Wagner Predicted to Defend NEC Swimming & Diving Title
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For Immediate Release October 3, 2014
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Wagner Predicted to Defend NEC Swimming & Diving Title Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference (NEC) women’s swimming & diving coaches have chosen Wagner to repeat as conference champions. The Seahawks received five-of-seven first place votes. Wagner was dominant at the NEC Championship last season as the Seahawks became only the fourth team in conference history to crack the 800-point team mark, a plateau that hadn’t been reached since 2003. Wagner won nine of the 20 events and medaled at least one athlete in 18 events. Led by two-time Coach of the Year Colin Shanahan, the Seahawks return three first team All-NEC selections, including the 2014 Outstanding Swimmer and Rookie of the Meet Anu Nihipali (Honolulu, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy). Nihipali broke two individual NEC records (100/200 Backstroke) at least year’s meet and was also a part off the school’s record breaking 400 Medley relay team.
2014-15 Northeast Conference Women’s Swimming & Diving Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Wagner (5) 2. Central Connecticut (2) 3. Bryant 4. Saint Francis U 5. Mount St. Mary’s 6. Sacred Heart 7. St. Francis Brooklyn (First place votes in parentheses)
Central Connecticut, which finished third at the 2014 NEC Championship, received the remaining two first place votes for second place in the poll, while last season’s runnerup Bryant occupied the third spot. Four-time NEC champion Saint Francis U was slotted fourth and Mount St. Mary’s was tabbed fifth. Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn rounded out the seven-team field.
The 2014-15 season begins on Friday, October 3 when Mount St. Mary’s and Saint Francis U open the season in non-conference meets around the northeast region. The first head-to-head conference competition takes place on October 10 as Wagner travels to Bryant for a dual meet. The 2014 NEC Championship is set for February 25-28, 2015 on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. The four-day event will kick off Wednesday night with two relays. NEC Front Row, the league’s cutting edge digital network, will air the 2015 NEC Championship for the third consecutive year. Fans can view the webcast free of charge and feature one-click access to watch. For more insight and special swimming features, visit necfrontrow.com
(Wagner Predicted to Defend NEC Swimming & Diving Title • Page 1-of-2) Bryant University • Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • LIU Brooklyn Mount St. Mary’s University • Robert Morris University • Sacred Heart University St. Francis Brooklyn • Saint Francis University • Wagner College
Points of #NECPride Wagner returns a core group of veteran swimmers, including Anu Nihipali (Honolulu, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy), Grace Baird (Lexington, NC/West Davidson) and Amanda Lucia (Easthampton, MA/Easthampton), all first team All-NEC selections. Baird won the 500 and 1650 Free, while Lucia took the 400 IM and placed second in the 500 Free and 200 Fly, respectively, at the 2014 NEC Championship. Nihipali also represented Wagner at the 2014 Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships. She qualified with her record-setting 100 yard backstroke performance of 53.42 from last season’s NEC Championship. 2013 and 2014 NEC Diving Coach of the Year Michael Trueworthy and Central Connecticut return the back-to-back NEC Diver of the Meet Jessica Goldman (Newington, CT/Newington). Goldman defended her title last season in the 1 and 3-meter diving events. The junior not only placed first in the 3-meter with her score of 248.05, but also scored 221.55 in the 1-meter, 20 points ahead of the next diver. Blue Devil senior Helene Neuhaus (Westport, CT/Staples) was selected to represent Estonia at the 2014 European Championship. Neuhaus established a new Estonian National Record in the 100 meter backstroke, breaking the old record by over a half a second at last summer’s Connecticut Senior Championship. Her time of 1:03.34 not only set the standard and qualified her for the European Championship, but it was also less than .56 of a second from qualifying Neuhaus to represent Estonia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Bryant’s Lauren Doerrman (Oley, PA/Oley Valley) and Elizabeth Schauer (Pelham, NY/Pelham Memorial) return for their junior seasons. The Bulldogs will look to the All-NEC selections to lead Bryant back to the podium. Doerrman was second in the 400 IM a year ago while Schauer took third in the 100 and 200 Backstroke. Saint Francis U graduate Elise Löfgren (Molnlycke, Sweden/Hulebacks) was named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America second team, becoming the 41st Saint Francis student-athlete to earn the honor. Löfgren, also a two-time NEC Scholar Athlete for women’s swimming and diving, carries a perfect 4.0 GPA as a chemistry major. Mount St. Mary’s brings back six veterans including senior Erin Regan (Ft. Washington, PA/Upper Dublin). Regan completed her junior season with two NEC titles in the 100 and 200 Fly. Regan is the Mount’s only returning All-NEC selection. Sacred Heart, now under the direction of John Spadafina, will look to make a splash at the 2015 championship. No stranger to the NEC, Spadafina moved to SHU after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach for CCSU, his alma mater. During his tenure at Central, he coached an NCAA Division I NCAA B time standard qualifier, 19 NEC champions and 72 NEC All-Conference team selections. The Terriers return NEC 3-meter diving runner-up Taylah Harrison (Bisbane, Australia/Moreton Bay College). Harrison scored 245.40 for six dives, missing the top mark by less than three points. Harrison also took the 3-meter bronze medal at the ECAC Championships with a score of 247.25. About The Northeast Conference Now in its 34th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketballonly ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www. necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports. (Wagner Predicted to Defend NEC Swimming & Diving Title • Page 2-of-2)
For Immediate Release October 3, 2014
www.twitter.com/NECsports www.facebook.com/NECsports www.youtube.com/NECsports
Wagner Predicted to Defend NEC Swimming & Diving Title Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference (NEC) women’s swimming & diving coaches have chosen Wagner to repeat as conference champions. The Seahawks received five-of-seven first place votes. Wagner was dominant at the NEC Championship last season as the Seahawks became only the fourth team in conference history to crack the 800-point team mark, a plateau that hadn’t been reached since 2003. Wagner won nine of the 20 events and medaled at least one athlete in 18 events. Led by two-time Coach of the Year Colin Shanahan, the Seahawks return three first team All-NEC selections, including the 2014 Outstanding Swimmer and Rookie of the Meet Anu Nihipali (Honolulu, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy). Nihipali broke two individual NEC records (100/200 Backstroke) at least year’s meet and was also a part off the school’s record breaking 400 Medley relay team.
