UMBC

Baltimore, MD -- For the fourth time in five years, the UMBC women's swimming team emerged victorious at the NEC Women's Swimming & Diving Championships, easily outdistancing second place Wagner by 300 points. The Retriever men captured their fourth consecutive NEC Invitational crown by more than doubling the score of second place Howard in the three-team event. UMBC has now swept the men's and women's meet two years in a row and in three of the last four years. Both competitions took place over three days at the UMBC Natatorium in Baltimore, MD.

UMBC finished the women's meet with 949.5 points, with Wagner (649.5) in second and Central Connecticut State (457) taking third. On the men's side, UMBC totaled 1,077 points, while Howard finished with 504 and St. Francis (NY) with 464.

Two meet records were broken on Sunday. UMBC's Astrid Sperling eclipsed her own record in the 200 yard backstroke, clocking in at 2:02.21. Sperling won three races and set two records in total at the event. UMBC's Josh Farley, also a three-event winner, was timed at 16:27.66 in the men's 1,650 yard freestyle to lower the three-year old record in the event by nearly 13 seconds.

CCSU's Tammie Repass joined Sperling as the only women to take three races, winning the 200 butterfly in 2:03.89. UMBC's Lindsey Prather earned her second victory of the weekend, securing the gold in the 200 breaststroke in 2:21.66. St. Francis (NY)'s Catherine Dale also won her second race of the meet, finishing the 100 freestyle in 52.13. Wagner's Shannon Johnston became the only individual event winner for her school when she took the 1,650 freestyle in 17:26.81. Wagner also won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:27.24, barely nipping UMBC (3:27.35) in a close race.

UMBC's Geza Szabo joined Farley, his teammate, as three-time winners at the Invitational. Szabo smoked the field in the 200 butterfly, winning by seven seconds in 1:50.90. Howard's Erik Binga continued his dominance of the short distance freestyle events by winning the 100 freestyle in 47.58. UMBC's David Landgren corralled his second gold of the meet, taking the 200 breaststroke in 2:10.61. UMBC's Jakub Sroczynski finished ahead of the field by nearly four seconds in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:53.72. Howard won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:10.89.

Repass was named the Most Outstanding Female Performer for the second time in her career. Binga and Sroczynski were tabbed the meet's Co-Outstanding Male Swimmers. UMBC's Amber Harris was chosen Outstanding Rookie perfomer for the women, while the Retrievers' Geza Szabo took rookie honors for the men. Wagner's Katie Dolan was selected NEC Coach of the Year.