EAST MEADOW, N.Y. 12/3/10 – Drew Ledwith (Keene, N.H.) became the first Keene State College swimmer to post an NCAA Division III Championship automatic qualifying time on Friday.
Competing in the 1,650-yard freestyle race at the ECAC Winter Swimming Championships at the Nassau County Aquatics Center, the freshman phenol touched the wall at 15:39.59, shattering the previous KSC mark of 16:17.13 set by teammate Dan Morse in 2009. KSC Coach Jack Fabian called Ledwith's performance incredible. "His time would've been good for sixth place at last year's nationals," he said. "He has a great shot of being an All-American."
Ledwith, who has already set four school records this season, also established a new ECAC Championship mark with his performance.
Morse finished sixth in the race with a time of 16:30.55.
In other races, the Owls' 200 medley relay team of seniors Cody Larrimore (Trappe, Md.) and Connor Pennoyer (Norwalk, Conn.), sophomore Justin Churchill, and freshman James Black (Lynn, Mass.) placed fourth with a time of 1:36.05, just three seconds off the KSC record.
Sophomore Derek Peabody (Haverhill, Mass.) placed ninth (281.35 points) and freshman Joshua Tuller (Plainview, N.Y.) finished 10th (259.20 points) in the three-meter diving event.
The meet continues on Saturday.
