Penn was out slightly slower, with Eliza Normark and Camryn Carter swimming 24.06 and 23.79 on the first 2 legs. Navy got the better of Penn on the 3rd leg too, with Navy’s 3rd swimmer, Sara Vianco splitting 23.35 to Katie Kiely’s 24.05 on the Penn relay. Penn anchor Meredith Newman swam a heroic anchor leg, splitting 22.56 to bring her team within a whisper of out-touching Navy. Navy anchor Dominique Quintero swam a 23.41. Penn finished the race 2nd in a final time of 1:34.46, .17 seconds behind Navy.

Meredith Newman went on to win the women’s 50 free, where she swam a 23.47 to narrowly out-touch Yale’s Marissa Healy (23.50). Penn also picked up a win in the women’s 500, where Grace Giddings got her hand on the wall first by nearly 3 seconds. Giddings swam a 4:54.69, building up a lead early.

New Hampshire posted a 1-2 finish in the women’s 200 IM, with Corinne Carbone claiming victory in 2:01.03. Carbone was excellent on the back and free legs, splitting 30.53 and 28.08 repsectively, leading the field in both. Teammate Jamy Lum came in 2nd, 2.5 seconds behind Carbone, with a 2:03.51. Lum led the field with her breast split of 34.59.

Marist swept the diving events, with Esabelle Gervasio taking women’s 3 meter with a final score of 286.30, and Raislan Aiken scoring 299.35 to win men’s 1 meter.