The Massachusetts swim and dive teams saw some success as it competed in its final Atlantic 10 championship before moving to the Mid-American Conference next season. The Minutemen (1-5, 1-0 A-10 ) placed sixth overall with 332 points during the four day event at Virginia’s Hampton Aquaplex, while the Minutewomen (2-7, 1-2 A-10) earned a seventh place finish with 284 points.
“This was the last one, and we were really looking forward to leaving everything in the pool,” men’s head coach Sean Clark said. “15 players managed to get personal bests during the weekend.”
Minutemen diver Andrew Bell dominated as he finished first in both the one-meter and the three-meter dive, scoring 359.8 and 428.15, respectively. Bell completed a season sweep as he placed first in every event, and his 428.15 score set an A-10 conference championship record.
“Andrew Bell swept the season and was great from start to finish,” Clark said. “He’s prepared himself well this season for the upcoming diving playoffs and has launched himself into a future career.”
Over on the women’s side, the freshmen divers showed out as Khrystyna Yaremyn earned a bronze medal in the women’s three-meter dive with a 281.85, while Danielle Guerin placed fourth in the one-meter dive with a 267.4.
Day one of the event started with a solid showing from both the men and women’s relay teams. The women’s 200 medley relay team of graduate student Bri Williams, sophomore Lindsay Burbage, graduate student Ashley Calderon and freshman Courtney Tedesco finished seventh with a 1:41:96 time. Freshman Daniel Strumidlo, sophomore Alonso Montori, junior Sammy Quigg and sophomore Cole Brooks combined for a fifth-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay, ending with a 6:36.69 time.
Day two featured a sixth-place finish from sophomore Jude Boukarroum in the men’s 500 freestyle as he timed at 4:30:12 for a season best performance. Freshman Chase Keeler’s 1:48:79 time in the 200 individual medley secured his spot in the UMass record books with the second best timing all-time.
The Minutewomen heated up on day three as there were seven top-ten times on the day for the team. Senior Anna Kwon completed the 200 freestyle with a fourth overall finish and a 1:50:18 time, her all-time personal best in the event. Sophomore Lindsay Burbage and freshman Kendall Gilbert earned a 1:01:72 and 1:02:97 in the 100 breaststroke respectively, which was enough for a second and sixth all-time mark in the event.
Freshman Kendall Gibert made a statement in the 200 breaststroke as she secured a silver medal with a 2:11:59 time, good for a program record and one of UMass’ four medals in the championships.
“[Gilbert] had her fair share of struggles during the season, but we were patient and just waited,” Minutewomen head coach Maya Otsuka said. “She had a performance of a lifetime, almost ended up first, and broke a school record that hadn’t been broken in 11 years.”
Over on the men’s side, junior Sammy Quigg earned sixth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 44.24. Keeler completed the 200 backstroke with a sixth-place finish and a time of 1:46:29. Sophomore Aydin Erkan earned a ninth-place finish in the 200 butterfly with a 1:48:13 time in the event.
“We were excited about the opportunity, and we wish we had more events. We’re healthy, fit, and motivated,” Clark said. “We’ve trained so hard, and we rely on each other every day. It’s a point of pride to represent UMass, especially at the conference championship.”
With the conclusion of the A-10 championships, another season is in the books for the UMass swim and dive teams. While the senior class was small for both the Minutemen and Minutewomen, they all still had a lasting impact in the pool and mentored the very young UMass teams to set them up for future success.
“The core of the senior class really led by example, and they had the desire to. They really led by example and helped the younger class out,” Otsuka said. “They were always upstanding seniors. They let the younger class know to control your nerves and reassured that we still have more events. You can bounce back from performances.”
The swim and dive teams will now make the move to the Mid-American Conference starting in the 2025-2026 season and look to have another successful season as the young class matures.
“The young class we have will continue to grow, improve, and set records, while the recruiting class we have is big and powerful,” Clark said. “We’re ready to make an impact on the new conference.”
Irwin Mburu can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter/X @IrwinMburu.
