Little East Honors Four Owls

KEENE, N.H.  1/16/12 – The Little East Conference honored four Keene State College athletes on Monday.  Freshman Tom Doyle (Wallingford, Conn.) was named men’s basketball rookie of the week, senior Jillian Whitaker (Gilford, N.H.) and freshman Diana Pimer (West Haven, Conn.) were recognized as swimmer and rookie swimmer of the week respectively while Maggie Fitter (Branford, Conn.) was selected as women’s track athlete of the week.

Men’s Basketball - Rookie of the Week
Tom Doyle (Wallingford, Conn.), Freshman, Guard, Keene State College

Doyle averaged 14 points and 4.5 rebounds to help Keene State post a 1-1 record this past week. The freshman from Wallingford, Conn. connected on 68.8 percent (11-for-16) of his attempts from the field this past week to reach double figures in scoring in each game. Doyle, who was making his first collegiate start, poured in 17 points and pulled in six rebounds to lead the Owls to a dramatic come-from-behind upset victory against No. 20 Rhode Island College on Saturday. He knocked down a three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in regulation to cut the Keene State deficit to one point. Earlier in the week, Doyle scored 11 points, on 5-for-7 from the floor, as the Owls were edged by No. 23 Western Connecticut.

Women’s Swimmer of the Week
Jillian Whitaker (Gilford, N.H.), Senior, Keene State College

Whitaker captured four individual events to help Keene State College defeat Plymouth State and Eastern Connecticut this past week. The Gilford, N.H. product claimed the 50-yard backstroke race (29.73), while placing second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:34.44) against the Panthers on Wednesday night. Three days later, Whitaker was the first swimmer to touch the wall in three sprint events against the Warriors. She won the 50-yard breaststroke (32.23), 100-yard freestyle (56.18), and the 100-yard individual medley (1:04.02).  
 
Women’s’ Rookie Swimmer of the Week
Diana Pimer (West Haven, Conn.), Freshman, Keene State College

Pimer won three individual races this past week to help Keene State College defeat a pair of Little East opponents in Plymouth State and Eastern Connecticut. The freshman from West Haven, Conn. was the first swimmer to touch the wall in the 400-yard individual medley (4:44.80) against Plymouth State, while also swimming a leg of the victorious 400-yard medley relay team. On Saturday, she captured the 400-yard individual medley.

Women’s’ Track Athlete of the Week
Maggie Fitter (Branford, Conn.), Junior, Keene State College

Fitter captured a pair of events and qualified for the New England Open Championships and Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships at the Tufts University Invitational this past weekend. The junior from Branford, Conn. was the first runner to cross the finish line in the 1,000-meter run (3:04.17), meeting the New England Open standard. She also advanced to the ECAC Championships in the 600-meter run with a time of one minute, 38.79 seconds.