Rhode Island at Bryant
- Jan. 30, 2019
- Bryant def. Rhode Island 201-99
- Results
Courtesy: Bryant Athletics
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University women’s swimming and diving team closed the dual meet season in dominating fashion on Wednesday with a 201-99 victory over the University of Rhode Island.
It is just the third time in Bryant’s DI program history that they have beaten the Rams and gives the Bulldogs eight dual meet victories on the year. Bryant won all but two events on the evening.
Coach Cameron’s Thoughts
“So very proud of our women today. We have raced a lot the last week but they came ready to go! This meet should give them a lot of confidence going into NECs. Also very happy with Alaina’s pool-record swim!”
How the Swimmers Fared
- Bryant opened the meet by going 1-2 in each of the first three individual events. Alyssa DiFiore (Wethersfield, Conn.) and Kelly Tiernan (Hartford, Conn.) went 1-2 in the 1000 free, Jillian Rice (Trumbull, Conn.) and Alaina Scifo (Ipswich, Great Britain) went 1-2 in the 200 free and Caitlin Dye (Natick, Mass.) and Alexa Rivera (Boynton Beach, Fla.) went 1-2 in the 100 back.
- The Bulldogs continued to control the meet as Domenica Alcala (Cancun, Mexico) and Elin Svärd (Falun, Dalarna, Sweden) went 1-2 in the 200 fly.
- Rice then completed her sweep of the sprint free events, winning the 50 and 100 free. Rivera was right behind her in the 100, finishing just three-hundredths of a second behind.
- Scifo then followed with the most dominant swim of the night in the 200 back, winning the event with a new Chace Athletic Center Pool record time of 2:03.45. Dye gave Bryant another 1-2 finish in the event.
- Bryant also posted victories in the 500 free and 100 fly, while Rivera and Svard capped the meet with a 1-2 finish in the 200 IM.
- The Bulldogs also won both the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay.
How the Divers Fared
- Bryant went 1-2 in the 1-meter, with Stephanie Jennings (Elmont, N.Y.) taking first place. She posted a score of 249.83. Gabrielle Ritzer (Sutton, Mass.) finished second.
- In the 3-meter, Kelci Abernethy (Chandler, Ariz.) took home first place with a score of 242.55. Bryant posted the top three finishers in the event as Jennings was second and Ann Burdick (Glenmont, N.Y.) was third.
Notes and Notables
- Bryant went 1-2 in nine of the 14 individual events on the night.
- Rice finished the dual meet season with three individual victories.
- DiFiore swept the distance events, winning the 500 and 1000.
- Rivera and Svard both won an event and both added two second-place finishes.
- Scifo’s time of 2:03.45 in the 200 back is a new Chace Pool record.
- Tiernan’s time of 10:58.03 in the 1000 free was a personal best.
- Both Rivera and Alyvia Beaudion (Cypress, Texas) swam season-best times in the 100 free.
- The eight dual meet victories are tied for the most in Bryant’s DI program history.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will have 13 days off before they head to East Meadow, New York, to defend their Northeast Conference title. The 2019 NEC Swimming and Diving Championships run from Feb. 13-16.
Courtesy: Rhode Island Athletics
Rhode Island suffered a 201-99 loss against in-state rival Bryant on Wednesday evening. The Rams, who are now 8-2, won just two of the meet’s 16 individual events.
Nicole Petta earned individual wins in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events, the team’s only first-place finishes of the night. Petta’s 1:05.23 in the 100-yard breaststroke and 2:22.53 in the 200-yard breaststroke broke the pool records at the Chace Athletic Center.
Standouts from the Pool:
- Junior Sabrina Anderson and freshman Keely Hemminger finished just .07 seconds off of each other in the 500-yard freestyle to take second and third place, respectively.
- Senior Caitlyn Blake edged out sister Kelly Blake in the 100-yard butterfly by a slim margin to earn second place.
- The Rams had two second-place finishes in the relay events. Senior Grace Kneller, Petta, K. Blake, and senior Eliza Anderson were second in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of junior Maddie Horner, K. Blake, Kneller and E. Anderson earned a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
What’s Next:
The Rams will return home to the Tootell Aquatic Center for their final meet of the season against Central Connecticut on Sunday, Feb. 3. The team’s four graduating seniors, Eliza Anderson, Caitlyn Blake, Grace Kneller and Nicole Petta, will be honored prior to the meet’s 1 p.m. start.
