WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley women's swimming and diving team is aiming for the top spot at the Northeast 10 Championship, which gets underway on Thursday afternoon and runs through Sunday. The meet will be held on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The women's team was voted first in the Pre-Championship poll by the NE10 coaches. They garnered 47 points and five first-place votes to put them ahead of Southern Connecticut, which had 44 points and three-first place votes.

The Falcon women will be looking to break through with a first-ever NE10 championship and they have been knocking on the door in recent years. They were runner-up the last two seasons and in four of the last five seasons, going back to 2018-19.

Emma Hapkiewicz, the 2023 NE10 Championship Women's Swimmer of the Meet, is among those looking to take home gold for the Falcons. In the 1000 freestyle, her seed time of 10:29.16 is tops by almost 10 seconds and her seed time in the 500 is second best at 5:09.52. She won gold in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free last year.

Jordan Nuzback is poised for a big meet and has a top two or three seed time in a number of events. A two-time NE10 Women's Swimmer of the Week this season, she has a top-two time in the 100 fly and 100 free and a top-three time in the 200 IM and 100 back. She took home gold in the 200 IM last season.

Freshman Skyla Lang will look to be a regular on the medal stand at her first NE10 Championship. She has the top seed time in the 200 breaststroke and 400 IM and top three times in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke.

Senior captain Emily Blatt won two silver medals last year in the 200 breaststroke and 200 medley relay. Her seed time this year is second in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke.

Sophomore Lily Rice has the top seed time in the 200 fly.

The Falcons are also poised to be top contenders for medals in the 200 and 400 medley relays and the 400 and 800 free relay. The 200 and 400 medley teams and 800 free team all won silver last season

In the diving events Hilla Almog will look to cap a dominant season with a pair of golds in the 1 meter and 3 meter events. A six-time NE10 Diver of the Week this season, she has the top scores in both events in the NE10 this season by a wide margin. Last season she won silver in the 1 meter and bronze in the 3 meter.

All of the action this weekend can be streamed on NE10 Now