“Triumphant Waves: Men’s Swimming & Diving Conquers La Salle in Philly Showdown”

Philadelphia, Pa. — The UMBC Men’s Swimming & Diving squad made a triumphant return to the pool, overcoming host La Salle 178-121 in their first competition since early December.

“A fantastic meet for the team today,” remarked head coach Matt Donovan. “We’re getting much closer to determining our conference line-up. There are some areas to refine but this was a superb effort against a formidable opponent.”

Nick Zaharescu clinched the 1000 in 9:57.79, with Christian Castro finishing second in precisely 10:00.00. In the 200 free, Boris Milev (1:42.70) and Andrew McEachern (1:43.86) secured first and second places.

UMBC achieved the top three rankings in the 200 fly as Marko Kovacic triumphed in 1:54.03, trailed by Max Casey-Bolanos (1:58.47) and Axel Mori (2:06.52). Milev subsequently claimed victory in the 100 free with a time of 47.05. Max Trias (2:12.96), James Tao (2:13.78), and Matthew Johnson (2:15.10) followed sequentially in the 200 breaststroke.

McEachern (4:47.60), Castro (4:54.13), and Brendan Hanlon (5:01.81) then completed a podium sweep in the 500 free, while Trias (1:59.88), Tao (2:02.28), and Zaharescu (2:04.59) were the top three in the 200 IM.

Isaac Poole continued to excel in the diving events, winning both the 1 meter (298.88) and 3 meter (288.63).

Kaleb Cave (256.50) and Grant Moore (248.10) secured the third and fourth positions, respectively, in the 1 meter, while Anders Logas (253.35) and Andy Vines (243.68) finished 3-4 in the 3 meter.

The Retrievers will take on George Washington over two days next weekend. First, they will host the Revolutionaries for Senior Day on Saturday at 1 p.m., before traveling to D.C. on Sunday for a 10 a.m. start.