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Kosenski grabs gold on day two of MAACs
Posted: Feb 15, 2013

Kosenski grabs gold on day two of MAACs

Results

KOSENSKI BECOMES FIRST BULLDOG TO WEAR GOLD AT MAACs

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Graduate student Alex Kosenski (Lavallette, N.J.) became the first member of the Bryant University men's swimming and diving team to win a gold medal and six more school records fell on day two of the 2013 MAAC Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.

After two days, the Bulldogs remain in sixth place with 271 points. Rider is in first place with 384 points, Saint Peter's has 359.5 and Marist has 358.5. Canisius is close behind in fourth with 354.5 and Loyola has 279 to represent the top five. Fairfield, Manhattan, Iona and Niagara follow Bryant and round out the 10 teams.

The greatest male swimmer in program history, it seems meant to be that Kosenski became the first swimmer to earn a gold medal at the MAACs. He left no doubt how determined he was at taking home a medal from Buffalo as he earned the top seed in the 200 free finals by winning his preliminary heat by nearly two seconds. In the final, he was able to outtouch Rider's Brian Molloy by four tenths of a second, finishing with a time of 1:39.00. Nicholas Karadimas (New Milford, Conn.) also found himself in the finals of the 200, finishing fourth with a time of 1:41.63.

Bryant set four records on the first day of the championships and exceeded that on Friday as it broke six more school records. Having set two relay school records on Thursday, the Bulldogs set school records in the 200 medley relay and the 800 free relay. In the 200 medley, Cameron Hessler (Southbury, Conn.), Graham Beck (Danvers, Mass.), Joshua Bjornberg (Wallingford, Conn.) and Karadimas teamed up to set the school record with a time of 1:33.45, finishing fourth. In the final event of the night, Steven Sinclair (Middleton, Mass.), Karadimas, John Lawson (Bernardsville, N.J.) and Kosenski combined to finish third in the 800 free relay with a school-record time of 6:48.37, almost four seconds faster than the previous record.

Individually, four Bulldogs were able to set school records. The first came from freshman Brendan Miller-Radest (Chatham, N.J.) in the 1000 free as he broke a school record that had stood for over four years, finishing 13th with a time of 9:51.73. Lawson then set the school record in the 100 fly during the preliminaries with a time of 51.17. The next two records were both broke by the current holder as Beck and Hessler shaved times off current times. Beck finished fourth in the 100 breast with a school-record time of 56.45 and Hessler finished 10th in the 100 back with a school-record time of 51.88.

The Bulldogs also received several strong performances. Andrew Neggia (Ramsey, N.J.) and Kevin Hong (Bridgewater, N.J.) both scored points in the 1000 free and Hong followed with an eighth-place finish in the 400 IM with a time of 4:13.96. Neggia and Miller-Radest both scored in the 400 IM as well. Bjornberg and Nico Seiler (Portland, Maine) both scored in the 100 fly, Lawson scored in the 200 free, and Bjornberg also finished 11th in the 100 breast.

Bryant finishes competition at the MAAC Championships on Saturday with events beginning at 10:00 a.m. Fans can follow the events live by CLICKING HERE.