University of Maine swimming coach Susan Lizzotte has entered the evaluation period for the recently completed Black Bear men’s season.
UMaine closed the 2016-2017 season at the highly competitive Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy.
“When I reflect on our outstanding swims at the meet, the one performance that we are all talking about is the 400 medley relay,” Lizzotte admitted. The Black Bears established a school record of 3 minutes, 25.7 seconds, five seconds faster than their entry time and three seconds ahead of the relay’s trial swim.
Backstroker Connor Mayhew (52.4 split), breaststroker Shane Kinnon (56.5), butterflyer Calvin Cleworth (49.7) and anchor swimmer Kevin Clyne (47) combined for the school record.
The quality of UMaine’s relay swimmers at the 100-yard distance provided Lizzotte with options for the relay.
“It is exciting to see the depth,” she noted.
In addition, Lizzotte said nearly every swim for the Black Bears at the ECACs was a personal record.
“All in all it was fast meet. There was some amazing swimming including swimmers who will race in the NCAA Division I Championships,” she said.
Lizzotte also complimented Bangor’s Kyle Adams, a freshman diver,who finished third in the three-meter competition and sixth in the one-meter event.
“He had a great showing,” she said.
Mainers prep for Div. III championships
The NCAA recently released the roster of swimmers who have qualified for the 2016-2017 Division lll national championship meet. In all, 244 swimmers representing 54 colleges will race March 15-18 at Shenandoah, Texas.
Among the swimmers competing will be Readfield’s Mary Erb, a freshman at Connecticut College, Oakland’s Kristen Prelgovisk, a sophomore at Bates College in Lewiston, and Bangor’s Emma Waddell, a junior at Williams.
Erb will compete in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 200 medley relay while Prelgovisk also will race in the 100 breaststroke and the two medley relays.
Waddell’s events will include the 50 free, 100 butterfly, 100 free, 200 medley and 400 free relays. Waddell enters the competition with the top times in the 50 (22.9) and 100 free (49.8) as well as the 100 fly (54.1).
This will be Prelgovisk’s second year racing at the national collegiate championship and Waddell’s third.
Husson University’s Lara Sarett, competing at the ECAC Swimming and Diving Championships at the Annapolis, Maryland, finished 16th in the 100-yard breaststroke at 1:06.6. In the trials, the junior set a school record of 1:06.3.
NOTES: Harry Homans, son of Maine Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame member Fritz Homans, won two events at the Rhode Island Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships. The Barrington High junior won the 500 free (4:35.4) and the 200 individual medley (1:51.5). Homans and his Barrington teammates finished second at the championship meet. As a young, age-group swimmer, Homans swam for the Pen Bay YMCA in Camden. … Former Brewer High swimmer Josh Williams concluded his Boston College swimming career at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. The Eagles finished 11th and the senior competed in the 100 backstroke (49.8), the 200 backstroke (1:49.4) and split 23 seconds on the backstroke leg of BC’s 1:30.4 10th-place 200 medley relay.