2021 NEC Swim & Dive NEC Championship Preview

Carlisle, Pa. - The Bryant Univeristy men's and women's swimming and diving team is set to begin the 2021 Northeast Conference Championships tomorrow. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the diving portion of the competition was completed over the weekend. The men have a current point total of 172 and are at the top of the leaderboard. The women are in second place with a team total of 88. The 

Head coach Katie Cameron said, "Lots of emotions heading into the conference meet.  The biggest is gratitude. As a program, we are incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to have a conference meet. We are grateful to the conference and administrators who worked through many hurdles to get us here.  We are extremely excited to get up and race. The season has looked different in many ways but racing is racing, something we love to do.  Our team is incredibly resilient, I am confident that all will step up, do their job and compete with a Bulldog heart and pride. The goal is to build on the momentum divers created! Go bulldogs!". 

The women are looking to secure their fourth NEC title in a row. Alexa Rivera was named the NEC Swimmer of the Week twice this season and has won a gold and bronze medal in the 400 IM. Freshman Julia Stenhård had a strong season for the Bulldogs. Stenhård was named the Swimmer and Rookie of the week after her performance against Boston Univeristy. Elin Svard has won a gold and silver medal in the 100 fly at the NECs and is seeking her third medal. Last year's Rookie of the Meet, Sammi Grenon won gold in the 1650 free and 100 IM.

This will be the first year that the men's team will be competing in the NEC Championships as they were previously a part of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Matthew Mays and FuKang Wong will want to repeat their success from last season. Mays was named the NEC Swimmer of the Week four times this season, and at last year's MAAC Championships, he won a gold medal in the 200 IM and two silver medals in the 100 and 200 back. Wong has dominated the breaststroke during his tenure at Bryant, and he will try to replicate that success during the championships. Wong won gold in both the 100 and 200 breast last season. Freshman Calvin Groenewold and Chase Konstantakos both were named the NEC Rookie of the Week this season.

Relays have been a cornerstone for both the men and the women at Bryant. In the previous season, the women won three gold medals, and the men won two.