LEXINGTON, Va. – Freshman Evan Peters, sophomore Harrison Lambert and junior Max Kaback each won individual titles, highlighting Binghamton's performance during Day Three of the America East Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday evening at the VMI Aquatic Complex. With one day left in the meet, the Bearcat men have overtaken UMBC for first place in the six-team standings while the women are now tied for fourth (out of seven teams) with the Retrievers.
The Bearcat men trailed UMBC by 40.5 points after Thursday evening's session, but stormed back to take a 553-551.5 lead heading into the final day of the meet. The Binghamton women, meanwhile, moved up to fifth place (out of seven teams) with 282 points and trail the fourth-place Retrievers by 18 points (300).Â
"Today was a great day overall," head coach Jerry Cummiskey said. " I am really proud of how our team competed and rose to the occasion on both sides. Tomorrow will be an exciting day."
Peters, who was a close second in the 500 on Thursday night, clocked a first-place time of 1:35.90 in the 200 free on Friday. His margin of victory was .44 seconds over Boris Milev of UMBC. In the process, Peter's broke the Binghamton freshman record of 1:37.97 set by current junior Liam Preston in 2023. On Friday, Preston was fourth in the event (1:37.50)
Lambert took top honors in the 400 IM with a time of 3:56.18. He led a strong Bearcat contingent in that event, which also included freshman Cameron Stetzer in third place (3:58.63), fellow freshman Logan Shriver in fourth place (3:59.78) as well as Julius Tuguinay in sixth place (4:02.97). It marked the first career individual title of Lambert's career.
Kaback, meanwhile, also won his first career individual title by capturing the men's 100 back with a time of 48.37. He edged out Sam Castle of VMI by just .13 seconds.
Runner up finishes for the Bearcat men on Friday were turned in by senior Elijah Lanfear in the 100 fly (47.02) and freshman Jackson Kennard in the 100 breast (54.81). The finals of the 100 breast also featured freshman Tyler Schultz in third place (54.82), fellow freshman William Fanning in fifth place (55.53) and freshman Amir Sadykov in seventh place (56.13).
Graduate student Jake Vecchio appeared in a pair of finals. He was sixth in the 100 fly (48.38) as well as seventh in the 100 back (50.33).
The 100 breast was Binghamton's deepest event on the women's side. Sophomore Fayanne Smith-Salzberg was third (1:03.28), followed by junior Maria Pignatelli in fourth place (1:03.29), senior Lauren Kuzma in sixth place (1:03.39) and graduate student Courtney Moane in eighth place (1:03.95).
Also on the women's side junior Elizabeth Tirado was fourth in the women's one-meter diving (245.75). It marked the conclusion of a successful meet for her, as she was also fifth in the three-meter competition on Wednesday.
Freshman Natalie Kassirer, meanwhile, was fifth in the women's 400 IM (4:25.65). In the process, she broke the Binghamton freshman record of 4:29.59 set by Tin Wai Siu back in 2010. The Bearcats' other finalist was sophomore Haley Nowak, who was eighth in the 100 fly (56.77).
Another freshman record on Friday night was turned in by Leonor Coelho in the women's 200 free. She won the consolation finals to place ninth overall with a time of 1:52.30. That broke the 2018 record of 1:52.70, which was set by Katie Smolar.
The fourth and final day of the America East swimming & diving championships begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday with the preliminaries and concludes with the finals at 5 p.m.
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TOP MEN'S FINISHERS
Harrison Lambert, 1st, 400 IM (3:56.18)
Evan Peters, 1st, 200 free (1:35.90)
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Max Kaback, 1st, 100 breast (48.37)
Elijah Lanfear, 2nd, 100 fly (47.02)
Jackson Kennard, 2nd, 100 breast (54.81)
Cameron Stetzer, 3rd, 400 IM (3:58.63)
Tyler Schultz, 3rd, 100 breast (54.82)
Logan Shriver, 4th, 400 IM (3:59.78)
Liam Preston, 4th, 200 free (1:37.50)
William Fanning, 5th, 100 breast (55.53)
Jake Vecchio, 6th, 100 fly (48.38)
Julius Tuguinay, 6th, 400 IM (4:02.97)
Amir Sadykov, 7th, 100 breast (56.13)
Jake Vecchio, 7th, 100 back (50.33)
TOP WOMEN'S FINISHERS
Fayanne Smith-Salzberg, 3rd, 100 breast (1:03.28)
Lizzy Tirado, 4th, 1-meter diving (245.75)
Maria Pignatelli, 4th, 100 breast (1:03.29)
Natalie Kassirer, 5th, 400 IM (4:25.65)
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Lauren Kuzma, 6th, 100 breast (1:03.39)
Haley Nowak, 8th, 100 fly (56.77)Â
Courtney Moane, 8th, 100 breast (1:03.95)
Leonor Coelho, 9th, 200 free (1:52.30)
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