Big meets on tap for Owl swimmers

KEENE, N.H. 12/1/09 - Keene State men's and women's swim/dive teams take the plunge into championship meets this weekend.  The Owl men head to Long Island, New York for the ECAC Swimming and Diving Championships while the KSC women will be at UMass-Dartmouth, looking to capture its fourth consecutive Little East Conference title.

The LEC will hold its 10th annual women's swimming and diving championships on Saturday (11 a.m.) at the Tripp Athletic Center, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Keene State has captured six conference crowns since the inaugural championship in 2000. The Owls raised the Little East Conference team trophy the first three years of competition before the Corsairs snapped the winning streak in 2005. UMass Dartmouth also won the 2006 team title, while Keene State College returned to its winning ways the past three years.

Keene State Coach Jack Fabian says if the pre-meet times are any indication, the Owls should bring home another LEC trophy.  "We're looking pretty strong," he said.  "Last year we won every event except for diving, and I'm putting out the challenge for the women to duplicate that feat again."

The records should continue to fall at the meet.  Last year, the Owls set nine championship records and seven Owl marks on the way to scoring 508 points.  Senior Kristine Trutor (Holden, Mass.), who set three individual records, said the team is really looking forward to defending their championship.  "The meet really brings the team together," said Trutor.  "Even though we're a small team, I know we've put in the time and it will pay off. We've won the LECs every year since I've been here, so I would like to carry on the tradition."

Trutor hopes to get the Owls ready by carry out another tradition.  Every year, the captains give team members a little goodie bag that contains a certain set from practice or a saying to get everyone pumped up. "I'm really glad this is my year to make them and get the team ready," said Trutor.

Competing at the three-day ECAC Championships that begin Friday at Nassau County Aquatics Center in East Meadow, N.Y., the Keene State men look to improve on last year's performance when they finished third (457 points ) and set eight school records.

"The ECACs are a challenging meet for the guys," said Fabian.  "They have to swim twice a day and go up against some of the top Division III teams in the Northeast."

"The ECAC Championships gives us an opportunity to find out how good we are by competing against larger elite programs," said junior Dan Morse (Hope, R.I.).  "If we perform to our full potential, we should have a very good weekend."

"We're at a good point in the season to see how fast we can really go," said senior Domingo Rose (Nashua, N.H.), who set three individual Owl records at last year's meet.  "Everyone is already going faster than they were at the same point last season, so the results should be outstanding."

SUNY-Geneseo scored a total of 749 points to win the 2008 ECAC Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.