Bulldogs ready for NEC Championships
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING COMPETES IN NEC CHAMPIONSHIPS WED.-SAT.
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Looking to take one of the biggest steps in program history, the Bryant University women's swimming and diving team hopes that a strong mix of experience and youth can lead the Bulldogs to a Northeast Conference championship this weekend at the NEC Championship meet held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology this Wed.-Sat. (Feb. 22-25).
Last year, the Bulldogs finished fourth with 423 points, 368 behind champion Saint Francis (PA). With that in mind, the Black and Gold know they have to find 300 extra points throughout the meet if they want to have a chance.
This year, Saint Franics (PA) is again picked to win the conference title but Central Connecticut, Wagner and Bryant all have a realistic shot at dethroning the two-time defending champs, something the conference has not seen since its inception, according to coach Cameron.
One event where they'll pick up immediate points is in the diving. Without divers since the program's inception, head coach Katie Cameron added four this season. Only two have competed – freshman Kailey Frye (Lakeville, Mass.) and Courtney Pomer (Walpole, Mass.) – but they still will allow the Bulldogs to score points in an event that they usually get a zero in.
The rest of the points will have to come in the form of victories or top-three finishes. A majority of those points can be grabbed in the five relays and coach Cameron believes her team can win all five of those relays (200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 200 medley, 400 medley).
Individually, the Bulldogs feature the best swimmer in the conference, Casey Ostrander (Yarmouthport, Mass.). A junior, Ostrander has earned Swimmer of the Year honors in each of her first two seasons and is a six-time NEC Swimmer of the Week this year. If the Black and Gold are going to have a chance, Ostrander will have to be her usual dominating self.
Although Ostrander grabs all the attention, the Bulldogs feature a depth that has not been seen in a long time in Smithfield.
"From our first girl to the last girl, we have a chance to score points," Cameron said.
The Bulldogs will look to the veteran leadership of Abby Whittaker (Salisbury, Mass.) and Amy D'Olympia (Mattapoisett, Mass.) – the first four-year members of a Division I program – in the relay, fly and free events. Whittaker is the program record-holder in the 200 fly, while D'Olympia was a part of the 200 free relay team that earned First Team All-NEC honors last spring. Bryant also features junior Molly Smith (Belmont, Mass.) and sophomore Taylor DeBever (Denver, Colo.). Both have shown they can be big time swimmers for the Bulldogs and will need to put up big performances this week.
Where the Bulldogs might excel the most is in their freshmen class. Caitlin Hanahoe (Prairie, Minn.) and Mara Valenzuela (Bridgewater, N.J.) both have the capabilities to earn Rookie of the Meet accolades. Ashley Atherton (Bridgewater, N.J.) and Alexandra Morreale (Short Hills, N.J.) also have a chance to score the Bulldogs points in the breast events.
Competition begins Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. with the 200 medley and 800 free finals. From Thursday through Saturday, preliminary action begins at 11:00 a.m. and the finals take place at night, starting at 7. Fans can follow live updates on Twitter by following @necswimming.