UMaine to host America East championships Thursday

The University of Maine will host the America East Swimming and Diving Championships at the Black Bears’ Wallace natatorium in Orono Thursday through Sunday.
Thursday’s racing opens at 6 p.m with the 800 free relay. Trials begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with finals beginning at 6 p.m. except Sunday’s, which begin at 5:30 p.m.
A number of local swimmers will be racing for the Black Bears in the league championship, a meet that has become exceedingly fast in recent years.
Among the racers for UMaine will be Robbie Bickford (Old Town), Matt England (Bangor), Brent Williams (Brewer), Eric Gaul (Belfast), Caleb Hoffman (Waterville), Sergey Terrio (Messalonskee), Cameron  and Lauren Dwyer (Orono) and Kayla Merchant (Bangor Christian).
Yuir Chornobil, the only senior on the Maine’s men’s team, will close his distance free career at UMaine in his home pool while Kara Capossella enters the diving competition having won several Diver of the Week honors during her three years.
Also diving for Maine will be Travis Wibby (South Portland), Spencer Warmuth (Brewer) and Ashley Higgins (Bangor).
Boston University won both titles a year ago and the Terrier women have won three of the last four titles. The Terrier men ended the eight-year reign of UMBC with last year’s championship.

College notebook

— Jessica Hodsdon of Brewer won four silver medals and one gold in the Northeast Conference Swimming and Diving championships where Hodsdon and her Bentley teammates finished second behind Southern Connecticut University earlier this month. The senior split 53.7 seconds on the winning 400 free relay (3:35.5) and anchored the second-place 400 medley relay with a 54. Racing the 100 butterfly, she finished at 57.4 for second place. Hodsdon also nabbed a silver in the 100 breaststroke at 1:04.2.
— James Wells and Indiana Hoosiers closed the dual-meet season with a win over Purdue University. Wells, a Morse High grad, swam a 48.5 in the 100 back for second place and led off the winning 200 medley relay with a 22.5 backstroke leg. He finished third in the 200 backstroke in 1:50.
— At the New England Intercollegiate Swimming Championships held in White River Junction, Vt., Husson University’s Megan Call scored for the Eagles in the 50 breaststroke.
— Bowdoin College will host the women’s NESCAC Swimming and Diving Championships Feb.15-17. Williams College has won 12 consecutive team titles. Former Bangor area age group swimmer and Bangor High swimmer Mariah Reading swims the breaststroke and individual medley for the Polar Bears.