Swimming & Diving Conducts First Official Practice of 2016-17

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WESTON, Mass. - The Regis (Mass.) men's and women's swimming & diving teams returned to the pool on Monday afternoon for their first practice of the 2016-17 season. The Pride will practice for nearly one month before its season opener.

The two and a half hour practice kicked off with a run but the rest of the time was dedicated to repetition and technical training in the pool. While the practice was the official opening of the season, classroom obligations accounted for several absences which were made up earlier in the day and later tonight.

The 2016-17 Pride men's team looks a lot like the squad from a year ago that finished second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championships. The team graduated just one swimmer in the spring, while adding two incoming freshmen to the roster. Seniors Cassidy Bastianelli (Newton, Mass.) and Kiet Luong (Malden, Mass.), who were last week named to the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association's Preseason All-Conference Team, are among the nine returners for the Pride men.

The Pride women's team will be all about youth in the 2016-17 season, with 10 of the team's 17 student-athletes freshmen. Last season, the team finished third at the GNAC Championships, just three points behind second-place St. Joseph's College (Me.). Juniors Ashlyn DeRoche (North Reading, Mass.) and Jessica Higgins (Peabody, Mass.) will captain the squad in 2016-17.

The Pride opening the season at home versus the University of New England on Oct. 15. First events begin at 11:00 a.m.