NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass.--The record setting Keene State College women's swimming and diving team won every individual swim event and both relays, setting a new Little East Conference record for points in a meet as the Owls won their ninth straight LEC Championship on Saturday.
The Owls finished with 668.5 points, besting the record they set a year ago by half a point.
Keene State senior Caity Shea and junior Amber Long paced the squad, topping five individual events between the two of them and contributing to both winning relays. Shea clinched the lone meet record of 2014 with her 10:52.42 performance in the 1,000-yard freestyle, rewriting the longest-standing individual Little East Championship record. The previous mark of 10:55.10, set in 2006, was held by former Owl Katy Prior. Shea also claimed the 500-yard freestyle in 5:20.72, and led off the 400-yard freestyle relay for the Owls, which clinched victory in 3:44.07.
Three individual medals were earned by Long, who also swam the third leg of the 200-yard medley relay which finished in 1:51.77. Long won the 200-yard freestyle in 2:01.69, the 200-yard butterfly in 2:13.26 and raced to a 4:43.71 finish in the 400-meter IM.
Also making significant contributions to the Owls' winning effort were juniors Brianna Laliberte and Corrina Nickerson , who both took three medals on the day. Nickerson earned two individual crowns, swimming to victory in the 100-yard (1:08.87) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:31.21) events. Laliberte paced the field in the 100-yard backstroke, winning in 1:01.27, and anchored the 400-yard freestyle relay.
The Owls return to action tomorrow at the MIT Invitational on Sunday.
(Parts of this story courtesy LEC Office)
