Tuesday, February 21
Geneva, Ohio
TBA
Sacred Heart
vs
Northeast Conference Championships
Photo by: Greg Vasil
Swimming and Diving Ready for 2023 NEC Championships
2/20/2023 10:07:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
NECs kick off on Tuesday
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's swimming and diving team is on the cusp of the 2023 Northeast Conference Championships, which spans Feb. 21-25 at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
The Pioneers enter the 2023 NEC Championships after scoring a program-record 378.5 points on their way to a fifth-place finish in 2022. SHU finished fourth in 2021, the team's best placement since the 2008 campaign.
Sacred Heart heads into the league championship on a hot streak, winning its last two dual-meets. The Pios defeated Merrimack College in their most recent meet by a convincing 186-74 final score on Senior Day. The week prior, SHU gutted out a 150-149 home win over St. Francis Brooklyn.
Leading the way for the Pioneers this season has been junior diver Olivia McNicholas. A six-time NEC Diver of the Week this season, McNicholas collected her six DOW nod after winning the 1M board during the Pios' victory over the Warriors. In addition, the Hicksville, N.Y., broke the 3M diving record with a winning score of 244.90 in an NEC tri-meet against Howard University and LIU. She also holds the program's second-best 1M dive score.
The person just ahead of McNicholas at 1M is sophomore Lola Barrett, who set a new school record against Stony Brook University with a winning mark of 246.45. Nine days before posting a new program record, Barret earned her first career NEC Diver of the Week honor after recording an impressive performance in a meet against Iona University and Wagner College.
On the swimming side, sophomore Rosemery Nieto has turned in a successful second season in 2022-23. The Stratford, Conn., native posted the best swimming performance for the Pioneers at the ECAC Winter Championships, taking fourth in the 100 breaststroke finals after breaking the program record in the prelims (1:04.77), and winning the consolation final of the 200 breaststroke with a top time of 2:22.68. In addition, Nieto broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke at last year's NECs.
Senior Kelly Bartnett also heads into the conference championship on a hot streak after earning multiple wins in her last two meets. The Bayonne, N.J., native won both the 100 and 200 freestyle against Merrimack after taking the 100 back and 100 freestyle against St. Francis Brooklyn. She is joined by Senior Casey Barrett from Long Meadow, Mass. Barrett and Bartnett competed strongly last year at the NECs, as Bartnett set a personal record with a 100-freestyle time of 52.38, the second-best mark in school history, while Barrett was a finalist in the 200 IM and a member of the school record 400 medley relay team.
The 2023 NECs are slated to begin on Tuesday with the women's 800-yard freestyle relay. All the events will be streamed on necfrontrow.com.
The Pioneers enter the 2023 NEC Championships after scoring a program-record 378.5 points on their way to a fifth-place finish in 2022. SHU finished fourth in 2021, the team's best placement since the 2008 campaign.
Sacred Heart heads into the league championship on a hot streak, winning its last two dual-meets. The Pios defeated Merrimack College in their most recent meet by a convincing 186-74 final score on Senior Day. The week prior, SHU gutted out a 150-149 home win over St. Francis Brooklyn.
Leading the way for the Pioneers this season has been junior diver Olivia McNicholas. A six-time NEC Diver of the Week this season, McNicholas collected her six DOW nod after winning the 1M board during the Pios' victory over the Warriors. In addition, the Hicksville, N.Y., broke the 3M diving record with a winning score of 244.90 in an NEC tri-meet against Howard University and LIU. She also holds the program's second-best 1M dive score.
The person just ahead of McNicholas at 1M is sophomore Lola Barrett, who set a new school record against Stony Brook University with a winning mark of 246.45. Nine days before posting a new program record, Barret earned her first career NEC Diver of the Week honor after recording an impressive performance in a meet against Iona University and Wagner College.
On the swimming side, sophomore Rosemery Nieto has turned in a successful second season in 2022-23. The Stratford, Conn., native posted the best swimming performance for the Pioneers at the ECAC Winter Championships, taking fourth in the 100 breaststroke finals after breaking the program record in the prelims (1:04.77), and winning the consolation final of the 200 breaststroke with a top time of 2:22.68. In addition, Nieto broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke at last year's NECs.
Senior Kelly Bartnett also heads into the conference championship on a hot streak after earning multiple wins in her last two meets. The Bayonne, N.J., native won both the 100 and 200 freestyle against Merrimack after taking the 100 back and 100 freestyle against St. Francis Brooklyn. She is joined by Senior Casey Barrett from Long Meadow, Mass. Barrett and Bartnett competed strongly last year at the NECs, as Bartnett set a personal record with a 100-freestyle time of 52.38, the second-best mark in school history, while Barrett was a finalist in the 200 IM and a member of the school record 400 medley relay team.
The 2023 NECs are slated to begin on Tuesday with the women's 800-yard freestyle relay. All the events will be streamed on necfrontrow.com.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
/ Women's Swimming and Diving
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