WESTFIELD, Mass. (November 2, 2024) – The Golden Bears traveled to Westfield, Massachusetts, for a tri-meet with the Westfield University Owls and the Gordon College Fighting Scots. The Golden Bears fell to both teams on Saturday afternoon.

Scores:

Western New England: 76

Westfield State University: 190

Western New England: 81

Gordon College: 167

How it Happened:

The afternoon started with the Western New England 200-yard Medley Relay team of Caitlin Guntly, Vicky Stepien, Olivia Emanuele, and Alexa Adams earning second place in the event with a time of 2:09.88. The next event was the 1000-yard Freestyle, which saw Sofia Piantedosi swim for the Golden Bears and finish with a time of 15:44.59. The 200-yard Freestyle was after that. Vicky Stepien competed in the event and earned a time of 2:46.17. The 50-yard Backstroke was next. Caitlin Guntly won the race with a season-best time of 29.99. Giada Caruso also swam in that event and finished with a time of 39.49. After that race was the 50-yard Breaststroke race. Gianna Calabrese and Sofia Piantedosi competed in the race. Calabrese finished with a time of 43.55, and Piantedosi had a time of 46.20. The 100-yard Butterfly was next up for the teams. Olivia Emanuele placed second with a time of 1:13.82. After that was the 50-yard Freestyle race. WNE had four swimmers in that race. Samantha D'Avignon finished with a season-best time of 29.72. Alexa Adams had a time of 30.83. Amanda Pillard finished with a season-best time of 32.04. Giada Caruso had a time of 34.63. The 100-yard Freestyle followed the 50-yard Freestyle race. Vicky Stepien swam a time of 1:06.72. Samantha D'Avignon had a season-best time of 1:11.69. Amanda Pillard had a time of 1:11.91. After that race was the 200-yard Backstroke. Giada Caruso would earn a time of 2:54.33. The 100-yard Breaststroke race saw Gianna Calabrese finish with a time of 1:33.32. Then, in the 500-yard Freestyle race. Olivia Emanuele would finish in 3rd place and have a time of 6:33.75, and Alexa Adams had a time of 7:04.32. After that race, the 50-yard Butterfly would see Vicky Stepien and Sofia Piantedosi compete. Stepien finished with a time of 33.08, and Piantedosi finished with a time of 43.56. The final individual race of the afternoon was the 100-yard IM. Caitlin Guntly won the event with a time of 1:08.38. Gianna Calabrese finished the race with a time of 1:23.39. The final race overall was the 200-yard Freestyle Relay. The WNE relay team of Samantha D'Avignon, Alexa Adams, Olivia Emanuele, and Caitlin Guntly placed second in the race with a time of 2:00.36. The Golden Bears lost to the Owls 190-76 and lost to the Fighting Scots 167-81.

Coach's Corner:

Head coach Corey Lomas was asked for a comment on the meet today. "It was a learning moment about attitude and dealing with uncontrollable factors. The women learned a lot and stayed tough until the end. Standout performance was Sam D'Avignon's first time ever breaking the 30 second mark in the fifty (Freestyle) and led the (Golden Bears) with insanely positive attitude," Lomas stated.

Up Next:

The Golden Bears will host the Elms College Blazers next Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 1:00 PM in the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center.