WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior All-American Nicola Mancini (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth HS) earned her sixth career gold medal in as many tries and sophomore Emily Niemiec (Meriden, Conn./ Francis T. Maloney HS) repeated as 200 yard breaststroke champion to lead the Bentley University Falcons during the final night of the 2016 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championships Sunday night at WPI.
Their efforts helped Bentley finish third of nine teams in the championships with a total of 608.5 points. Assumption College edged Southern Connecticut State for the team title, 796.5-760.
Mancini was named the Women's Diving Athlete of the Meet for the third time in her career (2013, 2014) after adding the three-meter championship to the one-meter title she earned on Friday night. She also doubled as a conference champion in 2013 and 2014 before sitting out last season with an injury.
Mancini totaled 421.90 points in the 11-dive competition to prevail by a commanding 67.65 points over Alexis Heiney (Pace). Her night included dives of 51.30 and 49.20 points.
Finishing third to earn bronze was Mancini's classmate, Courtney Stone (Andover/Andover HS), with a score of 345.20.
Niemiec successfully defended her 200 breast title, reaching the wall in 2:23.18 to outswim Saint Rose's Shannon Walsh by 0.39 seconds.
Niemiec also helped Bentley finish second in the 400 free relay, combining with junior Kaitlin McGahie (Boylston/Tahanto Reg. HS) and freshmen Brooke Jameson (Bedford/Bedford HS) and Kate Kaduboski (Dedham/Dedham HS) for a school record 3:32.70. One of six school records set by the Falcon women over the course of the four days. that broke a mark of 3:34.19 that had stood since 2012.
Bentley earned three other silver medals on Sunday with McGahie the runner-up in the 200 freestyle (52.72), Kaduboski in the 200 backstroke (2:05.82) and sophomore Anne Warren (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron School) in the 200 butterfly (2:08.39).
Sixth-place finishes were achieved by Jameson in the 200 breaststroke (54.37) and freshman Melissa Viator (Lubbock, Texas/Lubbock HS) in the 100 free (2:10.00).
