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Owl swimmers set to open season on Saturday
KEENE, N.H. 11/4/11- Sitting at his desk just off the deck at the Spaulding Gym pool, Keene State head swim coach Dr. Jack Fabian just has to look behind him to see how far the program has come during his seven-year tenure.
Over his shoulder are the 11 All-American plaques won by Keene State swimmers since he took over the program in 2005. When you also consider that the KSC women’s team placed 17th at last year’s NCAA meet, won three NEISDA titles and five consecutive Little East Conference championships and the Owl men’s squad has captured three straight NEISDA crowns and scored its first points at the nationals for the first time since 1976 last season – Fabian has a lot to be proud about.
But instead of looking back, Fabian is looking forward as he prepares his teams for Saturday’s New England Invitational at the Upper Valley Aquatics Center in White River Junction, VT. “Once we became more competitive and reached the next level you realize how much Division III swimming has improved since I started coaching,” he said. “It becomes more difficult every year, but we want to continue to build on our success.”
Undeterred, Fabian has reeled in some top freshmen swimmers to go along with a well-stocked pool of returnees. His objective is to build a strong overall program that emphasizes success in the pool as well in the classroom. “You can’t just have one or two high end athletes, “he said. “You have to have a program that is really solid throughout, so they can train and push each other to get better.”
Fabian says the teams’ past success has greatly improved the quality of athletes he’s able to recruit. “We’re bringing in athletes that would have been the top swimmers in the program when they started,” he said. “But now they are coming in as rookies, looking to improve.”
Although they lack the depth of last’s year’s team, the Keene State men should once again be in a position to defend its NEISDA title and continue to qualify swimmers for the NCAA Championship. While Cody Larrimore and Connor Pennoyer, members of KSC’s All-American 200 free relay will be missed, there’s plenty fish remaining in the pond for the Owls. The other half of the relay, junior Austin Harris (Essex Junction Vt.) and Jared Hyde (Tolland, Conn.) are both back along with sophomore James Black (Lynn, Mass), who injured his wrist and was unable to compete at the championships.
Sophomore Drew Ledwith (Keene, N.H.) will be looking to build on a fabulous freshman season that saw him break four individual school records and swim to All-American honors with his third place finish in the 1,650 race. A pair of All-New England divers, senior Derek Peabody (Haverhill, Mass.) and sophomore Joshua Tuller (Plainview, N.Y.) also return.
Other top returnees include seniors Chris Avery (Merrimack, N.H.) and Ian Watters (Jamestown, R.I.), junior Marc Marois (Derry, N.H.) and sophomores James Norris (Ansonia, Conn.), Dan Oliveira (Ludlow, Mass.) Tyler Tallcouch (Seymour, Conn.) and Tyler Tambascio (Greenwich, Conn.). Randall Dunton (Saint Cloud, Fla.), a top backstroke swimmer, Matthew Bolton (Bedford, N.H.), Gib Stevens (Reading, Mass.), and Andrew DeLuke (Milford, Conn.), lead the list of top recruits.
Instead of going to the ECAC Championship, the Owls were invited to the MIT Winter Invitational, a quality meet that will also include Harvard as well as top Division III teams NYU, Bowdoin, Colby and Wheaton.
While the prospects for the Keene State College women’s team are high, the Owls will have to compensate for the loss of All-American Kaila Umbarger who will be studying abroad this year. The Owls do return seniors Jillian Whitaker (Gilford, N.H.) and Maureen O’Leary (Nashua, N.H.) and sophomore Lianna Wissmann (Orleans, Mass.), member of KSC’s All-American 200 medley relay team. Sophomores Sheila Cremin (Andover, Mass.), Emma Fitzhenery (New Brunswick, N.J.), Stephanie Murray (Haverhill, Mass.) and Nicole Rutigliano (Woodbury, Conn.) will also be back in the pool for Keene State.
They will be joined by a group of freshmen that Fabian called “his best recruiting class.” Taylor DaSilva, a strong sprinter from Stony Brook, N.Y. and Diana Primer a top IM and breast stroke competitor out of New Haven, Conn., were two of Fabian’s top catches. The long and talented list of top recruits also includes Lindsay Day (Chelmsford, Mass.), Emily Neverett (Nashua, N.H.), Caitlyn Shea (Salem, N.H.), Julie Trodden (Reading, Mass.), and Carolyn Hall (Beverly, Mass.) Amelia Good (Meriden, N.H.), Brandy Reed (Bedford, Mass.) and Maria Amell (Plymouth, Mass.). Trodden’s sister Jennifer is a record-setter swimmer at UMaine while Reed is a former high-level water skier.
While the team must overcome the possibility of not having a diver, Fabian is confident he has the right mix of veterans and newcomers to defend their LEC title and be in the battle for the NEISDA championship.
Fabian will get a good look at his teams at the New England Invitational, a meet Keene State will host along with WPI. The Invitational also includes MIT, Wheaton, Assumption and Post University. “MIT is a top Division III program, so it should be a very challenging first meet,” said Fabian.
Fast times at the start of the season will hopefully lead to faster times at the end of the season and more All-American plaques on Fabian’s office wall.
