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Bulldogs take lead into final day of NECs
Posted: Feb 15, 2019

Bulldogs take lead into final day of NECs

Results

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – Sophomore Heather Wong (Ramsey, N.J.) won her first-career gold medal as the Bryant University women's swimming and diving team continued to build its lead on day three of the 2019 NEC Swimming and Diving Championships at the Nassau County Aquatic Center.

The Bulldogs have scored 639 points over the first three days of the championships and sit in first place. Central Connecticut is in second with 413.50 points.

Coach Cameron's Comments

 

Day Three Highlights

  • Elin Svärd (Falun, Dalarana, Sweden) won Bryant's first medal of the night, earning a silver in the 100 fly with a time of 54.92.
  • Bryant took home the top two spots in the 200 free thanks to Jillian Rice (Trumbull, Conn.) and Alyssa DiFiore (Wethersfield, Conn.). Rice touched in 1:49.84 and DiFiore finished at 1:50.92.
  • Wong then won her first-career gold medal as she broke a two-year old school record in the 100 breast. She touched first with a time of 1:03.01.
  • Alaina Scifo (Ipswich, Great Britain) won another medal for the Bulldogs as she finished second in the 100 back with a time of 55.43.
  • Bryant grabbed a silver and a bronze in the 3-meter dive. Gabrielle Ritzer (Sutton, Mass.) earned her second medal of the week with a second-place finish, while Ann Burdick (Glenmont, N.Y.) wrapped up her outstanding career with a bronze.
  • The Black and Gold closed the meet with a silver medal in the 400 medley relay. Scifo, Wong, Svard and Rivera teamed to finish with a time of 3:45.94.  

Other Highlights

  • Meghan Veenstra (Tyngsborough, Mass.) was Bryant's only swimmer in the 400 IM and finished sixth with a time of 4:34.41.  
  • In addition to Svard in the 100 fly, Domenica Alcala (Cancun, Mexico) finished sixth, Caitlin Dye (Natick, Mass.) won the 'B' flight and Sara Gendron (Smithfield, R.I.) finished 11th.
  • Alyvia Beaudion (Cypress, Texas) and Kelly Tiernan (Hartford, Conn.) also finaled in the 200 free, finishing 10th and 16th.
  • Kayleigh Canavan (Cumberland, R.I.) nearly gave Bryant two in the top three of the 100 breast, finishing fourth. Eliza Brant (Hauppauge, N.Y.) finished 11th.
  • Alexa Rivera (Boynton Beach, Fla.) finished sixth, Lindsey Choate (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) finished ninth, Dye was 10th and Alcala was 16th in the 100 back.
  • Bryant placed four other divers in the top eight in addition to Ritzer and Burdick. Stephanie Jennings (Elmont, N.Y.), Kelci Abernethy (Chandler, Ariz.) and Carissa Stemen (Naples, Fla.) finished 4-5-6, while Elizabeth Cahill (Ashland, Mass.) finished eighth.

Notes and Notables

  • Bryant has now won nine golds in three days. The Bulldogs won a program-record 10 gold medals last year.
  • Rice has won the 50 and 200 free and will go for the trifecta tomorrow when she swims the 100 free.
  • Bryant became the first school in NEC history to place six divers in the top eight of the 3-meter dive.
  • Ritzer earned a bronze in the 1-meter and a silver medal in the 3-meter and now has three medals in her career.    
  • Bryant's streak of relay victories at the NECs was snapped at eight. 

Up Next

The final day of the 2019 NEC Swimming and Diving Championships gets underway on Saturday with preliminary heats beginning at 10:00 a.m.