SCSU Sweeps Men's and Women's 800 Freestyle Relays.
WORCESTER, Mass. - Southern Connecticut, the reigning conference champion for both the men and women, got off to a fast start on the first night of the 2024 Northeast-10 Conference Swimming & Diving Championship at the WPI Sports & Recreation Center.
SCSU powered to an early lead over the field on Thursday night by sweeping the 800 Freestyle Relays in both the men's and women's events. Drew Ladner, Henry Velazquez, Jack Fry and Franklin Kuhn posted a time of 6:51.23 - just 10 seconds off the NE10 Championship record set by SCSU last year. The quartet of Molly Kennedy, Paola Castillo, Arianna Arturi and Brooke Keeney swam a gold medal time of 7:41.23.
Bentley's Emma Hapkiewicz had the swim of the night, as she successfully defended her 100 Freestyle title with a time of 10:22.07 - achieving an NCAA B-Cut in the process. She finished 17 seconds ahead of SCSU's Jasmine Uricchio, who placed second at 10:39.67.
SCSU's Dylan Prescher won the 1000 Freestyle in a time of 9:38.48, edging out Bentley's Leighton Wielgoszinski who finished second with 9:40.34.
The SCSU men tallied 126 points on the first night of the Championship, while Bentley sits with 105 and Adelphi with 63. On the women's side, SCSU recorded 103 points - but Bentley is close behind with 97 points.
Thursday also marked the first time that three different programs have ever competed at the NE10 Swimming & Diving Championship. The newly-formed Assumption men's swimming program participated, as well as the College of Staten Island with its men's and women's programs - both of which joined the NE10 as associate members back in May of 2023.
Day two action begins on Friday at 10:15 a.m. with prelims in the 1-meter women's diving, 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley and 50 freestyle. Catch all the action on NE10NOW.tv and visit Championship Central for heat sheets and live results.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
