BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's swimming & diving team posted a 118-87 victory over Little East Conference (LEC) rival Eastern Connecticut State University on Friday evening at the Moriarty Pool. Tonight's meet was also a Morgan's Message® awareness event.

The Bears (4-5) placed first in eight of the 11 events on the evening.

Bridgewater opened the meet with a victory in the 200 medley relay as the foursome of sophomore Cooper Sever (Edgewater, Md.), senior Cooper Castellone (South Windsor, Conn.), freshman Aaron Fowler (Brookline, Mass.) and senior Joseph Pervier (Baldwinville, Mass.) posted a winning time of 1:38.73.

Sever added a pair of individual triumphs in the 200 freestyle (1:51.23) and 200 backstroke (2:05.18), while Fowler was the first to touch the wall in the 50 freestyle (21.14).

Senior Connor Young (Chelmsford, Mass.) won a couple of the longer events outdistancing the field in both the 1,000 freestyle (10:45.42) and the 500 freestyle (5:10.24). Young's time in the 500 freestyle marked a collegiate best.

Freshman Jirat Saengthong (Watertown, Mass.) captured top honors in the 100 freestyle (49.48).

Saengthong, senior Brennan Gravanda (Wilbraham, Mass.), Pervier and Fowler capped off the meet with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay as the quartet posted a season-best time of 1:28.02.

Morgan's Message® was created by the family and former teammates of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University lacrosse student-athlete who died tragically in July 2019 after battling mental health struggles. The mission of Morgan's Message® is to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics. Morgan's Message® aims to expand the dialogue on mental health by normalizing conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence, and supporting those who feel alone.

The BSU swimming & diving teams are back in action tomorrow afternoon at two o'clock as the Bears welcome LEC foe Plymouth State University to the Moriarty Pool. The Bears will also hold Senior Day festivities prior to the start of the meet.