Six Bears Garner All-NEISDA Honors On Final Day of NEISDA Championships

KINGSTON, Mass. -- Six different members of the Bridgewater State University men's swimming & diving team garnered All-NEISDA honors during the fourth and final day of the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association (NEISDA) Division III Championships on Sunday at the University of Rhode Island.

Junior Richard Smith (Milford, Mass.) broke the meet record as well as his own school mark in the 200 breaststroke with a preliminary time of 2:05.04. Smith then captured his second New England title at the championships as he recorded a finals time of 2:05.11 to place first in the event.

Smith eclipsed the previous meet record of 2:05.30 set by Andrew Diemer of Williams College back in 1997.

Freshman Dylon Willis (Attleboro, Mass.) placed fourth in the 200 breaststroke with a finals time of 2:10.13.

Sophomore Jameson Rose (Somerset, Mass.) finished third in the 1,650 freestyle with a school record time of 16:36.19. Rose knocked off Rich Sarson's 1984 mark of 16:48.41 by more than 12 seconds.

Sophomore Alexander Belinsky (Norton, Mass.) placed fourth in the three-meter diving competition with a finals score of 319.90 points.

Sophomore Robert McDougall (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and junior Max Medina (Marion, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' All-NEISDA performers on Sunday. McDougall finished fifth in the finals of the 100 individual medley with a time of 56.61 seconds, while Medina placed eighth in the same event with a finals time of 57.61 seconds.

All told, the BSU men's swimming & diving team recorded 18 All-NEISDA performances during the four-day championship meet and broke 12 school records. Smith and Willis combined to win three New England titles.

The Bears finished fifth in the team standings with 470 points. It marked the highest placing in the BSU men's program history.