WSWM set for NEC Championships
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Picked to finish fourth, the Bryant University women's swimming and diving team will look to prove the preseason poll wrong as they compete in the Northeast Conference Championships this week at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.
The Bulldogs will be competing against preseason favorite Wagner, four-time defending champion Saint Francis U., Central Connecticut, Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn. Bryant recorded 669.5 points, a new school record, and finished third at last year's championship meet.
When the Black and Gold step on the pool deck Wednesday night, however, they will be without the four-time reigning NEC Swimmer of the Year Casey Ostrander. They will, though, have a core group of experienced returners and a fresh crop of newcomers ready to make their mark at the conference level. Senior Taylor DeBever (Denver, Colo.) is one of those experienced veterans that will look to leave her mark in the final collegiate meet of her career. She is a six-time individual medal winner and is the reigning gold medalist in the 200 free, an event she won as a freshman as well. DeBever enters the week seeded eighth in the 200 free, fourth in the 200 back and ninth in the 100 free.
The Bulldogs will also look for strong performances from Lauren Doerrman (Oley, Pa.), Jamie Schaefer (Durham, N.C.), Elisabeth Schauer (Pelham, N.Y.), Julia Messina (Canandaigua, N.Y.) and Alexandra Morreale (Short Hills, N.J.). Doerrman won a silver medal last season in the 400 IM and enters the week seeded fourth in the event. She's also 10th and ninth in the 200 fly. Schaefer won a bronze in the 100 fly last season and comes into the week seeded third in the 200 fly and 10th in the 100 fly. A two-time medalist as a freshman, Schauer is fifth in the 100 back and sixth in the 200 back. Messina is 10th in the 100 breast and 14th in the 200 breast, and Morreale is 12th in the 100 breast, an event she won a bronze medal in last season.
Head coach Katie Cameron is also looking to her group of talented freshmen to make some noise over the course of the week. Taylor Poliseno (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) is in the midst of a stellar rookie year and enters the meet eighth in the 50 free, eighth in the 100 fly and 13th in the 100 free. Erin Daly (Reading, Mass.) has been strong in the distance events and is ninth in the 500 free, ninth in the 200 free and 11th in the 1650 free. Another freshman that has a chance to make an impact is Meghan Claflin (Newburyport, Mass.), who enters the week seventh in the 200 free, ninth in the 1650 free, 11th in the 500 free and 14th in the 400 IM. Sophomore diver Courtney Tardif (Windham, N.H.) is seventh in the one meter and eighth in three meter and has a chance to gain the Bulldogs valuable points.
Bryant will also enter the meet with several relay titles to defend. The Bulldogs have won the 200 free each of the last three years and set the NEC record with a time of 1:34.22 last year. Bryant has also won back-to-back 400 free relay titles and set another NEC record with a time of 3:25.14.
The NEC Championships begin on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 8:00 p.m. with the 200 medley relay and 800 free relay. For more information, visit the championship homepage.