KNOXVILLE, TENN.  3/24/11 – Although there were no trips to the finals or podium, Keene State athletes scored points after turning in several strong performances in the second day of competition at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships at the Jones Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Tennessee.

The Keene State men's team scored its first points of the meet when the 200 free relay team of seniors Cody Larrimore (Trappe, Md.) and Connor Pennoyer (Norwalk, Conn.), sophomore Austin Harris (Essex Junction, Vt.) and freshman Jared Hyde (Tolland, Conn.) advanced to the consolation finals, placing 10th with a time of 1:23.15.  It's the first points by a KSC men's team since 1976 when the 400 free relay placed 11th at the Division II nationals.

“That's a big step for the men's team,” said KSC Coach Jack Fabian. “This meet is very fast, so to get a relay here is quite a feat.”   

In the final event of the day, the KSC women's 400 free relay of juniors Jillian Whitaker (Gilford, N.H.) and Maureen O'Leary (Nashua, N.H.), sophomore Kaila Umbarger (Chelmsford, Mass.), and freshman Lianna Wissmann (Orleans, Mass.) also advanced to the consolation finals, finishing 12th with a school record time of 3:52.42.  “I'm very proud of the women”, said Fabian.  “They stepped up and broke the school record in the morning and tonight.”

Earlier, Umbarger earned a spot in the consolation finals of the 100 fly, placing 16th (56.96).  O'Leary was 20th in the event with a time of 56.99.

In other preliminary races, freshman Drew Ledwith (Keene, N.H.) finished 22nd in the 400 I.M. (4:05.77) and Pennoyer and Larrimore placed 33rd (51.27) and 36th (51.77) respectively in the 100 fly.

The KSC women's 200 free relay of Whitaker and O'Leary, Wissmann and Umbarger placed 23rd (1:37.94.).

After the second day of competition, the Keene State women are in 11th place with 47 points.  Emory leads with 320 points.

The Keene State men are 26th with 14 points.  Kenyon leads the men's field with 258 points.