Kaduboski, Murphy Win Gold at NEISDA Championships; Bentley Finishes 2nd of 22

Bentley University sophomore Anne Kaduboski (Dedham/Dedham HS) and freshman Molly Murphy (Horseheads, N.Y./Watkins Glen HS) each captured a gold medal Sunday night as the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association Championships concluded at UMass-Dartmouth.

Despite cutting into Keene State’s lead, Bentley finished second for the second consecutive year with its score of 830 points placing it 69 points back of the Keene Owls. St. Michael’s College was a distant third with 514, and a total of 22 teams scored in the meet.

Kaduboski’s second gold of the meet came in the 200 yard butterfly, an event in which she had already posted an NCAA “A” cut time. She registered a 2:05.28 on Sunday, shaving 0.48 seconds off the meet record and more than two seconds off the existing pool standard.

Bentley dominated the 200 fly, with seniors Kristen Thuerk (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire HS) and Lynne Tutunjian (Shrewsbury/Worcester Academy) finishing third and fourth, respectively. Thuerk touched in 2:12.37 and Tutunjian recorded a 2:21.88.

Murphy’s first career NEISDA championship came in the 100 individual medley. With a time of 1:03.97, she edged Amy Arisco of Eastern Connecticut by just six-hundredths of a second.

Bentley’s other thirds on the final day of action were recorded by senior Kaitlin Chepeleff (Vernon, Conn./Rockville HS) in the 200 breaststroke (2:32.30) and sophomore Emily Travers (Brentwood, N.H./Exeter HS) in the three-meter diving (355.90).  In the 50 backstroke, senior Breda O’Connor (Dedham/Ursuline Academy) placed fourth with a time of 29.85 seconds.

The meet concluded with the 400 free relay, and the top three in that event matched the top three in the team standings. Keene State won in 3:35.77, and the Bentley quartet of junior Carolyn Connolly (Palm Desert, Calif./Palm Desert HS), freshman Susie Boretti (Westford/Westford Academy), Thuerk and Kaduboski followed in 3:43.80.

All told, Bentley had three firsts, six silvers and five bronzes in the three-day meet.