Ostrander, 200 free relay grab gold
BULLDOGS IN FOURTH AFTER DAY TWO OF NECs
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Casey Ostrander (Yarmouthport, Mass.) defended her title in the 50 free and the 200 free relay set another conference record as the Bryant University women's swimming and diving team completed the second day of competition at the 2013 Northeast Conference Swimming and Diving Championships.
After two days the Bulldogs are in fourth place with 227.5 points. Saint Francis U. is in first with 251 points, Central Connecticut is in second with 237 points and Wagner is in third with 234.5 points. Mount St. Mary's (130), St. Francis Brooklyn (88) and Sacred Heart (79) are currently 5-7, rounding out the scoring.
The three-time NEC Swimmer of the Year, Ostrander began her quest for a fourth-consecutive crown as she won the 50 free for the fourth time in her career. The top seed in the event, Ostrander won the event with a school-record time of 23.16, two one-hundredths of a second faster than her previous record. Junior Taylor DeBever (Denver, Colo.) also medaled on Thursday, earning a silver medal in the 500 free with a school-record time of 4:51.75, six seconds faster than the previous time she set last season.
Following their individual events, Ostrander and DeBever helped Bryant close out the evening with a victory in the 200 free relay. Kaitlin Buckley (Duxbury, Mass.) and Dana Yu (Bridgewater, N.J.) joined the duo and helped the Bulldogs set a conference record with a time of 1:34.22, besting the mark they set last season.
Several other Bulldogs also finaled on the second day of competition. Lauren Doerrman (Oley, Pa.) finished eighth in the 500 free (5:01.08) and Molly Smith (Belmont, Mass.) finished fifth in the 200 IM with a school-record time of 2:06.62. Also in the 200 IM, Alexandra Morreale (Short Hills, N.J.) finished 11th (2:10.59), Brianne Dwyer (Hicksville, N.Y.) finished 14th (2:12.17) and Julia Messina (Canandaigua, N.Y.) finished 15th (2:12.44). In the 50 free, Buckley was seventh (24.13), Yu was 10th (24.14) and Kristie Chan (San Francisco, Calif.) was 15th (24.68). In the one meter dive, Courtney Tardif (Windham, N.H.) was sixth (178.70), Kailey Frye (Lakeville, Mass.) was eighth (160.90) and Rebecca Revaz (Easthampton, Mass.) was 11th (102.05).
Day three competition begins at 11:00 a.m. on Friday with preliminary heats. Finals will begin at 7:00 p.m.