Women's Swimming & Diving Posts 150-109 Win over Elms

CHICOPEE, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's swimming and diving team earned a 150-109 victory over Elms College on Wednesday at the Partyka Natatorium.

The visiting Bears improve their dual meet record to 5-5 with the win, while the host Blazers slip to 2-6.

Bridgewater captured first place in nine of the 14 events and second in 13 events.

BSU senior Nelia Borden (Westport, Mass.) paced the visitors with a pair of individual victories in the 200 freestyle (2:27.16) and 100 freestyle (1:06.93).  Borden also swam a leg on the Bears' winning 200 medley relay squad (2:17.82) along with fellow senior Ashley Dunican (Bennington, Vt.), junior Sarah Rechtiene (Southbury, Conn.) and freshman Sarah Biltcliffe (Fall River, Mass.).

Rechtiene added a win in the 100 breaststroke (1:21.14) while Biltcliffe placed first in the 50 breaststroke (37.25).

Senior Chelsea Nolan (Lowell, Mass.), junior Kendra Perry (Middleboro, Mass.), sophomore Michaela Pereira (Rehoboth, Mass.) and freshman Mikaela Ross (Andover, Mass.) also recorded individual victories for the Bears.  Nolan placed first in the 400 freestyle (5:22.67), Perry in the 100 individual medley (1:18.34), Pereira in the 50 freestyle (30.88) and Ross in the 100 backstroke (1:19.92).

Elms College senior Devon DeGrazia (Westport, Mass.) won three individual events including the 50 backstroke (33.29) and the 50 butterfly (31.39) as well as the 1,500 freestyle (19:13.52).  DeGrazia set a new school mark in the 1500 as she eclipsed the previous record of 20:50.03 which had stood since 2006.

Freshman Abigail Will (Hopkinton, Mass.) added a victory in the 100-meter butterfly (1:18.05), while the Blazers' 200 freestyle relay team of DeGrazia, Will and freshmen Kim Panetta (Belchertown, Mass.) and Sarah Swart (Willington, Conn.) powered to a winning time of 2:08.30.

Elms returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Mount Saint Mary's College at one.  Bridgewater entertains Rhode Island College and Plymouth State University in a tri-meet on Saturday at one.