Bulldogs in second after two days of WPI Invite

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's swimming and diving team is currently in second place after an outstanding performance on day two of the WPI Invitational Saturday.

The Bulldogs have 1,615 points, trailing Assumption by four points.

Senior Julia Messina (Canandaigua, N.Y.) highlighted the day with a victory in the 100 breast. She won the event with a time of 1:06.99. The Black and Gold also got a first-place finish from freshman diver Kelci Abernethy (Chandler, Ariz.). Abernethy obliterated the school record in the 3-meter dive with a score of 276.40 in the preliminaries before winning the event with a score of 253.95.

Bryant's relay teams also excelled Saturday, finishing second in the 800 free relay, first in the 200 free relay and first in the 400 medley relay. Nicole Salzano (Elmwood Park, N.J.), Valeria Watson (Mexico City, Mexico), Erin Daly (Reading, Mass.) and Jillian Rice (Trumbull, Conn.) combined on the 800 free relay. Rice, Kristie Chan (San Francisco, Calif.), Taylor Poliseno (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) and Dana Yu (Bridgewater, N.J.) won the 200 free relay with a time of 1:37.24 and Salzano, Messina, Jamie Schaefer (Durham, N.C.) and Rice won the 400 medley relay.

 Individually, the Bulldogs had several compete in the "A" finals. Salzano finished fifth in the 200 back and the 500 free, while Daly finished sixth in the 500 free and fourth in the 1650 free. Rice finished seventh in the 500 free and seventh in the 50 free, Mackenzie Kirk (San Jose, Calif.) finished eighth in the 500 free, second in the 1650 free and seventh in the 100 IM and Yu finished seventh in the 50 fly and eighth in the 50 free. Samantha Torrez (Whittier, Calif.) added a fourth-place finish in the 100 fly, while Poliseno finished fifth in the 50 fly.