Head coach Sean Clark’s words after the America East Championship said it all.

‘We outdid ourselves again,’ he said after the Binghamton men’s and women’s swimming teams returned from the conference tournament at Boston University with their heads held high and their hearts content.

The men’s team finished in second place for the fourth consecutive year, once again finishing just behind conference powerhouse UMBC. They did not win, but the men’s meet was marked with record-setting performances and accolades for both the swimmers and coaches.

Seniors David Holmes and Brian Koizim once again led the Bearcats. Holmes set new conference records in the 200-yard butterfly and was dominating in the first leg of the 400-yard relay while attaining four NCAA ‘B’ cuts for the tournament. Meanwhile, Koizim also set a new conference record, in the 200-yard backstroke, grabbing his second individual gold of the weekend.

The Bearcat men also displayed some of their younger talent, including sophomore sensation Brenno Varanda. Varanda won two individual events at the meet, including his signature race, the 200-yard breaststroke. In addition to Varanda, sophomore Brian Koralewski finished second in the 100-yard freestyle and also contributed to the Bearcats’ win in the 400-yard freestyle.

The men’s team also improved on its performance in last year’s meet by cutting the margin between themselves and UMBC by 129.5 points.

‘To close the gap as much as we did is a real testament to the character of our men,’ Clark said. ‘They were just incredible this weekend.’

Establishing himself as possibly the best swimmer in Bearcat history, Holmes captured the prestigious America East Most Outstanding Swimmer award, the conference’s top accolade. Holmes joins Kaan Tayla as the only Binghamton swimmers to have won the award.

Along with Holmes, senior and co-captain Koizim was awarded the Senior Coaches’ award, which is given to the swimmer who has earned the most points from his freshman to senior year at the championship meets. This award caps Koizim’s stellar four-year career as both a Bearcat swimmer and captain.

The women also held their own by putting together an outstanding performance at the tournament. The women’s team finished the weekend in impressive fashion, finishing the meet in seventh place. UMBC also captured the title on the women’s side, overcoming two-time defending champion UNH.

The young and hungry core of underclassmen once again led the Bearcats. Freshmen Lindsay Wright and Anne Malvasi were finalists at the last day of the meet, while freshman Allyce Brand was a consolation finalist in the 200-yard breaststroke. Wright attained a lifetime best in the 1,650-yard freestyle and Malvasi was a force on the boards. Junior Nicole Sweeney gave the Bearcats some leadership, finishing as a finalist on the last day of the event.

‘I couldn’t be prouder of our women’s efforts,’ Clark said. ‘This weekend proved that the future of our program is very bright.’

The Bearcat swimmers were not the only ones to walk away with an award this weekend. Head coach Sean Clark, diving coach Anna Tutnnikova and assistant coach Aimee Bourassa were awarded the America East Men’s Swimming Coaching Staff of the Year. The feat is impressive since head coach Clark and his staff are in their first year at the helm of the men’s team.

‘The last four days have been the culmination of a long, hard season and I can’t be more proud of how my teams represented both themselves and our university,’ Clark said. There was an awful lot of Bearcat pride on display this weekend.’

The Bearcat season has not concluded yet, as both the men’s and women’s teams will compete in the ECAC Championships at Harvard this upcoming weekend. No matter what the outcome, the Bearcats have proved themselves as a rising powerhouse in America East swimming.