Juniors Owen Karl (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton HS) and Alex Liulakis (Tenafly, N.J./Tenafly HS) each won two events to help the Bentley University Falcons register a 168-105 win over Bridgewater State University in men’s college swimming at the Dana Center pool Thursday night.
Bentley captured all 16 events and had the top three finishers in nine of those as it completed its dual schedule with a 7-4 record.
Karl was first to the wall in the meet’s two longest races, posting times of 10:45.27 in the 1000 yard freestyle and 5:02.80 in the 500 free. Liukakis registered wins in the 200 butterfly (2:04.68) and the 200 individual medley (2:07.55).
The team’s seniors were recognized before the meet and six recorded wins in their final home appearance. Four of those – Josh Witty (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS), Connor Mulvey-Hudson (Ardmore, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep), Janco Cornelius (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield HS) and Luke Mason (Lowell/Lowell HS) – combined for a winning time of 3:47.42 in the meet-opening 400 medley relay.
Mulvey-Hudson also finished first in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.75) and the Falcons also received wins from seniors Rene Faria (Caracas, Venezuela) in the 50 free (22.89) and Ryan Shanahan (Duxbury/ Catholic Memorial HS) in the one-meter diving (201.05).
Other individual winners for the Falcons were Kevin Diefenbach (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert HS) in the 200 free (2:01.85), Davis Wilson (Ransom Canyon, Texas/Lubbock HS) in the 100 back (57.83), Colin McCarthy (Glastonbury, Conn./Northwest Catholic HS) in the 100 free (50.80), Tim Connolly (Dorchester/Boston Latin Academy) in the 200 backstroke (2:02.51), Dennis Witol (Bowie, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt HS) in the 100 butterfly (56.43) and Nick Cilia (Brentwood, N.H./Exeter HS) in the three-meter diving (197.25). Connolly and Diefenbach are juniors while the others are sophomores.
Next up for the Falcons is the Northeast-10 Conference Championships Feb. 5-8 at Southern Connecticut State.
Competing at home for the final time, senior Nadine Edwards (Danbury, Conn./Danbury HS) won two individual events and anchored the winning 400 medley relay team to lead the Bentley University women’s swimming team to a 151-123 Senior Night win over Bridgewater State University Thursday night at the Dana Center.
Edwards combined with classmate Kaitlin Simoneau (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South HS), junior Kelly Culkin (Avon, Conn./Avon HS) and sophomore Laura Schlenker (Wheaton, Ill./ Wheaton Warrenville South HS) for a winning time of 4:29.32 in the 400 medley.
Edwards went right back in the pool to lead the first of five 1-2-3 Falcon sweeps, this one coming in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:01.85. Later, in her final Dana Center competitive swim, she captured the 500 free in 5:31.26.
Six-time Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Diver of the Week Paige Wilde (Naugatuck, Conn./Holy Cross HS) swept the diving with scores of 282.25 (one-meter) and 276.10 (three-meter).
The other seniors who posted individual wins were Danielle Hellstern (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug HS) and Simoneau. Hellstern took the 50 free in 26.33 and later followed her younger sister, Nicole, into the pool to help Bentley win the 400 free relay in 3:57.88. That relay also included Simoneau, who earlier won the 100 free in 1:00.10.
Other double-winners for the Falcons was junior Meg Pernsteiner (Highland Heights, Ohio/ Hawken School) and freshman Emily Niemiec (Meriden, Conn./Francis T. Maloney HS). Pernsteiner recorded winning times of 1:06.46 and 2:19.45 in the 100 and 200 backstroke events. Niemiec’s wins came in the 200 breaststroke (2:34.44) and 200 individual medley (215.52).
Sophomore Kaitlin McGahie (Boylston/Tahanto Reg. HS) posted Bentley’s fastest time of the season (1:10.99) while winning the 100 breaststroke. Freshman Anne Warren (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron HS) touched first in the 200 butterfly (2:18.95) and junior Melissa Clauss (Oakland, N.J./Bergen County Academies) won the 100 fly in 1:04.55.
Bentley, which completed its dual schedule at 7-4, will next compete in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships Feb. 5-8 at Southern Connecticut State.
