Winter Sports Wrap Up
Our very own Bridgewater State Bears sports teams have seen quite a lot of success this winter sports season. Many of our men’s and women’s teams made it to their conference finals, or NCAA tournaments, and have even brought back titles. Here’s a breakdown on the season’s winners:
Swimming and Diving:
The Men’s Swimming and Diving team were back to back Little East Conference Champions as they competed at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley, MA. The tournament, which was held from February 16th-19th, was a roaring success for the Bears. The Men’s team took home another title, and the Women’s team came in second place. Junior Cooper Castellone (he/him) had a stellar performance, placing in the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke, also participating in two winning relays.
“I have to account much of this success to the coaching staff for believing in me first, which has allowed me to follow suit, and believe that I have a spot on this team more than just as a breaststroker,” Castellone said.
Freshman rookie Diver Cailey Simard (she/her) dominated all season long, and was the first female BSU diver to qualify for the NCAA Division III Northeast/North Regional Women’s Diving Championships, hosted by NYU, where she placed 16th in both the one-meter and three-meter. As part of her stellar season, she was also named LEC Rookie Diver of the Year. In addition to the success of the teams, head coach Mike Caruso (he/him) was named the LEC Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year.
“There’s a lot of preparation, there’s a lot that goes on outside of the season to get to where we are today,” Coach Caruso explained . “The work doesn’t stop, but it’s fun. It’s work that our coaching staff really enjoys to do.”
Basketball:
The Men’s team was led by strong-performances all season-long thanks to rookies Date Kikuba (he/him) and Emerson Halbleib (he/him). BSU Bears Men’s Basketball was second-seeded entering the postseason. They fell to #3 seed Westfield State in the MASCAC Tournament Semifinal. The Women’s team beat out the Westfield State Owls in the MASCAC Tournament Final and brought home the title. Their time competing in the NCAA Division III Tournament was short lived as they lost to Messiah University in Grantham, Pennsylvania.
Wrestling:
Senior wrestling captain Edwin Morales (he/him) remains the top BSU wrestler for yet another season. Numerous members of the team competed at the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Futures Tournament on February 19th. At the following NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Wrestling Championships, both Morales and fellow senior captain Wilson Gomes (he/him) competed. Morales advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament for the third straight season. Accompanied with one of the best BSU Wrestling resumes in the program’s history, Morales traveled to Virginia to compete for the last time in the red and white uniform. The senior went 1-2 out of the 184-pound weight class, but his time in the competition was cut short as he was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Championships. With a stellar BSU career, Morales is sure to be a BSU Wrestling legend.
