Local college notes

Tracking the Bears

• This is a big weekend for the Coast Guard Academy men's and women's swim team. The Bears compete in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference championships at MIT.

Senior Nick Cosenza (500 freestyle), senior Johnson Knox (50 freestyle) and sophomore Marcos Tinari (1,650 freestyle) all captured all-conference honors last season. The Bears, who went 10-2 in dual meets this season, have placed second in three consecutive seasons in the conference championships.

In the women's competition, the Bears, who placed a program-best third last season, are led by senior Heidi Gayman, the reigning NEWMAC champion in the 200 freestyle and an All-Conference swimmer in the 100 freestyle last year.

The three-day meet begins Friday.

• The season ends this week for the men's and women's basketball teams. Neither team qualified for the conference tournament.

Sophomore Kaitlin Ward (11.9 points) and freshman Brittney Zimmerman (10.6) are the leading scorers for the women's team. The Bears (5-16, 1-16) host Wellesley Wednesday (7 p.m.) and visit WPI Saturday in the regular season finale.

Junior Greg Marshall (15.6 points), sophomore Kevin Sowers (11.2) and freshman David Anderson (11.0) have led the men's team this season. The Bears (8-13, 2-9) play their regular season finale Saturday at home against Babson. Game time is 1 p.m.

There's hope in the future. Both teams return all five starters.

Mariners making waves

Mitchell College sophomore Joshua Ford earned his third New England Collegiate Conference rookie-of-the-week honor for men's basketball. In two games last week, Ford averaged 28 points, 11 rebounds and four steals while sinking 73 percent from the field. He had a career-high 30 points to go with eight rebounds and six steals in a loss to Conn College and then recorded his 10th double-double of the season against Newbury College, finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds.

Ford ranks first on the team in scoring (14.4), rebounding (12.0), steals (46) and blocks (26). He's sixth in the nation in rebounding. The Mariners are 5-16 overall, 3-11 in the conference.

Around the region

• Jesse Sweeney, a senior from East Lyme, is a school record-setting performer in the backstroke for the State University of New York at New Paltz's men's swimming team. Competing in the SUNYAC meet in Buffalo, he finished in a record 51.65 seconds in the 100 backstroke while placing second and meeting the NCAA provisional qualification time. In the 200 backstroke, he finished in a school-record 1:53.46, finishing third overall. He also swam a leg on the 400 freestyle relay team that placed fourth.

New Paltz named Sweeney the school's male athlete-of-the-week. He is a psychology major with a 3.67 grade point average.

• UConn freshman forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis received her seventh weekly Big East honor this season. She was named the conference rookie-of-the-week after averaging 14 points, four rebounds and 2.5 assists in wins over Louisville and Georgetown.

• Eastern Connecticut State University sophomore Fredrick Hewett of New London placed second in the 400 meters in 50.80 last weekend at the Little East Conference/New England Alliance Indoor Track Championships at Gorham, Me.

• Stephanie Slonski, a senior from Griswold, had 10 points and a game-high six assists in Western Connecticut State University's 55-53 win over Keene State College Saturday. The Colonials are 15-8 overall, 7-5 in the Little East.

• Waterford High School graduate Alexa Long, a sophomore forward on the St. Michael's College basketball team, had 16 points and nine rebounds in an 84-56 loss to Stonehill College Saturday. Long went 6-for-10 from the field. On the season, she's averaging 6.8 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Purple Knights who are 10-13 overall, 7-12 in the Northeast Conference.

• Kevin Donahue, a senior from Pawcatuck and Stonington High School graduate, leads the Assumption College basketball team in scoring (16.6 points), three-pointers made (69) and is tied for first in steals with 24. He also averages 4.0 rebounds per game for Assumption (10-13).

- Gavin Keefe