Six Owls Receive weekly LEC Honors

KEENE, N.H. 1/12/09 - The Little East Conference honored the following six Keene State athletes on Monday.

Men's Track Athlete of the Week
Craig MacPherson (Derry, N.H.), Sophomore, Keene State College

MacPherson qualified provisionally for the NCAA Division III Championships in the mile this past weekend at the Dartmouth Relays. He covered the course in four minutes, 11.66 seconds to place second in the mile. MacPherson was also a member of the Keene State distance medley relay team. The Owls finished fourth in the 28-team field with 46 points.

Men's Field Athlete of the Week
Bryan Kolacz (Brentwood, N.H.), Sophomore, Keene State College

Competing at the 40th Annual Dartmouth Relays, Kolacz finished fifth in the weight throw (52'-04.50") and seventh in the shot put (43'-10.50"). The Owls' placed fourth in the 28-team field with 46 points.

Women's Swimmer of the Week
Jackie Foster (Bedford, N.H.), Junior, Keene State College

In a tri-meet against Alma College and Indian River College at Fort Pierce, Fla., Foster posted second place finishes in the 200 free (2:02.94) and the 500 free (5:29.61). The Owls defeated the Scots (145-79), but lost to the Pioneers (154-77).

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

Whitaker earned a pair of second place finishes In a tri-meet against Alma College and Indian River College at Fort Pierce, Fla. The rookie from Gilford, N.H. touched in at 26.02 in the 50-yard freestyle and 55.97 in the 100 free.

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

In two games this week, Kathan averaged a double-double, scoring 16 points and pulling in 16 rebounds, as Keene State posted a 0-2 mark. The Ludlow, Vt. product became just the fifth player in Owls' history to exceed the 1,500-point career barrier on Saturday against nationally-ranked University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Kathan netted 20 points and collected a career-high 19 caroms against the Corsairs. Earlier in the week, he registered a double-double at New Paltz State, scoring 12 points and pulling in 13 rebounds.

Women's Basketball Honor Roll                                                                                      Kristin Degou (Newburyport, Mass.) Junior , Guard, Keene State College

Degou filled up the score sheet averaging 16 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 2.7 steals in a 3-0 week for the Owls.  She had 18 point performances in wins over Williams and UMass-Dartmouth.