KEENE, N.H. – It's hard not to notice all the red banners that drape the walls at Spaulding Gym, including one that commemorates Keene State College's national champions. And it's also hard not to notice that all 11 Owls on that national championship banner are either cross country or track athletes.

Keene State senior Drew Ledwith hopes to add a different sport to the banner when he competes at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships that begin next week in Indianapolis.

The Keene, N.H., native heads to this year's national meet with a sense of urgency. Although Ledwith has won six All-America trophies in his previous three trips to the NCAA Championships, he has yet to net an elusive national title – and realizes it's now or never. "I think this year is a little different given that it's my last year, so every practice I push it a little harder because I know I'm going to be done soon," he said.

Although Ledwith will also swim in the 200 and 500 free as well as the 400 and 800 free relays, his best chance to win a national championship might come in the long and grueling 1,650-yard freestyle race – an event in which he finished third as a freshman and second in the past two years.

The top seed in the event with a qualifying time of 15:14.22, Ledwith knows he must watch out for a Jaws-like shark in Allen Weik, a senior from Denison University in Ohio, who has snatched the title the last three years. While Weik, who holds the NCAA record in the event (15:04.85), is seeded third (15:22.53) in the race, Ledwith knows that his qualifying time is deceiving. "I expect him to do what he's done every year. He hasn't messed up yet," said Ledwith. "I'm looking forward to the challenge. It gives me something to push for and something to work for."
KSC Coach Jack Fabian said Ledwith will have to swim the race of his life if he hopes to beat Weik. "In order to beat him, Drew will probably have to break the national record – and that's hard to do," he said.

Ledwith and Fabian have gone back to the drawing board to prepare for this year's race. "We looked at his old races and wondered if we couldn't take a different approach," said Fabian. "Drew has been very patient and worked on it all year long. We're pacing things a little bit differently so he has a little bit more speed at the end."

Ledwith has also made more trips to the weight room. "I went harder in the weight room this year and definitely got a lot stronger," said Ledwith. "I think that's helped me in the pool because I got my best times at mid-season." Fabian also knows you have to be mentally strong to be a distance swimmer, and feels that's one of Ledwith's best attributes. "I think Drew's mindset is one of the most powerful things he has," Fabian said. "He's not afraid to take a risk and go out and try and see what he can do."

Fabian said you can't replace a swimmer like Ledwith and added he will miss working with him at practices. "Watching him in practice every day is a joy," he said. "When you have kids that are that fast it's really exciting to coach no matter how long the practice goes."

Now in the tapering stage of his training, Ledwith, a math major who was recently accepted to grad school at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will spend the days leading up to the NCAA Championships by adding to the countless laps he has done in the Spaulding Gym Pool.

What does he think about as he goes back and forth in the pool? "You try to focus on things that make you happy," he said.

One of those things might be winning a national championship.