COLCHESTER, Vt. – Senior All-America Jessica Hodsdon (Brewer, Maine/Brewer HS) won three individual events and classmate Abby Mathews (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford HS) led the finest diving exhibition in the program's history as Bentley University topped St. Michael's College, 170-109, in women's swimming Wednesday afternoon at the Tarrant Recreation Center.
Mathews and three of her diving teammates all broke the school record for 11 dives off the one-meter board with Mathews, senior Shelly D'Aleo (Enfield, Conn./Suffield Academy) and sophomore Paige Wilde (Naugatuck, Conn./ Holy Cross HS) all meeting the standard for the NCAA Division II pre-qualifying meet, which will be held in March in Birmingham, Ala.
Mathews totaled 461.55 points while winning the two diving events, which broke the record of 418.75 D'Aleo had owned since November 2010. Freshman Nicola Mancini (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS), already an NCAA qualifier, followed with 445.20 points. D'Aleo improved on the existing mark by about 20 points with a 438.80, and Wilde posted a total of 419.75.
Hodson turned in winning efforts in the 100 yard breaststroke (1:10.77), the 100 butterfly (1:00.85) and the 200 individual medley (2:20.94). She also swam a leg on Bentley's winning 200 medley relay team, combining with senior Taryn Dooley (Feeding Hills, Mass./Agawam HS), junior Amanda Le (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford HS) and sophomore Danielle Hellstern (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug HS) for a time of 4:11.02.
Hellstern, Le and sophomore Nadine Edwards (Danbury, Conn./Danbury HS) each reached the wall first in a pair of individual events. Hellstern took the 50 freestyle (25.98) and 100 free (56.71), Le was victorious in the 100 backstroke (1:04.08) and 200 breast (2:26.84) and Edwards prevailed in the 200 free (2:04.38) and the 500 free (5:29.82).
The other individual winners for the Falcons were junior Caroline Lewis (Westfield, Mass./ Westfield HS) in the 1000 free (11:40.86) and freshman Melissa Clauss (Oakland, N.J./Bergen County Academies) in the 200 fly (2:23.91).
Bentley, 6-0 in dual meets, will swim at the College of Saint Rose Sunday afternoon.
