BOSTON, Mass. (October 23, 2026) – The Western New England women's swimming team fell in its first dual meet of the season on Friday night as the Sharks of Simmons University used diving points to defeat the Golden Bears by a final score of 139-125 inside the Holmes Sports Center. 

Records:

• Western New England: 0-1
• Simmons University: 1-0

Key Performers:

• Western New England's 200-yard medley relay teams took second and third, respectively, to kick off the meet. Bella Giard, Alexandra Watroba, AJ Jackson, and Olivia Young finished in 2:06.38, just two seconds behind Simmons' top relay team. Giada Caruso, Gianna Calabrese, Vicky Stepien, and Olivia Emanuele finished just 0.22 seconds behind their teammates for third place, touching the wall in 2:16.72. 
• Melanie Bradley took second in the 1,000-yard freestyle race, coming in with a time of 13:22.05. 
• WNE's first win of the night came from Alexandra Watroba, who won the 200-yard freestyle race in 2:08.62. Watroba continues her dominance in the pool with a win in the 100-yard butterfly event, touching in 1:11.21 for a first-place finish. 
• Bella Giard was victorious for Western New England in the 50-yard backstroke, finishing the event in 30.65. Giard was also victorious in the 100-yard backstroke, coming in with a time of 1:07.43. 
• In her first career dual meet, Western New England's AJ Jackson impressed with a victory in the 50-yard breaststroke, coming in with a time of 36.35, a new career-best. Gianna Calabrese, Melanie Bradley, and Kayla Grimm all picked up season-best times in the event. Jackson also won the 100-yard freestyle event in 59.31, the only racer in the event to come away with a sub-1:00 time. 
• Olivia Young took a win in the 50-yard freestyle for Western New England, picking up a time of 28.07.
• Olivia Emanuele took the top spot by over six seconds in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing the event in 6:16.15. 
• Western New England also saw impressive performances from Giada Caruso in the 50-yard backstroke, completing a career-best time of 36.65 in the event. 
• The Golden Bears wrapped up the night with second-and fourth-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle relay, where Olivia Young, Olivia Emanuele, Giada Caruso, and AJ Jackson finished in 1:56.21, less than two seconds off the top spot, while Audrey Newsome, Kayla Grimm, Melanie Bradley, and Morgan McAloon completed the race in 2:15.88 to complete the dual meet. 
• The Golden Bears fell by a final score of 129-115 in their first-ever meeting with the Sharks in Simmons' final home meet inside their Holmes Sports Center Pool. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• Western New England seeks its first dual match win next week with a trip to UMass-Dartmouth on Friday, October 30, at 6:00 PM.