Sean Clark summed up his team’s weekend perfectly.

“UMBC was ready for us and did not take us lightly,” Clark, the head of coach of Binghamton University’s men and women’s swimming and diving team, said after a disappointing weekend that saw UMBC down both of his squads.

The men’s team was defeated 156.5-86.5, despite a strong performance from sophomore Brian Koralewski, who put up a split time of 46.9 seconds in the last leg of the 400-medley. The men’s team also received standout performances from Brenno Varanda and Jason Lapp, who posted a lifetime best swim.

The women fell 183-59.

The Retrievers were a “great test” according to Clark, who also mentioned that he feels the Bearcats will perform regardless of circumstances and continue to swim well.

The last time Binghamton and UMBC met, last year in the West Gym, Binghamton reeled in the win, but the Golden Retrievers — last season’s America East champions — were able to get revenge on a fellow powerhouse.

“We swam with passion and pride,” Clark said. He also added that the meet was not a setback.

Yet the Bearcats did face a minor setback as David Holmes, the team’s best swimmer and defending America East performer of the week, was unable to perform true to form due to a minor ailment. “He’ll be back,” Clark said.

The women’s team continued to improve at the meet against UMBC. Six BU swimmers put up lifetime best times, and sophomores Jodi Brown and Aleksandra Grubic, along with stellar freshmen Allyce Brand and Lindsay Wright, excelled in the meet’s final relay.

“It was absolutely gutsy,” Clark said about the performance of the women.

With mounting experience comes mounting expectations from the women’s team. With upperclassmen willing to do the hard work necessary, the freshman must match the performances of the older swimmers and become the “performance leaders” according to Clark.

Both the men and women’s team will compete at the upcoming Bucknell invitational on Nov. 18 and 19. The invitational will include host school Bucknell, Rider, Old Dominion and former conference-rival Towson.

Clark says that this upcoming meet at Bucknell is a meet the team must show up for after their loss to UMBC. The meet is over two days and will be a warm-up for the length of the conference championship, which is held over the span of three days.