Somerset, NJ – For the third year in a row Casey Ostrander (Yarmouthport, MA/Barnstable) of Bryant took home outstanding NEC Swimmer of the Meet awards after her first place and record breaking performances in the100 backstroke (54.92), 200 backstroke (1:59.69) as well as her first place finish in the 50 free (23.41).While her time in the 100 backstroke was a Division 1B cut qualifier time. The junior was also a factor in the Bulldog’s recording breaking, first place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:26.95) as well as their first place finish the 200 freestyle relay (1:34.72). Ostrander was also a factor in other podium relay finishes including a silver finish in 200 medley and a bronze medal in the 400 medley.
Swimming to first place in the 200 fly (2:04.03) and second in the 100 fly (56.96), Mount St. Mary’s freshman Erin Regan (Ft. Washington, PA/Upper Dublin) collected Rookie of the Meet honors.
After protecting her titles in both the one-meter and three-meter diving events, Central Connecticut senior Madison Vestergaard (Middleton, CT/Middleton) finished out her career by taking home NEC Outstanding Diver of the Meet honors for the second year in a row. Coach Dave Malier of Central Connecticut was named the league’s Diving Coach of the Year, while Pat Gallagher of Saint Francis (PA) garnered NEC Coach of the Year accolades.
After winning the meet by just one point, Saint Francis (PA) landed eight swimmers on the All-Conference Teams, six of which earned First-Team All NEC All-Conference honors. After collecting six gold medals (200 IM, 100 breast, 200 breast, 400 MR, 200 MR, 800 FR) and one bronze (400 FR) at the championship Elise Lofgren (Monlycke, Sweden/Hulebacks), takes home first-team honors for the second year in a row. Teammate Libby Francis (Dundee, Scotland/Grove Academy) brought home the same honor after earning three gold medals (100 fly, 400 MR, 200 MR), while sophomores Megan Collins (Monroeville, PA/Oakland Catholic) and Alicia Ford (Whitney Point, NY/Whitney Point) also earned first team honors after they finished first in the 1650 free and 100 respectively. Ford was also part of the first-place 400 MR and 200 MR teams. Becky Peer (Chelsea, Canada/Philemon Wright) earned first team honors for her help in the 400 MR and 200 MR team. The final Red Flash to make the first team was sophomore Jenny Demjaneko (New Albany, OH/Gahanna-Lincoln), a member of the800 freestyle relay team. Both the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relay teams took down NEC records with their respective times of 7:25.75 and 1:43.81.
In addition to boasting the NEC Diver of the Meet, Central Connecticut State brings individual winners Taylor Friedmann (Berlin, CT/Berlin) and Alex Czaplicki (North Haven, CT/North Haven) to the first team roster. Friedmann, the only Blue Devil to capture multiple individual first-place victories, took the top spot in the 500 and 200 free while Czaplicki was the 400-yard individual medley champion.
Bryant's All-Conference First Team members include the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams of Ostrander, Taylor DeBever (Denver, CO/Regis Jesuit), Kaitlin Buckley (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) Amy D'Olympia (Mattapoisett, MA/Bishop Stang) (200) and Mara Valenzuela (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) (400). The Bulldog 400 freestyle team brought down the previous record of 3:28.20 with their blistering time of 3:26.95, while the 200 freestyle team also shattered the league record with their time of 1:34.72.
Blue Devil teammates Katie Lang (Monroe, CT/Masuk) and Allison Rasile (Branford, CT/Branford) earned the All-NEC Second Team standard for their work on the second place 800 and 400 yard freestyle teams, while Raisile also earned an individual second place finish in the 500 free. Joining Lang and Rasile on the second team are Kristina Gulia (Orange, CT/Amity) and Helene Neuhaus (Weatport, CT/Staples) who collected second place finishes in the 100 backstroke and 100 freestyle, respectively. Both were also on the 400 medley relay team, while Neuhaus was part of the silver medal 400 freestyle relay team.
Bryant's NEC Second Team roster includes silver-medal holders Molly Smith (Belmont, MA/Belmont) and Brianne Dwyer (Hicksville, NY/Saint Anthony's). Smith grabbed second place in the 200-yard breastroke (2:20.30), and Dwyer assumed the runner-up position as part of the Bulldog's 200-yard medley relay.
