2021 NEC Championships Day 2: Bryant Men Poised For Title, Women Holding Lead

2021 NEC Conference Championship

• March 30 – April 1, 2020
• Keystone Aquatic Center, Carlisle, PA
• SCY (25 yards)
• 2020 Results
• Live Results (MeetMobile)

TEAM SCORES (Diving + Day 1)

WOMEN

1. Bryant – 528.5
2. Central Connecticut State – 441
3. LIU – 305.5
4. Sacred Heart – 290
5. Wagner – 280
6. Saint Francis University – 232
7. St. Francis College – 229
8. Mount Saint Mary’s – 132
9. Merrimack – 81

MEN

1. Bryant – 663
2. LIU – 496
3. St. Francis College – 400
4. Mount Saint Mary’s – 390

Women’s Recap

Bryant is holding on to the lead in the women’s meet, heading into the final day of competition leading Central Connecticut State by 87.5 points. Depth has been critical for Bryant, as CCSU has won more events.

Bryant’s best showing came in the 100 fly, where they posted a monumental 1-2-3 finish. Alexa Rivera, who finished 2nd in the 50 free on day 1, won the race with a 55.49. Bryant freshman Julia Stenhard took 2nd with a 55.79, while Sara Gendron came in 3rd with a 55.84. Gendron is a junior, so both she and Stenhard will return next year, which is great news for Bryant. Bryant also picked up a 7th-place finish in the event.

Wagner’s Maile Mora backed up her 200 IM win with a win in the 400 IM, where she swam a 4:23.24. Mora swam a consistent race, leading her into the finish nearly 2 seconds ahead of the field. She came in 2nd in the event last year, where she swam a 4:23.77. Defending champion Samantha Grenon (Bryant) came in 3rd this year. She won the event in 4:22.79 last year, and finished in 4:26.40 this year.

Katie Czulewicz, a CCSU junior who won the 500 free, went on to take the 200 free with a 1:50.09. This marked a 1-2 finish for CCSU, as Shannon Welcome finished 2nd in 1:51.22. Czulewicz came in 2nd in the event last year, where she swam a 1:50.13.

Wagner junior Ellie Eastwood took the 100 breast with a 1:03.07, leading LIU’s Venna Andersen (1:03.30) throughout the race. Eastwood was out in 29.54, while Andersen was out in 29.62. Eastwood then came home in 33.53, while Andersen was 33.68.

50 free champion Jeannette King, a CCSU junior, took the 100 backstroke with a 54.57. King moved up from her 2nd place finish last year, with a 56.55, marking considerable improvement. Bryant freshman Julia Stenhard took 2nd this year with a 54.72, meaning we’ll get a nice rematch between King and Stenhard next year.

Bryant won the 200 medley relay, while CCSU took the 800 free relay. In the 200 medley, Bryant was led off by Stenhard in 26.06, with Alyvia Beaudion splitting 29.37 on breast, Elin Svard splitting 24.48 on fly, and Alexa Rivera anchored in 23.15. They finished in 1:43.06.

CCSU’s 800 free relay was led off by Czulewicz in 1:52.14, with Abbey Keane going 2nd in 1:54.30, Shannon Welcome splitting 1:53.05 on the 3rd leg, and Simona Visinski anchoring in 1:52.67. They clocked a 7:32.16, 3 seconds ahead of the field.

Men’s Recap:

Bryant has built a seemingly insurmountable lead through the first 2 days of swimming. Again, freshmen and sophomore swimmers led the way.

Mount Saint Mary’s picked up their first win of the meet, with freshman Jake Wallace swimming a 54.20 in the 100 breast. He swam a 25.26 on the first 50, which was in line with the field, but then he opened up a 28.94 on the final 50, which pulled him away from the other swimmers.

Matthew Mays, Bryant senior, picked up another decisive victory, swimming a 48.17 in the 100 back. The swim was fast enough for Mays to get his hand on the wall first by 1.82 seconds. He posted the fastest splits in the field on both 50s, taking the race out in 23.10, and coming home in 25.07.

LIU freshman Daniel Chocano Fernandez, the winner of the 500 freestyle, took the 400 IM in 4:01.52, winning the race by 3 seconds. Fernandez showed off his freestyle speed on this race, splitting a quick 54.79 on the free leg of the race.

Another LIU freshman, Alejandro Pascual Del Cid, took the 200 free with a 1:39.87, touching as the only swimmer in the field to break 1:40. He used his speed to get out to a big lead in the race, splitting 22.86 and 25.16 on the first 2 50s, for a 48.02 on the first 100. 50 free champion Djordje Spasic (St. Franics) came in 2nd in the race with a 1:40.40.

LIU also picked up a title in the 800 free relay, where they swam a 6:47.74. Daniel Chocano Fernandez led the squad off in 1:43.00, with Marcell Matyiko swimming 2nd with a 1:40.46, Alejandro Pascual Del Cid going 3rd with a 1:43.55, and Daniel Samouilich anchored in 1:40.73. Impressively, all 4 swimmers on the LIU team are freshmen.

Bryant took the 200 medley relay with a 1:29.54. Matthew Mays led the squad off in 22.11, Fu Kang Wong swam breaststroke in 24.92, Dom Scifo swam fly in 22.10, and Eric Bebel anchored in 20.41. Mays and Bebel led the field in backstroke and freestyle respectively.