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News Release

UMBC Swimming and Diving Takes Three of Four Weekly Conference Awards

10/24/2007

Junior Justin Bronson was named the America East Men's Swimming Performer of the Week after earning three wins last weekend.

Freshman Crystal Gall earned the conference's first women's diving weekly award.

Freshman Seth McNew earned the conference's first men's diving weekly award.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The UMBC men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams accounted for three out of four weekly conference awards as junior Justin Bronson (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada/Msgr. Paul Dwyer) was named the Men’s Swimming Performer of the Week, and freshmen Seth McNew (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood) and Crystal Gall (Balgonie, Saskatchewan, Canada/Dr. Martin LeBoldus) earned the Men’s and Women’s Diving Performers of the Week, respectively, for the week ending Oct. 22, the conference announced Wednesday.

Bronson led the Retrievers in their season-opening win over Rider on Saturday with two individual wins and one relay win. Bronson led a Retriever sweep of the 200-yard freestyle, turning in a time of 1:44.37 to outdistance his teammate and closest competitor by over two seconds and then posted a winning time of 47.33 in the 100 free to beat the second-place swimmer by over one full second. Bronson also anchored the Retrievers' 400 free relay which topped the Broncs with a time of 3:15.30.

McNew finished second in the 3-meter and third in the 1-meter diving events in his first collegiate meet on Saturday en route to the victory over Rider. The freshman posted scores of 219.63 in the 3-meter and 197.10 in the 1-meter, while Gall placed second in the 1-meter diving event in her first collegiate meet, recording a score of 247.04, just eight points shy of qualifying for the NCAA Zone Championships.

Freshman Amy Perrault of New Hampshire rounded out the weekly honors, garnering the Women’s Swimming Performer of the Week accolade after setting two new pool records as she led the Wildcats to victories over Siena, Niagara, and Wagner last weekend.

The Retrievers will host Navy in their 2007-08 home-opener on Saturday with the men’s meet slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. and the women’s at 2:30 p.m.