Bentley University junior diver Colton Bridge (Tolland, Conn./Tolland HS) met the standard for the NCAA Division II pre-qualification meet and the Falcons used their depth to record a 139-102 victory over crosstown rival Brandeis University in men’s college swimming Friday evening at the Brandeis pool.
Bridge captured both one-meter diving events with a combined score of 520.05, shattering the school record of 453.59 set by Mike Walsh in 2011. That included a 303.00 in the six-meters, besting another Walsh record by 7.35 points. He met the NCAA standard for both six and 11 dives.
Bentley’s 31-5 superiority in the diving accounted for almost all the winning margin in the meet as the Falcon swimmers only had one more point than the Judges.
Freshman Aiden Karam (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) and junior Sebastian Bury (Bellevue, Wash./Newport Senior HS) led the Falcon swimmers as each won an event, took second in another and combined with freshman Jon Boains (Unionville, Conn./Farmington HS) and sophomore Davis Wilson (Ransom Canyon, Texas/Lubbock HS) to take the 400 yard free relay in 3:19.44.
Karam was victorious in the 200 freestyle (1:49.66) with Wilson second (1:49.68), and was second in the 500 free (4:59.15). Bury and Boains were 1-2 in the 100 free, finishing in 50.01 and 50.64, respectively, and Bury’s 22.54 in the 50 free was also good for second place.
The other seconds for Bentley were registered by sophomore Nick Cilia (Brentwood, N.H./ Exeter HS) and senior Ryan Shanahan (Duxbury/Catholic Memorial HS) in diving, sophomore Dennis Witol (Bowie, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) in the 200 individual medley (2:05.61) and classmate Gregory Coleman (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Sachem North HS) in the 100 butterfly (56.14).
Bentley, 3-3, will look to move above .500 Saturday afternoon at Norwich University.
Sophomore Kaitlin McGahie (Boylston/Tahanto Reg. HS) and senior Paige Wilde (Naugatuck, Conn./Holy Cross HS) were double-winners, accounting for four of their team’s 11 victories, as Bentley University cruised to a 156-74 victory over Brandeis University in women’s college swimming Friday night at the Brandeis pool.
McGahie led 1-2 finishes for Bentley in both the 50 yard freestyle (25.89) and the 100 breaststroke (1:11.51). Sophomore Nicole Hellstern (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug HS) was second to the wall in the 50 free (26.81) and freshman Emily Niemiec (Meriden, Conn./Francis T. Maloney HS) was the runner-up in the 100 breast (1:13.33).
McGahie also anchored Bentley’s winning 200 medley relay team, a quartet that also included sophomore Laura Schlenker (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South HS), Niemiec and junior Melissa Clauss (Oakland, N.J./Bergen County Academies). Their winning time was 1:57.95.
Nicole Hellstern was also part of a winning relay with Bentley taking the 400 free in 3:50.89. That relay included her sister Danielle, senior Nadine Edwards (Danbury, Conn./Danbury HS) and freshman Jessica Chen (Darien, Conn./Darien HS).
Wilde swept the two one-meter diving events, with scores of 183.00 and 256.50.
Also posting individual events were Edwards in the 200 free (2:02.35), Niemiec in the 200 individual medley (2:16.35), Clauss in the 200 butterfly (1:05.23), Danielle Hellstern in the 100 free (57.14) and freshman Anne Warren (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron HS).
Bentley will take a 3-3 record to Northfield, Vt. for a Saturday matinee at Norwich University (1:00 pm).
