The University of Maine swimming men open their 2008-09 season Sunday against Bryant College while the Black Bear women will race against the University of Rhode Island and Bryant at URI.

The UMaine women opened the season last week, swimming past Central Connecticut 184-109 but narrowly losing to Northeastern 152-141.

The Bears received double wins in the competition from captain Colleen Miller, who clocked a two-second win in the 200 free (1:55.7) and a two-tenths win in the 500 free (5:07.3). Meanwhile, Samantha Graham won the one-meter diving and Falmouth’s Alicia Hahn opened her college competition with a 200 backstroke win (2:12.3).

“It was a great meet,” Maine coach Skip Nitardy said. “The kids stepped up and swam great. Actually, this year our number two, three, and four swimmers are much stronger.”

A year ago, the Black Bear women lost to URI. Sunday’s meet opens the season for the Rams. The Bryant women open the season Friday at Boston College and then compete against a talented Black Bear squad Sunday.

“We are so versatile. This week we are going to move people around and have an entirely different lineup,” explained Nitardy.

Sunday at Kingston, R.I., the Maine men face a Bryant team which was 10-1 a year ago and includes two swimmers from Maine on the roster. Konrad Lech, Deering High School’s 2008 MVP, and Mount Ararat of Topsham’s Jack Burnham are members of the Bryant team that will face a Black Bear team captained by senior John Quinn of Bangor.

Joining Quinn are nine swimmers from Maine who formerly competed in Maine high school and/or age-group competition, including Brewer’s Andrew Meehan, Mount Desert Island’s Kevin Staples and Ellsworth’s Zach Cravens.

Bryant opened the season with a fifth-place finish in the Bentley Invitational earlier this month and will compete against Boston College on Friday before facing a Maine team that expects to be eager to race Sunday with 12 new swimmers on the roster.

“We are stronger in the stroke events this year and this should help our relays as well,” Nitardy said.

Strong start for Husson

“A lot of people who were here last year started out this year with something faster,” remarked Husson’s Jeff Wren on the Eagles’ opening competition last weekend at St. Joseph’s in Hartford, Conn.

In a meet where four Husson swimmers made their competitive racing debut the Eagles, in the first event of the meet, the 200 free relay, established a Husson record. Racing in the relay were Erin Doucette, Kaitlyn Theriault, Kelly Bernier and Amy Marceau.

Doucette was the highest finisher for Husson in the four-team meet with a third-place finish in the 100 individual medley and a fourth-place finish in the 100 butterfly.

Wren noted improvements in a number of events from practice performances and applauded the performances of Kasey Roberts, who raced in five events, and Caribou’s Nicole Nadeau.

Saturday at 11 a.m., the Eagles host Saint Joseph’s College of Standish in a dual meet featuring 50- and 100-yard races in the stroke events and 200- and 500-yard races in the freestyle events.

Lane lines

. Justin Alley has been named the men’s and women’s diving coach at Maine. Alley, who most recently served as an assistant diving coach at Bangor High School, competed for the Black Bears in both 1- and 3-meter diving during his college career.

. From 1997-2007 Australia’s Grant Hackett won every race anywhere in the world in which he competed in the 1,500-meter freestyle. During the 10-year span, Hackett won Olympic golds in 2000 and 2004 in the 1,500. However, earlier this month, Hackett announced his retirement from competitive swimming citing the physical demands of training.

. When the Maine women compete against URI Sunday, expect Cape Elizabeth’s Kinsey Tarbell to race for URI. The junior freestyler has clocked a 1:58.6 during her career in the 200 free.

. Former Bangor High diver Emma Chaiken scored in both the 1- and 3-meter diving for Wheaton College in a win Saturday over WPI.

. According to 2007-08 data released earlier this fall by the National Federation of State High School Associations, boys swimming recorded the third highest increase in participants during 2007-08. Swimming participants increased by 5,158, slightly behind soccer’s 5,562. The largest increase in participation came in lacrosse with an increase of 11,336.

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