The Bedford High boys and girls squads each placed fourth during their second – and last – Division II state swimming championships on Saturday, Feb. 14, at the University of New Hampshire. The Bulldogs look forward to making another splash next season with the move up to Division I.

“There were a lot of eyes looking at Bedford to see what’s coming,” said head coach Jen Cullen. “Some people may not have known what level we were going to swim at, but I think they did a good job of putting Bedford swimming on the map.”

Bedford’s boys team scored 132 points, and the girls earned 127, but neither team was able to topple Oyster River, which swept the team titles. Still, Saturday’s effort was just the beginning of a strong weekend for the locals, who won three more races the following day at the Meet of Champions (MOC), a combined event of the best Division-I and D-II swimmers.

Kelsey Ewing won the 100- yard freestyle and also was second in the 200-yard freestyle to lead the girls team at states. The freshman was even better at the MOC, winning the 100 and 200 free events.

Kelsey Poremba was fourth in the 500-yard freestyle for the Bulldogs on Saturday, then took sixth at the MOC in that event. She was also ninth in the 100- yard backstroke at states and 13th at the MOC.

Alana Westwater came in sixth in the 50-yard freestyle at states, and she was eighth at the Meet of Champions.

Jenay Graves was sixth in the 100-yard butterfly at the D-II meet and 11th at the MOC. Poremba, a junior, joined with freshmen Ewing, Graves and Westwater to win the 200- yard medley relay at the Meet of Champions, which followed a second-place effort at the D-II event.

Kelsey Ewing, Nicole Soucy, Kelsey Poremba and Alana Westwater combined to place third in the 400-yard freestyle relay on Feb. 14. At the MOC, Ewing, Westwater, Poremba and Viviane Baribeau took fifth.

For the boys, Matthew Poremba, Matthew Bolton and Milan Sandhu each cracked the top five twice during the D-II team competition, with Bolton earning fourth in the 200-yard individual medley (IM) and third in the 500 free, and Poremba notching fifth place in both the 50 free and 100-yard backstroke.

Sandhu collected two fifthplace finishes as well, swimming in the 200 and 500 free races.

At the MOC on Feb. 15, Bolton was fifth in the 200 IM, and Sandhu was eighth in the 200 free. Bolton was fourth and Sandhu seventh in the 500 free.

Sandhu, Matt McKee, Matthew Poremba and Matt Bolton were fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay at states. Stephen Masterson joined Sandhu, McKee and Bolton to take seventh at the MOC in the 400 free relay. Cullen said it was important for her swimmers to experience the atmosphere at states, and she said the Bulldogs raised their efforts during an extremely fast meet.

“(For) so many kids it (was) their first big meet,” Cullen said. “To be here and have such nerves, getting it under their belt and getting fourth place, they have to feel very confident and proud of themselves.”

With enrollment up, the team moves to Division I competition next season, when the school participates with seniors for the first time.

Cullen said she expects the ’Dogs to continue to improve. “Having been (to states) now, it gives us goals for next year,” said Cullen. “We have a lot of swimmers who are coming up, and when you look at two years down the road, it’s scary (how good they can be).”