2014-15 Northeast Conference Women’s Swimming & Diving Preseason Coaches Poll 1. Wagner (5) 2. Central Connecticut (2) 3. Bryant 4. Saint Francis U 5. Mount St. Mary’s 6. Sacred Heart 7. St. Francis Brooklyn (First place votes in parentheses)
Central Connecticut, which finished third at the 2014 NEC Championship, received the remaining two first place votes for second place in the poll, while last season’s runnerup Bryant occupied the third spot. Four-time NEC champion Saint Francis U was slotted fourth and Mount St. Mary’s was tabbed fifth. Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn rounded out the seven-team field.
The 2014-15 season begins on Friday, October 3 when Mount St. Mary’s and Saint Francis U open the season in non-conference meets around the northeast region. The first head-to-head conference competition takes place on October 10 as Wagner travels to Bryant for a dual meet. The 2014 NEC Championship is set for February 25-28, 2015 on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. The four-day event will kick off Wednesday night with two relays. NEC Front Row, the league’s cutting edge digital network, will air the 2015 NEC Championship for the third consecutive year. Fans can view the webcast free of charge and feature one-click access to watch. For more insight and special swimming features, visit necfrontrow.com
(Wagner Predicted to Defend NEC Swimming & Diving Title • Page 1-of-2) Bryant University • Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • LIU Brooklyn Mount St. Mary’s University • Robert Morris University • Sacred Heart University St. Francis Brooklyn • Saint Francis University • Wagner College
Points of #NECPride Wagner returns a core group of veteran swimmers, including Anu Nihipali (Honolulu, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy), Grace Baird (Lexington, NC/West Davidson) and Amanda Lucia (Easthampton, MA/Easthampton), all first team All-NEC selections. Baird won the 500 and 1650 Free, while Lucia took the 400 IM and placed second in the 500 Free and 200 Fly, respectively, at the 2014 NEC Championship. Nihipali also represented Wagner at the 2014 Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships. She qualified with her record-setting 100 yard backstroke performance of 53.42 from last season’s NEC Championship. 2013 and 2014 NEC Diving Coach of the Year Michael Trueworthy and Central Connecticut return the back-to-back NEC Diver of the Meet Jessica Goldman (Newington, CT/Newington). Goldman defended her title last season in the 1 and 3-meter diving events. The junior not only placed first in the 3-meter with her score of 248.05, but also scored 221.55 in the 1-meter, 20 points ahead of the next diver. Blue Devil senior Helene Neuhaus (Westport, CT/Staples) was selected to represent Estonia at the 2014 European Championship. Neuhaus established a new Estonian National Record in the 100 meter backstroke, breaking the old record by over a half a second at last summer’s Connecticut Senior Championship. Her time of 1:03.34 not only set the standard and qualified her for the European Championship, but it was also less than .56 of a second from qualifying Neuhaus to represent Estonia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Bryant’s Lauren Doerrman (Oley, PA/Oley Valley) and Elizabeth Schauer (Pelham, NY/Pelham Memorial) return for their junior seasons. The Bulldogs will look to the All-NEC selections to lead Bryant back to the podium. Doerrman was second in the 400 IM a year ago while Schauer took third in the 100 and 200 Backstroke. Saint Francis U graduate Elise Löfgren (Molnlycke, Sweden/Hulebacks) was named to the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America second team, becoming the 41st Saint Francis student-athlete to earn the honor. Löfgren, also a two-time NEC Scholar Athlete for women’s swimming and diving, carries a perfect 4.0 GPA as a chemistry major. Mount St. Mary’s brings back six veterans including senior Erin Regan (Ft. Washington, PA/Upper Dublin). Regan completed her junior season with two NEC titles in the 100 and 200 Fly. Regan is the Mount’s only returning All-NEC selection. Sacred Heart, now under the direction of John Spadafina, will look to make a splash at the 2015 championship. No stranger to the NEC, Spadafina moved to SHU after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach for CCSU, his alma mater. During his tenure at Central, he coached an NCAA Division I NCAA B time standard qualifier, 19 NEC champions and 72 NEC All-Conference team selections. The Terriers return NEC 3-meter diving runner-up Taylah Harrison (Bisbane, Australia/Moreton Bay College). Harrison scored 245.40 for six dives, missing the top mark by less than three points. Harrison also took the 3-meter bronze medal at the ECAC Championships with a score of 247.25. About The Northeast Conference Now in its 34th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketballonly ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www. necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports. (Wagner Predicted to Defend NEC Swimming & Diving Title • Page 2-of-2)
