By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's swimming & diving team has been on top of the Little East Conference since joining in the 2021-22 season.

The Bears have won all three Little East championships since moving there from the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association, placing seven on the all-conference first team a year ago.

Only two of those seven swimmers will be taking part in the 2024-25 Little East Championships, which begin on Thursday night and conclude on Sunday evening.

Four of them -- Cooper Castellone (South Windsor, Conn.), Brennan Gravanda (Wilbraham, Mass.), Joseph Pervier (Baldwinville, Mass.) and Connor Young (Chelmsford, Mass.) -- graduated while last season's Little East Swimmer and Rookie of the Year -- Aaron Fowler (Brookline, Mass.) has missed a significant portion of this season with an illness.

So when BSU bids for a fourth Little East title in a row, it will do so with some new faces playing prominent roles.

"We're a little shorthanded on the men's side, but we have the know-how," said BSU's Michael Caruso, who was the conference Coach of the Year last season. "We have some good numbers. We have some young men who are really going to find their roles this year and I'm really excited about that.

"It hurts to lose any high-level performer, but it opens up an opportunity to see what you have, to see if someone else can fill those shoes. There are going to be some pretty interesting names that come out of this meet that are going to introduce themselves to not only our team but to the world. I'm excited to see that."

The competition begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Babson College with the 3-meter diving event.

The scene shifts to the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley Friday and Saturday (preliminaries, 10 a.m. and finals at 6:30 p.m.) and Sunday (preliminaries 10 a.m. and finals at 5:30 p.m.).

BSU won its first title in 2022 with 945 points, had 979 points in 2023 and clinched the 2024 championship with 955 points.

"We had a very large graduating class, a powerful group that has left us," said Caruso. "But when it comes down to numbers this year, we'll be in it until the last event."

Newcomers Desmond Ng (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia), a transfer who is a junior, and freshman Matthew Jo (Tewksbury, Mass.) have been productive in their first seasons with the Bears.

Ng, who arrived from Sacramento State University, has the best time in the Little East in the 200 individual medley (2:00.01), the 200 backstroke (2:03.39), the 50 breaststroke (26.85 seconds) and the 200 breaststroke (2:13.03).

He also ranks second in the conference in the 100 breaststroke (59.22 seconds), the 400 individual medley (4:25.81) and the 100 breaststroke (59.22) and third in the 1,000 freestyle (10:51.00).

Ng has been the Little East Rookie of the Week four times and the Swimmer of the Week twice.

"He's an experienced swimmer and he's very strong," said Caruso. "I think it's going to be very surprising to see his performances."

Jo ranks No. 1 in the Little East with a time of 10:40.46 in the 1,000 and is third in the 500 freestyle (5:04.79), fifth in the 1,650 freestyle (19:04.92) and sixth in the 200 backstroke (2:07.05).

"He has an opportunity to kind of make a name for himself," said Caruso  of Jo, the three-time Little East Rookie of the Week.

The two returning All-Little East first team swimmers are junior Cooper Sever (Edgewater, Md.) and sophomore Jirat Saengthong (Watertown, Mass.).

Sever is third in the conference in the 50 backstroke (25.45), fourth in the 100 freestyle (48.72), fifth in both the 50 breaststroke (28.38) and 100 breaststroke (1:01.88) and eighth in the 200 freestyle (1:52.05).

Saengthong ranks second in the Little East in the 50 freestyle with a time of 21.76 and is fifth in the 50 butterfly (24.21) and seventh in the 100 freestyle (49.25).

BSU's 200 medley relay team has the best time of 1:37.92 while senior Robbie Soucy (Frye Island, Maine) is tops in the conference in 3-meter diving with 184.95 points.

Caruso said the Bears are not putting any attention on the fact they are trying for a fourth title in a row.

"We've taken the approach that we want to enjoy the ride, build up the positivity and see where things fall," he said.

"The (team members) don't talk about it, and I'm happy they don't. What we've learned is the pressure sometimes can have a negative effect on what we're trying to accomplish.

"We're going to do our best and if things fall into place, it may work out. There are so many things we can't control. We can only control the energy we bring."