WSWM begins NEC competition tonight
OSTRANDER LEADS BULLDOGS INTO NEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Looking to cap off one of the most successful years in program history, the Bryant University women's swimming and diving team heads to Cambridge, Mass., to begin competition in the 2013 Northeast Conference Swimming & Diving Championships on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The meet continues through Saturday at the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Led by three-time NEC Swimmer of the Year Casey Ostrander (Yarmouthport, Mass.), the Bulldogs will look to improve their point total for the fourth-straight year. Bryant will have to overcome last year's top two teams, Central Connecticut and Saint Francis U. if it wants to win its first conference title.
In three years, Ostrander has won nine gold medals, winning every event she has competed in, and has become just the second swimmer in conference history to win the swimmer of the year award three times. This season, she'll look to become the first ever four-time winner as she enters the meet as the top seed in the 50 free (23.22), 100 back (55.73) and the 200 back (2:02.39).
The Bulldogs will also look for strong performances from Molly Smith (Belmont, Mass.) and junior Taylor DeBever (Denver, Colo.). Last season, Smith earned a silver medal in the 200 breast with a school-record time of 2:20.30 and also finaled in the 200 IM (7th) and the 400 IM (5th). She's seeded fourth in the 200 breast (2:26.08), ninth in the 200 IM (2:13.94) and third in the 400 IM (4:36.95). DeBever won three medals a year ago, claiming a silver and two bronzes with a second-place finish in the 200 free and third-place finishes in the 100 and 500 free events. She is seeded sixth in the 500 free (5:06.66), sixth in the 200 free (1:54.42) and fifth in the 100 free (52.91). Bryant's breaststrokers will also be a key success to the weekend. Heading in, the Bulldogs have five swimmers seeded in the top 10 of the 100 breast. Julia Messina (Canandaigua, N.Y.) is seeded third, Samantha Hilton (Fairfield, Conn.) is fourth, Alexandra Morreale (Short Hills, N.J.) is eighth, Brianne Dwyer (Hicksville, N.Y.) is ninth and Ashley Atherton (Bridgewater, N.J.) is tenth.
In the relay events, the Bulldogs will look to earn major points. Bryant is seeded second in the 200 medley relay (1:48.98), fourth in the 800 free relay (7:47.48), second in the 200 free relay (1:37.64), third in the 400 medley relay (3:58.62) and sixth in the 400 free relay (3:37.21). Last season, the Black and Gold set NEC records in the 200 and 400 free relays.
Competition begins on Wednesday night with the 200 medley and 800 free relay events. Starting Thursday and running through Saturday, preliminary heats will begin at 11:00 a.m. and the finals will begin at 7:00 p.m. For complete coverage of the 2013 NEC Swimming & Diving Championships, CLICK HERE.