BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - The Little East Conference (LEC) formally announced its 2021-2022 men’s swimming & diving award recipients Thursday, the first in conference history for the LEC’s 21st championship sport. Major awards were determined by a vote of the LEC head coaches, while all-conference recognition was determined by individual performances at last week’s LEC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
The BSU men's swimming & diving team was well represented on the all-conference team as the Bears won 14 events at last week's Little East Championships and placed second in six events enroute to the inaugural conference title. LEC individual and relay champions garnered first team honors on the all-conference team while second place finishers were named to the All-Little East Second Team.
Representing Bridgewater State on the All-Little East First Team are senior Joshua Hernandez (Cranston, R.I.), juniors Chris Anastasiades (Wakefield, Mass.) and Luc Durand (Marblehead, Mass.); sophomores Cooper Castellone (South Windsor, Conn.), Brennan Gravanda (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Joseph Pervier (Baldwinville, Mass.); and freshman Chase Simao (Stonington, Conn.).
Hernandez earned first team honors in the 50 butterfly, 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, Anastasiades in the 100 breaststroke and 100 individual medley, Durand in the 200 butterfly, Castellone in the 50 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke, Pervier in the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke, and Simao in the 200 individual medley.
The Bears also picked up first team accolades in the 400 freestyle relay (Herndandez, Gravanda, Pervier, Anastasiades), 200 medley relay (Gravanda, Castellone, Anastasiades, Hernandez) and 400 medley relay (Gravanda, Castellone, Durand, Pervier).
Hernandez, Anastasiades (100 butterfly), Durand, Castellone (100 breaststroke), Gravanda (200 backstroke), Pervier (50 freestyle) and Simao also represented Bridgewater State on the All-Little East Second Team as well as freshman Thomas Roch (Chelmsford, Mass.). Roch competed with Hernandez, Pervier and Anastasiades on the Bears' second-place 200 freestyle relay squad, while Simao, Hernandez, Durand and Anastasiades placed second in the 800 freestyle relay.