BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Freshman Cailey Simard (Haverhill, Mass.) broke her own one-meter diving record and qualified for the NCAA Regional Diving Championships as the Bridgewater State University women's swimming & diving team hosted the BSU Invitational on Saturday at the Moriarty Pool.
The Bears placed first out of eight teams at the 21-event meet with 758.5 points. Westfield State University (516.5 pts.) and Regis College (304 pts.) rounded out the top three teams.
Simard posted a score of 273.75 points on the one-meter board as she eclipsed her previous school mark for a six-dive event of 272.05 points set two weeks ago at UMass Dartmouth. Simard officially qualified for the NCAA Division III North/Northeast Regional Diving Championships which will take place on February 24th and 25th. She is the first BSU female diver to qualify for the regional championships and just the second diver in the history of the Bears' swimming & diving program (Andy Fuccillo, 2003).
Simard also captured top honors in the three-meter diving competition with a score of 245.75 points.
Junior Olivia Ranck (Wilbraham, Mass.) won two events and swam a leg on the winning 200 freestyle relay. Ranck posted collegiate-best times in the 50 backstroke (29.07) and 100 backstroke (1:02.57).
The Bears' 200 freestyle relay quartet featuring Ranck, seniors Danielle Vissering (North Andover, Mass.) and Makayla Paquin (North Easton, Mass.), and sophomore Brynn Murray (Chelmsford, Mass.) posted a season-best winning time of 1:47.39.
Murray also placed first in the 200 freestyle with a season-best time of 2:07.71, while Emily Bradford (Pittsfield, Mass.) was the first to touch the wall in the 500 freestyle as she recorded a collegiate-best time of 5:48.88. Sophomore Brianna Matte (Cumberland, R.I.) rounded out the Bears' event winners as she outdistanced the field in the 1,000 freestyle with a collegiate-best time of 12:09.10.
"Both our men's and women's teams competed today with so much energy and enthusiasm," said Head Coach Mike Caruso. "They were so supportive of each other throughout the entire meet."
"Our assistant coaches also did an amazing job today motivating and supporting the student-athletes," Caruso noted. "They truly are invested in the success of the program."
"This was a great meet today and a big step in our journey to the Little East Conference Championships in February," Caruso added.
The BSU women's swimming and diving team is off until Saturday, January 21th when the Bears host a tri-meet with Brandeis University and Keene State College at one o'clock.