Massachusetts Swim & Dive Faces Bryant For Dual Meet On Saturday

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts swimming and diving enter the pool for the first time in the new year on Saturday, January 4, in Norton, Massachusetts, against Bryant. The dual meet will take place in the Balfour Natatorium (Wheaton College) starting at 9:30 a.m. with diving events, while swimming competition begins at 1 p.m. at Chace Pool.

Last Time Out
The Massachusetts women's swim and dive team took on Atlantic 10 rivals Rhode Island and La Salle on December 7. The Minutewomen dropped their tri-meet to host URI (153-106) and against La Salle (152-107) on the day.

The women's program put together 13 top-three finishes, with junior Shreeya Sinha and graduate student Bri Williams picking up individual gold medals.

Freshman Danielle Guerin also place her name in the top-10 all-time records in the one-meter dive with a personal-best score of 279.45 for the bronze medal.

Cracking The Top 10
Minutemen:

100 Backstroke: Zach Szabo, Freshman (49.38 – 10th)
200 Butterfly: Aydin Erkan, Sophomore (1:49.20 – Sixth)
200 Breaststroke: Nate Derby, Freshman (2:01.73 – Fifth)

Minutewomen:

100 Backstroke: Maria Grishaeva, Freshman (56.11 – Seventh)
200 Backstroke: Maria Grishaeva, Freshman (2:02.99 – Ninth)
100 Butterfly: Elizabeth Lahmann, Freshman (56.24 – Tied for Seventh)
200 Breaststroke: Maria Grishaeva, Freshman (2:19.16 – Fifth)
200 Individual Medley: Lindsay Burbage, Sophomore (2:05.74 – Eighth)
400 Individual Medley: Maria Grishaeva, Freshman (4:26.59 – Eighth)
1-Meter Dive: Shreeya Sinha, Junior (294.68 – Fifth)
1- Meter Dive: Salem Howes, Junior (274.13 – 10th)
1- Meter Dive: Danielle Guerin, Freshman (279.45 – Ninth)
3-Meter Dive: Shreeya Sinha, Junior (304.88 – Sixth)

Breaking [Pool] Records
Junior Sammy Quigg secured two first-place finishes against Boston College, while swimming a time of 20.34 in the 50 freestyle, marking a new Joseph R. Rogers, Jr., Pool record. His time beat the previous pool record by 0.01 second held by a Boston University swimmer from the 2023-24 season (20.35). Quigg's time also met a new dual meet record for the Minutemen in the event, which Quigg held with a time of 20.38 last season.

At the Justin Jennings Invitational, Bell broke two pool records at Lineberry Natatorium in both the one-meter and three-meter dive. Bell scored a 355.90 in the one-meter dive, while totaling a 386.85 in the three-meter dive. Both records broke previous records from 1987 and 1994.

The [Best] Dives
At Boston University earlier in the season, the divers combined for six personal-bests on the day, with four from the Minutewomen and two from the Minutemen.

For the Minutewomen, junior Shreeya Sinha collected two-personal bests on the day, grabbing the gold in the three-meter dive with a total of 304.88. In the one meter she secured second-place with her six-dive total of 294.68. Her three-meter dive score placed her sixth all-time in the UMass record books, while her one-meter total was good for fifth all-time in the record books. Fellow classmate Salem Howes placed third in the one-meter event with a personal-best score of 274.13, etching her name in 10th all-time in the record books.

Additionally, freshman Sahana Narayanan finished the three-meter event in third place with her personal-best score of 256.28.

Bell earned first place in both the three-meter and one-meter event for the Minutemen. In the three-meter event, Bell had a season-best score of 429.23, while recording a season-best six dive total of 399.60 in the one-meter event. Freshman Alex Kreidler scored personal-bests to claim second in both the three-meter (291.90) and one-meter (314.10) dives.

Weekly Honors
Quigg tabbed the first Atlantic 10 weekly honor, being named the A-10 men's Performer of the Week on October 9. It marked his third weekly honor of his career. Quigg broke a pool record in the Minutemen's first meet of the season against Boston College, swimming a new record time of 20.34 at the Joseph R. Rogers, Jr., Pool, in the 50 freestyle to claim the gold medal, before placing first in the 100 freestyle with a time of 45.24.

During the relay events, the junior anchored the 200 medley relay team to a first-place finish with a combined time of 1:33.34. Quigg also anchored the 200 freestyle relay team that grabbed the silver with a time of 1:24.51.

Bell collected the A-10 men's Performer of the Week honor three times this season, marking his fifth, sixth and seventh career accolades. Earning the award on October 15, the junior helped the Minutemen to a second-place finish at the Justin Jennings Invitational, hosted by Colgate, over the weekend after picking up two gold medals. Bell finished first in the three-meter dive with a six-dive total, and season-best, of 386.85, while placing first in the one-meter dive event with a score of 355.90. Both of his scores broke previous pool records from 1987 and 1994.

He tabbed the award on October 22, as Bell sat atop the podium in both the one-meter and three-meter diving events in UMass' scrimmage against Yale. In the one-meter, he scored a 371.93, while totaling a 393.98 in the three-meter event.

On November 12, Bell grabbed his third award of the year, after securing first place in both the three-meter and one-meter dive in a dual meet at Boston University. In the three-meter event, he had a season-best score of 429.23, while recording a season-best six-dive total of 399.60 in the one-meter event.

Freshman Chase Keeler earned his first career weekly accolade after being named the A-10 Men's Rookie of the Week on November 26. Keeler took sixth in the 200 individual medley with a season-best time of 1:51.21. The freshman swam into 11th with a personal-best time of 4:01.29 in the 400 individual medley, while claiming fifth in the 200 backstroke with a personal-best time of 1:49.11. He also cracked into the top 10 in the A-10 Conference in the 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley and the 200 backstroke.

During the relay events, Keeler led off the 400 medley relay team that placed 400 medley relay team to a seventh-place finish with a time of 3:21.55. He also helped his 200 medley relay team to 10th with a time of 1:32.35.

Next Up
Massachusetts will take a week-long break before heading to Hanover, New Hampshire for the Tate Ramsden Invitational on Friday, January 17, through Saturday, January 18. The two-day event will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, before events start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with events kicking back up at 3 p.m.

Scoreboard