Jan. 28, 2006

The Maryland Terrapins swimming and diving teams fell to North Carolina today at the Natatorium at the Campus Recreation Center in College Park, Md. The women's team fell by a score of 175-115 while the men dropped the meet to Carolina 187-105.

The women's team kicked off the meet in a solid way as the 200 medley relay team took the first event of the day. Senior Barbara Sumrall (Chattanooga, Tenn.) led off, followed by senior Krisztina Kovacs (Budapest, Hungary), junior Gigi deToll (Culpeper, Va.), and freshman Yelena Skalinskaya (Almaty, Kazakhstan). They finished in 1:44.38 for the victory.

The 200 free relay team wrapped up the meet with a victory as Skalinskaya, sophomore Maya Finkler (Rishon-le-zion, Israel), Sumrall, and junior Kaleena Laputka (Shamong, N.J.) finished in 1:34.87 for the win.

The women picked up their first individual victory of the day in the 100 breaststroke when Kovacs finished in 1:03.25 for the win. Finkler took the 50 free in 24.01.

The 100 free was dominated by Maryland as Skalinskaya and Finkler finished first and second in 51.12 and 51.20. Kovacs picked up her second individual victory of the day in the 200 backstroke, finishing in 2:16.05 for the win.

The last individual victory of the day belonged to junior Sasha Malanina (Volgograd, Russia). She took the 200 IM in 2:05.17.

The first men's victory of the day belonged to freshman Eric Cullen (Severn, Md.). He won the 100 breast in 58.00 seconds, and was followed closely by third-place finisher Tim Shepard (junior, Catonsville, Md.), who finished in 59.27.

Junior Danny Gray (Carlisle, Pa.) sprinted out to the victory in the 50 free. He finished in 20.51. Gray earned his second victory a few events later, when he held off Carolina's Casey Kott (46.76) to win the 100 free in 46.38.

The Terps took the trifecta in the 200 IM. Sophomore Eric Thomasson (Severna Park, Md.) finished first in 1:59.71. Senior Andrew Foran (Atascadero, Calif.) followed closely, taking second in 1:59.82, and Shepard took third in 2:00.57.

The meet closed with the men's 200 free relay completing a Terrapin sweep of the event as they won in 1:23.54. The team consisted of Dong Kim (freshman, Philadelphia, Pa.), Gray, freshman Matt Golebiewski (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.), and senior Patrick Doyle (Norfolk, Va.).

The Terps return to the pool next Saturday, February 4, at 1 p.m. when they take on the Virginia Cavaliers at the Natatorium in the Campus Recreation Center in College Park. The meet will be Senior Day, the final regular season meet for the Terps.