NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It was a strong opening day for the Bentley University men's swimming and diving team during the opening day of the Northeast-10 Conference Championships Thursday night as three trips to the medal stand and one school record put the Falcons at the top of the team leaderboard.

Competing at Southern Connecticut State's Hutchison Natatorium, Bentley amassed 138 points in the meet's first three events and leads the host team by 14 points and Le Moyne College by 20.

In the lone individual event contested Thursday, Bentley junior Colton Bridge (Tolland, Conn./ Tolland HS) finished second in the one-meter diving for the second straight year, registering scores of 410.25 in the prelims and 414.40 in the finals.

Bentley finished the night by earning silver in the 800 yard free relay with the time of 6:54.60 breaking the school record set last year by 2.23 seconds.  Junior Owen Karl (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton HS) led off and was followed into the pool by freshmen Jon Boains (Unionville, Conn./Farmington HS) and Aiden Karam (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Academy).

Sophomore Davis Wilson (Ransom Canyon, Texas/Lubbock HS) closed for the Falcons and he reduced the Falcons' deficit to Southern Connecticut from 3.5 seconds to 1.1.

In the other relay, seniors Josh Witty (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS) and Connor Mulvey-Hudson (Ardmore, Pa./St. Joseph's Prep) combined with sophomore Colin McCarthy (Glastonbury, Conn./Northwest Catholic HS) and junior Sebastian Bury (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS) to finish third in the 200 medley relay in 1:35.40.

The four-day championship will resume at 10 am Friday.