UMBC

Adam Blais led off the winning 800-free relay team on the first day of the America East Championships.

Boston-The defending conference champion UMBC men’s swimming and diving team captured the first league title of the 2006 America East Championships Thursday evening by taking the 800-yard freestyle relay, but the Retrievers sit in third place after one day of competition with 92 points. UMBC’s women are second with 68 points.

With a time of 6:49.26, the Retrievers’ 800-free relay team of senior Adam Blais, freshman Evan Roseberry, junior Juan Ortiz and freshman Justin Bronson crushed their competition by nearly six seconds to take the gold in the first completed men’s event of the evening.

Junior Jeff Salgado took the bronze in the men’s one-meter diving competition with 284.60 points. The UMBC men’s 200-medley relay team of freshman Milos Djukic, sophomore Scott Auchter, senior Geza Szabo and junior Justin Bronson also placed third with a time of 1:34.10.

Stony Brook leads the men’s competition with 110 team points, followed by Binghamton (101), UMBC (92), Boston U. (88), Maine (86) and New Hampshire (26).

On the women’s side, the Retrievers’ 200-medley relay team of junior Agnes Stanislawska, freshman Robin Klein, sophomore Meghan Sackett and freshman Daniele Surkovich set a new school record by finishing in 1:47.51, but placed second in the event to defending league champion New Hampshire, which swept both of the evening’s relays.

The previous 200-medley relay record of 1:47.67 was set in November at the George Mason Patriot Invitational by Stanislawska, Klein, Sackett and sophomore Lindsey Engler.

The Retriever women’s 800-free relay also placed second, as Stanislawska, seniors Elyse Gibson and Amber Harris and Sackett finished in 7:36.57, which would have broken the America East Championships meet record by nearly half a second had it not been for the Wildcats, who crushed the mark in 7:30.70.

New Hampshire leads the women’s competition with 80 team points, followed by UMBC (68), Boston U. (62), Maine (60), Stony Brook (58), Vermont (50) and Binghamton (50).

Competition continues tomorrow for day two of the 2006 America East Swimming and Diving Championships at Boston University’s Aquatic Center. Friday’s prelims begin at 10 a.m. in the 500-freestyle, 200-individual medley, 50-freestyle and women’s three-meter dive. Finals for these events, as well as the 200-freestyle relay will commence at 6 p.m.