Four Owls Honored by Little East Conference

'KEENE, N.H. 10/23/06 - Keene State College's Kathleen Keniston was named women's soccer offensive player of the week, Sarah Joyce was selected field hockey defensive player of the week, and Kevin Kelleher and Breanne Lucey were selected male and female cross country runners of the week respectively by the Little East Conference on Monday. 

Keniston, who earned the honor for the second consecutive week, led Keene State to a pair of victories with a balance attack, registering two goals and two assists for six points. The sophomore midfielder from Minneapolis, Minn., recorded a season-high five points, including a pair of markers, as the Owls' upset No. 6 Tufts University, 5-2. On Saturday, Keniston added a helper in a 2-0 win against UMass Dartmouth. She has racked up 11 points (4-3) in her past four matches, raising her season total to 14 points on five goals and four assists. 

Joyce, a senior from Hampstead, N.H.,backstopped Keene State to a pair of Little East Conference victories as the Owls' improved to 10-0 in the conference circuit. On Oct. 18, she stopped 10 shots in a 3-1 win at Westfield State. Three days later, Joyce posted seven saves in a 3-2 victory over second place Worcester State. A starter in all 17 games, she sits atop the Little East standings in goals against average (0.88) and shutouts (seven), while fourth in saves (150). 

Kelleher was the first Keene State runner to cross the finish line at the RPI Invitational this past weekend at Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The junior from Rocky Hill, Conn. placed seventh overall with a personal best time of 25:53 on the eight-kilometer course. The Owls' finished third out of 20 other squads with 128 total points. 

Lucey , a four-time recipient of the honor, topped the women's field at the RPI Invitational, covering the five-kilometer course in a season-best time of 17:31. The senior from Keene trimmed five seconds off her time at the New England Championships to earn her second individual championship this fall.  Paced by Lucey, and teammate Jennifer Adams, KSC won the team title with 47 points.  Keene State is ranked 13th in the latest NCAA Division III poll.