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News Release

UMBC Swimming and Diving Sweeps Weekly Swimming Awards for Second Time in 2007-08

1/15/2008

Sophomore Rasmus Kutt earned his first weekly award of 2007-08.

Junior Tina Cantwell earned her second weekly award of 2007-08.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—For the second time this season, UMBC swimming and diving has earned both the men’s and women’s swimming weekly awards as sophomore Rasmus Kutt (Tallinn, Estonia/Gustav Adolf Gymnazium) and junior Tina Cantwell (Sinking Spring, Pa./The Hill School) and have been named the America East Men’s and Women’s Swimming Performers of the Week for the week ending Jan. 14, the conference announced Tuesday.

Kutt and Cantwell are both undefeated in their respective events this season and helped UMBC to its first ever double-victory over Maryland last Thursday.  After enduring a seven-year hiatus from competing with the Terps, the 2007-08 men’s and women’s squads became the first, in the history of both schools, to defeat Maryland at the same dual meet.

Both Cantwell, who picks up her second award this season, and Kutt helped to get things started on the right foot for the Retrievers as they each took part in their respective winning 400 medley relay teams.  Cantwell swam the 100 breaststroke leg of the relay in 1:04.55, on the way to the eventual 3:56.78 victory, over a second faster than the Terrapins, while Kutt led off with a blistering 51.19 100 backstroke split as the Retrievers finished first in 3:27.73, just three-tenths shy of their season-best time.

Later in the meet, Kutt added his seventh-straight victory this season in the 200 back, as he led a Retriever sweep with a time of 1:53.75.  The sophomore, who finished second in the 200 back at the 2007 conference championships to Binghamton’s now-graduated Brian Koizim, is currently undefeated this season.

Not long after Kutt extended his unbeaten streak, Cantwell extended her own as she added her eighth-straight victory this season in the 200 breast.  Cantwell also led a Retriever sweep as she turned in a time of 2:19.99 and has now claimed victory in the 200 breast for the last 16 straight meets.  The junior has not lost the race since placing second in the meet against Navy on Oct. 28, 2006.

Binghamton’s Ryan Graham and Boston University’s Tess Waresmith picked up the men’s and women’s weekly diving awards, respectively.

The Retrievers have now combined for 11 weekly awards, with junior Justin Bronson (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada/Msgr. Paul Dwyer), freshmen Brad Reitz (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) and Crystal Gall (Balgonie, Saskatchewan, Canada/Dr. Martin LeBoldus), and Cantwell accounting for two each, and freshmen Seth McNew (Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood) and Mike Morabito (Owego, N.Y./Owego Free Academy), and Kutt each earning one award.