Swimming & Diving Teams Host Arsenault Memorial Relays

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University swimming and diving teams hosted the Fourth Annual Michael Arsenault Memorial Relays on Saturday afternoon at the Mary Jo Moriarty Pool in Bridgewater.

In the season opening meet, Bridgewater State finished first in the women's team standings followed by UMass Dartmouth and the UMass Lowell Swim Club.  The Bears also captured top honors on the men's side with UMD placing second and Lowell finishing third.

The relay meet was created in 2012 to honor the BSU swimming and diving program's only All-America Swimmer, Michael Arsenault.  Michael, who passed away in March of 2008 at the age of 52, earned NCAA Division III All-America honors in the 50 freestyle in 1976.

Bridgewater won 14 relay events on the evening and four diving. On the men's side, the Bears won the 400 medley relay, the 4x100 individual medley relay, the one-meter diving challenge, the 300 butterfly crescendo relay, the 300 backstroke crescendo relay, the 300 breaststroke crescendo relay, the three-meter diving challenge and the 400 freestyle relay.  The women captured the 400 medley relay, the 4x100 individual medley relay, the 200 freestyle relay, the one-meter diving challenge, the 200 medley relay, the 300 backstroke crescendo relay, the 300 breaststroke crescendo relay, the three-meter diving challenge, the 200 feet-first relay and the 400 freestyle relay.

Senior Michaela Pereira (Rehoboth, Mass.), sophomores Shae Aiguier (Braintree, Mass.), Amanda Brennen (Waltham, Mass.), and Abbie Grant (Mansfield, Mass.), and freshmen Emily Garven (Norfolk, Mass.), Haleigh Kent (Marshfield, Mass.) and Nicole Moneghan (Lincoln, R.I.) were all part of three winning relays on the women's side. Junior Michelle Jennette (Mansfield, Mass.) captured the one-meter diving challenge, while freshman Laurinda Rocha (Brockton, Mass.) grabbed top honors in the three-meter diving challenge.

Junior Kyle Medeiros (Lakeville, Mass.), sophomores Charles Anderson (Avon, Conn.) and Benjamin O'Connor (East Longmeadow, Mass.), and freshman Jameson Rose (Somerset, Mass.) were each part of three winning relays for the BSU men's squad. Freshman Jacob Cote (Biddeford, Maine) captured both the one-meter and three-meter diving challenges.

Rose posted a 100 backstroke time of 56.46 seconds during the first leg of the 400 medley relay as he was just a little over two seconds off Kyle Swardstrom's school mark of 54.30 set last season.

The Bears are back in the pool next Saturday when they travel to Boston College for a one o'clock meet with the Eagles.