By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men’s and women’s swimming & diving team had numerous All-New England performers this season.
Both teams finished fourth at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Division Association Championships during the winter.
Leading the way for the men with three individual All-New England honors each were Giulian Santos and Chris Anastasiades.
Santos was first in the 50 butterfly, fourth in the 50 freestyle and sixth in the 100 freestyle, while Anastasiades took third in the 100 individual medley and 100 butterfly and was fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Santos was also part of four All-New England relay teams while Anastasiades was on three relay teams that received All-New England recognition.
Sean Flaherty, Dylon Willis and Timucin Marino received All-New England individual accolades twice each with Flaherty placing third in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 50 backstroke, Willis was second in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 50 breaststroke and Marino placed fifth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 1,650 freestyle.
Willis also received the Bob Muir Senior High Point Award, which goes to the senior with the most career points at the NEISDA Championships. Willis broke his own BSU record with a time of :56.69 in the 100 breakstroke.
Other All-New England performances were by Ben Wilkinson (eighth, 100 individual medley), Thomas Scalese (eighth, 200 backstroke) and Joseph Capella (eighth, 1-meter diving).
Capella received the Male Senior Diver High Point Award, given to the senior who had the most career points at the NEISDA Championshps.
BSU also had four relay teams receive All-New England honors, led by the 200 medley relay unit of Santos, Willis, Flaherty and Anastasiades, which placed first.
The 400 medley relay team of Willis, Anastasiades, Santos and Flaherty and the 400 freestyle relay team of Santos, Wilkinson, Flaherty and Anastasiades were both second and the 200 freestyle team of Santos, Willis, Devin Bombardier and Wilkinson was third.
The BSU women’s team was led by Megan Bonney, who earned All-New England honors in two individual events and two relay races.
Bonney was first in the 50 butterfly with a school-record time of 26.18 seconds and took sixth in the 50 freestyle in addition to being on the 200 medley and freestyle relay teams.
She joined Mackenzie Coogan, Allison Hunt and Danielle Vissering on the 200 freestyle relay team that finished third in a school-record time and was on the 200 medley relay team with Coogan, Adi Tobias, Makayla Paquin of Easton and that was third in a school-record time of 1:52.17.
Other individual All-New England performers included Coogan (fifth in the 500 and 100 freestyle), Selin Marino (sixth in the 1,650 freestyle and eighth in the 1000 freestyle), Hannah Geoffrion (seventh in the 200 butterfly), Tobias (eighth in the 50 backstroke), Hunt (eighth in the 100 IIM) and Alexa Wilson (fifth in 1-meter diving).
Coogan broke a 15-year-old school record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.61 seconds.