BRYANT MEN AND WOMEN SET 13 SCHOOL RECORDS IN PAIR OF SATURDAY WINS AT BENTLEY

November 10, 2007

BRYANT MEN AND WOMEN SET 13 SCHOOL RECORDS IN PAIR OF SATURDAY WINS AT BENTLEY

WALTHAM, Mass. - Both the Bryant University men's and women's swim teams raced to victories over Northeast-10 Conference rival Bentley College Saturday afternoon on the road, marking the Bulldogs' first-ever win over the Falcons in program history. It was the first time the teams met in dual-meet format, and the win saw Bryant rewrite the record books: 13 new school records were set, five from the women and eight from the men. The men raced to a decisive 145-117 win over Bentley, while the Bulldog women edged the female Falcons, 134-128. The Bryant men are 4-0 on the 2007-08 season with the women at a perfect 6-0.

Bryant was led on the men's side by junior Tom Ferrigno (West Chester, Penn.), who won a trio of individual events - the 1000-yard freestyle (10:27.15), the 100-yard backstroke (55.11) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:01.14) - before swimming the first leg of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Ferrigno's two backstroke wins set new school records for the Bulldogs.

Freshman Steven Nguyen (San Jose, Calif.) chipped in a pair top times of his own and also pitched in on the win in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The rookie set three school records with first-place finishes in 500-yard freestyle (4:58.47 - smashing teammate Ferrigno's previous school record of 5:01.26) and the 200-yard freestyle (1:48.88 - breaking his own school-record time of 1:50.22), and a second-place time in the 100-yard IM (57.95).

Other record setters were James Newton (50-yard backstroke; 27.29), John Cieslewski (200-yard breaststroke; 2:25.31) and Matt Derwin (200-yard butterfly; 2:09.31).

For the women, it was again freshman Amy Howell (Clifton Park, NY) who had the biggest day for the Bulldogs. Howell swam to two wins - the 1000-yard freestyle (11:04.63) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:25.88) - and earned a pair of Bryant records for the win in the 1000-yard freestyle and a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly (2:18.25).

Also helping the team sneak past Bentley was sophomore Jess Looney (Goffstown, NH). Looney won the 100-yard IM (1:04.49), setting a new record, and the 200-yard backstroke (2:16.69).

Other record setters for the women were freshmen Jill Squillante (100-yard backstroke; 1:02.47) and Lisa Zanchi (100-yard breaststroke; 1:13.81).

The Bulldogs will next compete at home against Saint Rose at noon on Sat., Nov. 17.