Women's swim & dive opens 2016-17 season on Sunday at BC

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women's swimming and diving team opens the 2016-17 season on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take on Boston College. The meet is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.

The Bulldogs enter the season looking to build off a strong performance at last year's Northeast Conference Championships in which they finished third for the second-straight year. Bryant will open its home schedule on Saturday, Oct. 22 against Maine and will also swim against NEC rivals CCSU and Wagner, as well as Brown, Vermont, Massachusetts and Boston University this year.

Bryant will feature a strong group of returners and a great deal of depth this year. The Bulldogs will showcase that depth on the boards as they return all four divers that scored last season. Leading the way will be Kelci Abernethy (Chandler, Ariz.), the reigning NEC Diver of the Year. Abernethy shattered the school records in the 1 and 3 meter dives last year on her way to winning gold in both events and becoming the first diver of the year in program history.

Joining Abernethy will be Ann Burdick (Glenmont, N.Y.), Stephanie Jennings (Elmont, N.Y.), Carissa Stemen (Naples, Fla.) and Ashley Lewis (Maple Valley, Wash.). Burdick took home a silver medal in the 3 meter dive, Jennings finished fourth in the 1 meter dive, Stemen finished fifth in the 1 meter and Lewis was a two-time state qualifier in high school.

In the pool, the Bulldogs will look to veterans Erin Daly (Reading, Mass.), Sara Osinski (Naples, Fla.), Taylor Poliseno (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.), Samantha Torrez (Whittier, Calif.), Mackenzie Kirk (San Jose, Calif.), Nicole Salzano (Elmwood Park, N.J.) and Valeria Watson (Mexico City, Mexico).

Daly is a three-time individual medalist at the NEC Championships and is primed for another outstanding year in the distance events. Osinski looks to return strong after missing all of last year, while Poliseno and Torrez both have the ability to be big time scorers for the Black and Gold this year.

As juniors, Salzano and Watson look to break through this winter. Salzano finished in the top six in three different events at the NEC Championships last year, while Watson finaled in the 200 free, 500 free and 200 back last year.

Bryant will also look to Jillian Rice (Trumbull, Conn.) to build off a stellar rookie season. She won three NEC Rookie of the Week honors and finaled in the 100, 200 and 500 free at the NEC Championships.