Women's Swim & Dive Battles With ECSU On Senior Night
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's swimming and diving left no stone unturned despite a 178-92 setback on Senior Night to Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU), in a non-conference dual meet inside the Bruyette Natatorium Friday evening. It marked the first meet for the Blue Jays since December 4. The squad came out ready to roll from the first event and senior captain and diver Brielle Bergeron (Easthampton, Mass.) highlighted the meet, smashing both the 1-meter 6-dive and 1-meter 11-dive school records in the final home meet of her career. Both records had stood for over 20 seasons.
The action kicked off first with a special Senior Night celebration prior to the competition, as four men's swimming and diving seniors and two women's swimming and diving seniors were recognized for their years of effort both in and out of the pool, all while representing themselves, the swimming and diving program, and USJ with integrity and class.
Senior captain Shelby Cios (Rocky Hill, Conn.) nearly matched her male counterpart in senior captain Jacob Wyse (Broad Brook, Conn.) by claiming a pair of victories and a photo-finish runner-up result on the night, finishing her regular season career on a high note. Cios was a standout in the 50-Yard Breaststroke and 100 Breaststroke, taking both swims by over a second and a half each. Cios was dialed in all night as she has been all season for the Blue Jays, who have relied on her consistency to keep meets close. Cios finished the night claiming a runner-up spot in the 50 Freestyle, as first through third were separated by only half a second. Cios finished the event in 28.32 seconds.
Bergeron scored 18 points for USJ in the diving events, claiming a decades-old record as she left the Bruyette Natatorium for the final time in a USJ uniform. The Western Massachusetts native also capped off the night with a third-place swim in the 50 Back (35.01).
Freshman Gabriela Targonska (Newington, Conn.) was solid in the pool for the hosts as well, finishing on the podium in three events (100 Back, 50 Butterfly & 200 IM). Targonska finished third out of six in the 50 Butterfly with a time of 31.87 seconds. The 100 Back was a squeaker, claiming second by one-tenth of a second.
Freshman Amy Mamica (Rocky Hill, Conn.) matched her freshman teammate with three podiums as well (100 Butterfly, 50 Free & 500 Free). The first two were by less than a third of a second respectively. It was clear all night that the Blue Jays were finding a way to push through to trim those gaps and keep it close, even if the final score was not the result that they wanted. That same mentality will be on display as GNAC Championship weekend is now on the horizon.
COACH QUOTE [Brenda Straker] "A lot of emotion went into our final dual meet of the season. Our senior swimmers have shown a lot of resilience and leadership during their four years, celebrating their many accomplishments as well as staying focused during their disappointments over the past two seasons. The team is showing they are more unified than ever, and they are all looking forward to a successful GNAC Championship."
UP NEXT
The Blue Jays now have two weeks to prepare for the most important meeting of the season; the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championships, held at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley, Mass. The meet runs from February 4 to February 6. Head to usjbluejays.com to catch all the action!
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