WOMEN’S SWIMMING SHINES AT NEC CHAMPIONSHIPS, SET NEW RECORDS

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Day one is in the books, as the Bryant University women's swim team continued to shine on the Northeast Conference stage, taking a number of events en route to 101 total points. The Bulldogs currently sit in fourth after the first day of competition at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in just the program's third appearance in the conference championships.

Central Connecticut leads after day one of competition, totaling 244 points. The defending 2010 champions Saint Francis (PA), remain within striking distance with 223 points. In third place after day one is Wagner with 177 points, edging Bryant. Mount St. Mary's racked up 85 points for sixth place and St. Francis (NY) fell in step in seventh with 73 points.  The Sacred Heart team caps the ranking for the first day of competition, tallying 61 points.

In the first event of the night, the Bryant 200-yard freestyle relay team of Kaitlin Buckley (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury), Amy D'Olympia (Mattapoisett, MA/Bishop Stang), Taylor DeBever (Denver, CO/Regis Jesuit) and Casey Ostrander (Yarmouthport, MA/Barnstable) won the program's first-ever NEC relay victory with a 1:34.56.  Their mark set a new conference record previously owned by Gardener Webb.

In the 50-yard freestyle, Bryant jumped back to the top of the podium.  Ostrander took her second consecutive title and broke her own conference record, swimming a 23.60.

The NEC Swimming and Diving Championships will resume tomorrow Feb., 18 at 11:00 a.m.