By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's swimming & diving team has finished second in its two appearances in the Little East Conference Championships.
On both occasions, the Bears were behind only Keene State College, which has won 16 consecutive conference titles and 19 of the 21 crowns.
BSU gets its third opportunity to compete for the Little East championship this week in Wellesley.
"For the women to win, it's going to be a mix of our depth and talent," said coach Michael Caruso. "I think we have strong swimmers. And you need a little bit of luck at this time of year.
"I think they're going to be in the mix at the end. In my opinion, there are three teams and it may come down to the last relay. It's going to be an exciting meet."
The four-day Little East Championships start with three-meter diving competition on Thursday night at Babson College's Morse Pool and continue Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Boston Sports Institute.
BSU was 5-6 in meets this season and finished first at the Bridgewater State Invitational. The Bears won all four meets against Little East opponents -- Eastern Connecticut State, Keene State, UMass Dartmouth and Plymouth State.
Among those leading the way have been divers Cailey Simard (Haverhill, Mass.) and Ava Anderson (Lynn, Mass.).
Simard, a sophomore who qualified for the NCAA Division 3 Championships in 2023, owns the BSU records in 1-meter and 3-meter diving. She has been named the Little East diver of the week nine times this season.
Earlier this month, Simard broke her own marks set earlier in the season in the 1-meter (31.6.70) and 3-meter (315.45) events. Simard appears headed to a second trip to the NCAAs in March.
"She's gotten very elite," said Caruso. "It comes with expectation now, too, and that's a little stressful. But she's learning to manage that and you just keep it day to day. She's had an incredible finish to her season that's kept her at the top of Division 3 diving."
Anderson has been the Little East rookie diver of the week six times during her freshman season.
"It's a big strength for us with Cailey and Ava Anderson," said Caruso. "It's been a lot of fun to see them grow together. Ava has really come a long way in her first year and I think she's going to be very impactful as well.
"We anticipated she'd be a strong diver. I think she surprised us with the ability to learn as quickly as she has on the board. She had little to no experience on 3-meter and has really come a long way. Every meet and every practice she seems to get better and better."
Simard has the best 1-meter and 3-meter dives in the conference by wide margins while Anderson ranks third in both events.
Senior Jenna Maxim (Lakeville, Mass.) has the conference's second best times in the 100 backstroke (1:03.21) and 200 backstroke (2:19.61). She also ranks sixth in the 50 butterfly (29.15).
"She's been a very strong, consistent performer in backstroke all year," said Caruso. "She's definitely multi-faceted, but her strength is backstroke."
Juniors Brianna Matte (Cumberland, R.I.) and Brynn Murray (Chelmsford, Mass.) have been point scorers throughout the season.
Murray is third in the Little East in the 200 backstroke (2:20.95), fourth in the 200 freestyle (2:05.74) and sixth in the 100 freestyle (57.67). Matte is fifth in the 100 freestyle (57.63), fifth in the 1,650 (20:33.89) and fifth in the 200 backstroke (2:23.16).
"Both are excellent sprinters or mid-distance or distance," said Caruso. "They're just really good at everything they do and bring a lot of determination."
Samantha White (Plymouth, Mass.) "has really anchored the team" in the breaststroke events, according to Caruso. The junior is third in the Little East in the 50 and 100 breaststroke (34.09, 1:14.75).