Little East Honors Eight Owls

KEENE, N.H. 1/19/09 - The Little East Conferecne honored the following eight Owl athletes on Monday.  

Men's Basketball Player of the Week
Tyler Kathan (Ludlow, Vt.), Senior, Forward, Keene State College

Kathan averaged 27 points and 7.5 rebounds to lead Keene State to a pair of Little East Conference wins this past week. The Ludlow, Vt. native was white-hot from the field this week, connecting on 21-of-35 shots (60%) from the field, including nine-of-17 from behind the three-point arc. Kathan earned his seventh double-double of the season against Western Connecticut on Tuesday, scoring a career-high 36 points, on 15-of-21 from the floor, and pulling in 10 rebounds. He reached double figures in scoring for the 12th time on the campaign at UMass Boston three days later, scoring 18 points, including four trifectas.

Women's Track Rookie Track Athlete of the Week
Sarah Titus (Derry, N.H.), Freshman, Keene State College
Competing at the Tufts Invitational on Saturday, Titus won the 800-mer race with a time of 2:26.60. Keene State finished fifth in the 7-team field with 45 points.

Men's Track Co-Track Athletes of the Week
Craig MacPherson (Derry, N.H.), Sophomore, Keene State College
MacPherson qualified for the New England Open Championships this past weekend in the 1,000-meter race, crossing the finish line with a first place time of 2:28.75. The Derry, N.H. native also placed fifth in the 600 (1:24.71) to help Keene State to second in the team standings.  

Field Athlete of the Week
Bryan Kolacz (Brentwood, N.H.), Sophomore, Keene State College
Kolacz won the weight throw competition with a New England Open Championship qualifying distance of 53'-3.75" at the Tufts University Invitational.  He also placed fifth in the shot put (42'-06.00").

Rookie Track Athlete of the Week
Chris Cheever (Grantham, N.H.), Freshman, Keene State College
Cheever established a new Keene State record in the 55-meter dash at the Tufts University Invitational on Saturday. In the preliminary round, the Grantham, N.H. product crossed the finish line at 6.77 seconds, breaking the previous standard of 6.84 set by Matt Zaffini in 1999. He would eventually place sixth in the finals (6.82), while placing fourth in the long jump (20'-04.50").

Women's Swimming/Diving

Swimmer of the Week
Alea Paddock (Newbury, N.H.), Junior, Keene State College

Paddock earned three individual wins in each of her two meets this past week, including breaking the Keene State record in the 100 breaststroke at Eastern Connecticut (1:08.19). On Wednesday, the Newbury, N.H. native was victorious in the 50 breast (32.80), 100 breast (1:11.46) and the 200 I.M. (2:19.30) to lead the Owls' to win over rival Plymouth State. Three days later, Paddock won the 400 I.M. (4:48.06), the 100 breast, and the 500 free (5:30.72) events to hand the Warriors their first loss of the season.

Diver of the Week
Rachael Battis (Beacon Falls, Conn.), Sophomore, Keene State College

In her only meet of the week, Battis  swept the one and three-meter events against Plymouth State University on Wednesday. She posted a winning score of 198.20 and 180.80 in the one and three-meters, respectively.

Rookie Swimmer of the Week
Jillian Whitaker (Gilford, N.H.), Keene State College

Whitaker turned in five individual victories this past week, while combining for three team relay wins to help Keene State register a 2-0 week. The Gilford, N.H. product posted a pair of wins against Plymouth State on Jan. 14, winning the 50 free (25.85) and the 100 free (55.50). She was also a member of the winning 200 medley relay (1:56.57) and 400 free relay (3:54.54). At Eastern Connecticut, Whitaker was a triple winner for the Owls. She won the 50 free (26.23), the 100 free (55.29), and the 200 breast (2:30.76). She also swam a leg of the winning 200 medley relay (1:59.03).