The Mount notched several swimmers on the NEC Second-Team, thanks to Mount St. Mary’s 200-yard freestyle relay quartet of Anne Thelen (Raleigh, NC/Cardinal Gibbons), Mollie Walsh (Havertown, PA/Archbishop John Carroll), Cat Coppler (Enfield, CT/Enrico Fermi) and Courtney Griffith (Westminster, MD/Westminster). Mount also had representation on the Third Team as Patricia Yam (Placenta, CA/Roasary) swam to a bronze medal in the 200 butterfly.
Representing Wagner on the Second-Team was freshman diver Mallory Lee (Newark, CA/Moreau Catholic),who placed second in both the one-meter and three-meter events. While the bronze medal 800 freestyle team of Sarah Menendez (Land O' Lakes, FL/Wharton), Alexandra Cooney (Port Jervis, NY/Minisink Valley), Kristiana Kalibat (Princeton, NJ/Princeton) and Meredith Ketchmark (Plainsboro, NJ/West Windsor-Plainsboro) captured spots on the All-Conference Third Team.
The Red Flash also placed two members on the third-team as Kathleen Lyon (Kinge George, VA/King George) took home bronze in the 1650 free, while Meghan Cotugno (Cape Coral, FL/Cape Coral) helped the 400 FR team to a third place finish.
Blue Devils on the third team included Kristen Malski (Stratford, CT/Laurelton Hall), Erin Massey (Stratford, CT/Stratford) and diver Kate Dwyer (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart.)
Finishing out the Third Team was St. Francis (NY) diver Anistasia Nicholson (Staten Island, NY/Michael J. Petrides) who collected a bronze medal in the one meter dive.
2012 All-NEC First Team
Event Name School YR Hometown/Highschool Time
500 Free: Taylor Friedmann (CCSU) JR Berlin, CT/Berlin 4:53.71
200 IM: Elise Lofgren (SFPA) SO Monlycke, Sweden/Hulebacks 2:03.19
50 Free: Casey Ostrander (BU) JR Yarmouthport, MA/Barnstable 23.41
1M Dive: Madison Vestergaard (CCSU) SR Middletown, CT/Middletown 250.10
400 IM: Alex Cazaplicki (CCSU) SR North Haven, CT/North Haven 4:24.70
100 Fly: Libby Francis (SFPA) SO Dundee, Scotland/Grove Academy 56.58
200 Free: Taylor Friedmann (CCSU) JR Berlin, CT/Berlin 1:50.20
100 Breast:Elise Lofgren (SFPA) SO Monlycke, Sweden/Hulebacks 1:03.01
100 Back: Casey Ostrander (BU) JR Yarmouthport, MA/Barnstable 54.92
1650 Free: Megan Collins (SFPA) SO Monroeville, PA/Oakland Catholic 16:55.89
200 Back: Casey Ostrander (BU) JR Yarmouthport, MA/Barnstable 1:59.69
100 Free: Alicia Ford (SFPA) SO Whitney Point, NY/Whitney Point 50.61
200 Breast: Elise Lofgren (SFPA) SO Monlycke, Sweden/Hulebacks 2:16.56
200 Fly: Erin Regan (MSM) FR Ft. Washington, PA/Upper Dublin 2:04.03
3M Dive: Madison Vestergaard (CCSU) SR Middletown, CT/Middletown 234.90
200 FR: Bryant (D'Olympia, Valenzuela, DeBever, Ostrander) 1:34.72
400 MR: Saint Francis (PA) (Peer, Lofgren, Francis, Ford) 3:46.64
200 MR: Saint Francis (PA) (Peer, Lofgren, Francis, Ford) 1:43.81
800 FR: Saint Francis (PA) (Collins, Lofgren, Ford, Demjaneko) 7:25.75
