Bulldogs continue to perform well at ECACs
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Day two is complete at the 2011 ECAC Swimming and Diving Championships, as the Bryant University men's and women's swim teams continue to rewrite the record books while registering top-ten finishes. Despite not competing in diving events, Bryant has held its own, competing in more than nine finals Saturday evening in Pittsburgh, Pa.
On the men's side Bryant slipped down just two spots to No. 10, but was able to gain 126 points through the first two days. On the women's side, the Bulldogs remained in the No. 7 spot totaling 141 points at the conclusion of the fourth session.
The 200-yard medley relay team of Casey Ostrander (Yarmouthport, Mass.), Brianne Dwyer (Hicksville, N.Y.), Kaitlin Buckley (Duxbury, Mass.) and Taylor DeBever (Denver, Colo.) finished fifth overall with a time of 1:48.46, giving the Bulldogs 28 crucial points.
Ostrander was not finished there though, as the Massachusetts native went on to capture second place in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.11, giving the Bulldogs 17 points in the event. Just two seconds behind was the frosh DeBever, who would finish ninth with a time of 58.79. DeBever would also go on to claim seventh in the 200-yard freestyle event with a 1:52.16 mark.
Jill Squillante (Sayville, N.Y.) also made major contributions for Bryant as she rounded out the field in the 100-yard backstroke with a 1:00.04 mark.
Molly Smith (Belmont, Mass.) put forth another solid showing in the 400-yard IM, as the Massachusetts native recorded a time of 4:34.13 and a ninth-place finish.
Alex Kosenski (Lavallette, N.J.) paced the men's Side with his second place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and his school record time of 1:38.68.
On the men's side, Cameron Hessler (Southbury, Conn.), Thomas Huynh (Malden, Mass.), Sean Martell (Nashua, N.H.) and Nicholas Karadimas (New Milford, Conn.) teamed up to set a school record in the 200-yard medley relay with a 1:34.37 mark and a ninth place spot to give the Black and Gold 18 points.
Despite not placing in the finals, Hyunh would break the school record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 51.76.
The 800-yard medley relay squad of Karadimas, Steve Sinclair (Middleton, Mass.), Steven Nguyen (San Jose, Calif.) and Kosenski would round out the day for Bryant in record breaking fashion, as the quartet stormed to a fifth-place finish in the event. The lineup garnered 28 points for Bryant en route to shattering the previous record set at the 2010 ECAC Championships.
Bryant will wrap up its season tomorrow in the final day of the ECAC Championships. Fans can follow all the action live at http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/livestats/c-swim/index.htm.