Vermont Breaks 800 Free Program Record on Night 1 of America East Champs

2022 America East Championships

• February 10-13, 2022
• Worcester Polytechnical Institute
• SCY (25 Yards)
• Day 1 Results (PDF)

TEAM SCORES (THRU DAY 1)

WOMEN

1. Binghamton – 134
2. New Hampshire – 100
3. Vermont – 94
4. Maine – 81
5. UMBC – 70
6. VMI – 56

MEN

1. Binghamton – 126
2. UMBC – 100
3. NJIT – 93
4. VMI – 76
5. Maine – 73

Things got off to a roaring start at the 2022 America East Championships last night, with Vermont taking the first swimming event, the women’s 800 free relay, in record-setting fashion. The quartet of Jackie House (1:49.39), Cailin Campbell (1:52.09), Ella Church (1:50.86), and Mina Poppas (1:47.92) teamed up for a 7:20.26, breaking the UVM program record. Additionally, Jackie House broke Vermont’s freshman record in the 200 free with her 1:49.39 lead-off split. Another thing to keep an eye on: all four of the members of this relay will be back next year, as House and Church are freshmen, and Campbell and Poppas are juniors. After winning the race by 4 seconds tonight, Vermont is already set up nicely for next year as well.

Other notable splits on the women’s 800 free relay included New Hampshire’s Anna Metzler, who led her team off in 1:47.73. The swim was just half a second off her personal best of 1:47.12, which she swam in February of 2020.

University of Maryland – Baltimore County then took the women’s 200 medley relay in a tight race with New Hampshire. Caroline Sargent led the team off in 25.71, and was followed by Jenna Gwinn with a 27.96 breast split, Sierra Tosten with a 24.71 fly split, and Makaela Hill anchored in 22.95, for a final time of 1:41.33. New Hampshire attempted a comeback on the final leg, with Cate Wardinksi splitting 22.64 on the anchor, but they ultimately touched in 1:41.79, just behind UMBC.

UMBC would also take the men’s 200 medley relay, where Luka Zuric (23.14), Daniel Nicusan (24.57), Oliver Gassmann (21.15), and Bode Neale (19.79) combined for a 1:28.65. UMBC was behind Binghamton going into the anchor leg, but Neale was able to take the lead for his team, thanks to his 19.79 split.

Binghamton was victorious in the men’s 800 free relay. Jake Vecchio led the team off in 1:39.62, then Henry Shemet split 1:37.64, Eli Lanfear 1:39.06, and Liam Murphy anchored in 1:38.30. They teamed up for a 6:34.62, touching first by 5 seconds.

Maine picked up an event win on the day as well, as senior Phil Ann Dixon won women’s 1-meter diving with a final score of 253.20. Binghamton went 1-2 in the men’s 3-meter event, with Chris Egan taking the title (291.45), and Ryan Cohn taking 2nd (266.50).