400 FR: Bryant (Buckley, Valenzuela, DeBever, Ostrander) 3:26.95
2012 All-NEC Second Team
Event Name School YR Hometown/Highschool Time
500 Free: Allison Raisile (CCSU) JR Branford, CT/Branford 4:57.29
200 IM: Alex Czaplicki (CCSU) SR North Haven, CT/North Haven 2:04.29
50 Free: Alicia Ford (SFPA) SO Whitney Point, NY/Whitney Point 23.70
1M Dive: Mallory Lee (WC) FR Newark, CA/Moreau Catholic 220.45
400 IM: Megan Collins (SFPA) SO Monroeville, PA/Oakland Catholic 4:25.29
100 Fly: Erin Regan (MSM) FR Ft. Washington, PA/Upper Dublin 56.96
200 Free: Taylor DeBever (BU) SO Denver, CO/Regis 1:51.01
100 BR : Kristina Gulia (CCSU) SO Orange, CT/Amity 1:04.83
100 Back: Alicia Ford (SFPA) SO Whitney Point, NY/Whitney Point 56.59
1650 Free: Taylor Friedmann (CCSU) SO Berlin, CT/Berlin 17:10.66
200 Back: Alex Czaplicki (CCSU) SR North Haven, CT/North Haven 2:01.95
100 Free: Helene Neuhaus (CCSU) SO Weatport, CT/Staples 51.49
200 Breast:Molly Smith (BU) JR Belmont, MA/Belmont 2:20.30
200 Fly: Libby Francis (SFPA) SO Dundee, Scotland/Grove Academy 2:05.43
3M Dive: Mallory Lee (WC) FR Newark, CA/Moreau Catholic 233.05
200 FR: Mount St. Mary’s (Thelen, Walsh, Coppler, Griffith) 1:34.72
400 MR: Central Conn. St. (Friedmann, Gulia, Lang, Neuhaus) 3:52.19
200 MR: Bryant (Ostrander, Dwyer, Buckley, DeBever) 1:45.18
800 FR: Central Connecticut (Czaplicki, Rasile, Lang, Friedman) 7:25.80
400 FR: Central Conn. St. (Neuhaus, Rasile, Czaplicki, Friedmann) 3:27.40
2012 All-NEC Third Team
Event Name School YR Hometown/Highschool Time
500 Free: Taylor DeBever (BU) SO Denver, CO/Regis 4:57.37
200 IM: Katie Lang (CCSU) JR Monroe, CT/Masuk 2:05.77
50 Free: Courtney Griffith (MSM) JR Westminster, MD/Westminster 23.84
1M Dive: Anastasia Nicholson (SFNY) SO Staten Island,NY/Michael J. Petrides 169.60
400 IM: Katie Lang (CCSU) JR Monroe, CT/Masuk 4:26.74
100 Fly: Courtney Griffith (MSM) SO Westminster, MD/Westminster 57.30
200 Free: Sarah Menendez (WC) FR Land O'Lakes, FL/Wharton 1:51.19
100 BR: Kristen Malski (CCSU) SR Stratford, CT/Laurlton Hall 1:06.07
100 Back: Helene Neuhaus (CCSU) SO Weatport, CT/Staples 56.83
1650 Free: Kathleen Lyon (SFPA) JR King George, VA/King George 17:20.50
200 Back: Becky Peer (SFPA) FR Chelsea, Canada/Philemon Wright2:03.27
100 Free: Taylor DeBever (BU) SO Denver, CO/Regis 51.56
200 Breast: Kristina Gulia (CCSU) SO Orange, CT/Amity 2:21.96
200 Fly: Patricia Yam (MSM) FR Placenta, CA/Rosary 2:06.64
3M Dive: Kate Dwyer (CCSU) FR Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart 178.25
200 FR: Central Conn. St. (Friedmann, Neuhaus, Massey, Czaplicki) 1:36.32
400 MR: Bryant (Buckley, Dwyer, Valenzuela, Ostrander) 3:53.72
200 MR: Central Conn. St. (Neuhaus, Malski, Czaplicki, Lang) 1:45.89
800 FR: Wagner (Menendez, Cooney, Kalibat, Ketchmark) 7:35.06
400 FR: Saint Francis (PA) (Lofgren, Cotugno, Demjanenko, Ford) 3:28.08