By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The winter athletics season at Bridgewater State University lasted 21 weeks with four men's teams and three women's teams competing.
Championships were won by the men's track & field and swimming & diving teams and the women's basketball team.
Senior sprinter Kiara Abrantes (Somerset, Mass.) received All-American honors for her performance at the NCAA Division III Women's Track & Field Championships.
Senior diver Cailey Simard (Haverhill, Mass.) made a second straight trip to the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships. She is the only BSU female diver or swimmer to reach the NCAAs.
The Bears head into the spring season -- baseball, softball, lacrosse and men's and women's track & field -- with a slight lead in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Smith Cup race.
Here's a team-by-team look at what went on during the winter season:
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
The Bears won a sixth straight MASCAC championship with 237 points ahead of Westfield State with 136 points.
Graduate student Kevin McBirney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) won the 600-meter race in a BSU and meet-record time of 1:21.49. He qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships for the second time.
Other MASCAC champions included graduate student Chigozie Adigwe (Lowell, Mass.) in the 60 hurdles, sophomore Joshua Cardichon (Brockton, Mass.) in the 400, junior Brian Vale (Assonet, Mass.) in the 800, junior Matthew Mooney (Douglas, Mass.) in the 200 and senior Ryker King (Wareham, Mass.) in the pole vault.
The Bears' 4x400 relay team of senior Chris Beaulieu (Monson, Mass.), senior Nicholas Grace (Acushnet, Mass.), McBirney and freshman Sean Venator (Manchester, N.H.) also finished first.
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Abrantes finished her BSU career by earning All-American honors at the national meet in Birmingham, Ala.
Abrantes was fifth in the national final in the 400-meter run wituh a time of 55.58 seconds. Abrantes hold school records indoors in the 60, 200, 400 and 500 and outdoors in the 200 and 400.
Abrantes was also an All-New England performer, finishing second in the 400 and fourth in the 200, and won the 200 and 400 races at the MASCAC Championships.
BSU finished second at the conference championship meet.
Sophomore Grace Inacio (Taunton, Mass.) won the 60-meter dash at the MASCACs and earned All-New England honors in the 60 and 200, placing fifth and eighth, respectively.
She also qualified for the NCAAs in Alabama and was 14th in the preliminary race in the 200.
Senior Naomi Cass (Westport, Mass.) won the mile and 5,000 races at the MASCACs and was seventh in the 5,000 to earn Division III All-New England honors.
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
BSU won its fourth Little East Conference championship in five years, compiling 870 points. Maine Maritime Academy was second with 786.5 points.
Senior Desmond Ng (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) was the conference Swimmer of the Year after winning the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke and was on the All-Little East team with nine of his teammates.
Other All-Little East honorees were Aaron Fowler (Brookline, Mass.) in the 50, 100 and 200 butterfly, freshman James Hein (Holliston, Mass.) in the 100 and 200 breaststroke as well as the 200 individual medley and junior Jirat Saengthong (Watertown, Mass.) in the 100 and 200 freestyle and the 100 IM.
Also, freshman Wilco Zbitnoff (Haverhill, Mass.) in the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke, junior Drew Lawrence (Winchendon, Mass.) in the 400 IM, senior Ryan McKenzie (Charlton, (Mass.) in the 100 breaststroke and diver Robbie Soucy (Frye Island, Maine), a senior.
Fowler, Saengthong and Zbitnoff also competed on four All-Little East relay squads while Ng swam on three and Hein on a pair. McKenzie, senior Jacob Jope (East Freetown, Mass.) and senior Richard Palanza (Mansfield, Mass.) also earned All-Little East honors in relay events.
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
Simard capped a brilliant career with a second straight trip to the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships in Indianapolis. She placed 17th on the one-meter board at the national championship meet, an improvement of 11 places in the standings from a year ago, and finished 29th on the three-meter.
Simard was a four-time Little East Women's Diver of the Year, four-time LEC champion on both booards, and owns four BSU records (two each on the 1 and 3-meter boards).
Simard made it to the NCAA regional diving competition all four seasons.
Joining Simard at the diving regionals this year were sophomore Gianna Varady (Highland Park, N.J.) and freshman Sienna DeLucia (Wallingford, Conn.).
The Bears finished third at the Little East championship meet as seven Bears earned All-Little East honors including Simard, the LEC Diver of the Year, and DeLucia the LEC Rookie Diver of the Year.
Joining Simard (1M Dive, 3M Dive) and DeLucia (1M Dive) on the All-Little East Team were Varady (1M Dive, 3M Dive), junior Jillian Hallman (Raynham, Mass., 3M Dive) and senior Ava Fenton (Monument Beach, Mass., 50 Fly) as well as the 200-Medley Relay squad featuring DeLucia, Fenton, sophomore Evangelina Chaves (Raynham, Mass.) and Julie Remson (Norwalk, Conn.).
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The Bears (16-11) won the MASCAC regular-season title, going 13-1 with the lone loss coming at Worcester State in overtime in the final game.
BSU started the season 1-9, losing nine in a row, then won 14 straight games from Jan. 7-Feb. 18.
The Bears lost in the MASCAC final to Framingham State, 63-59.
Freshman center Emilie von der Linden (Sanbornville, N.H.) was named the conference Rookie of the Year. She averaged 11 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks and made the All-MASCAC first team.
Guard Sophie Bradbury (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was also chosen to the first team while senior Haley Burchhardt (Schenectady, N.Y.) was selected to the second team.
Bridgett Casey was named the MASCAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season and seventh time overall.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
The Bears went 8-18 overall and 6-8 in the MASCAC, losing in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament to Framingham State, 87-86.
Junior Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.) made the All-MASCAC second team after averaging 16.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Senior Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) finished his career ranked first at BSU with 578 assists, second with 245 steals, seventh with 104 games played and 11th with 1,437 points.
WRESTLING
Two freshmen and a senior earned All-NCAA Division III Region One honors after going 4-2 at the regional championships in Connecticut.
Freshmen Avery Carl (Bridport, Vt.) at 157 pounds and Ethan Buonanducci (Enfield, Conn. at 133 pounds finished their rookie seasons with all-region performances along with senior Malcolm Chrispin (Hyde Park, Mass.) at 141pounds.
The Bears had 49 1/2 points to finish 11th in Region One.