Keene, N.H. - The Keene State men and women's swimming and diving teams kicked off the 2015-16 season with team wins over Roger Williams University.
The women won 11 of the 16 events to win the meet 163-128, while the men took 15 out of 16 winning 175-115. Both teams were lead by a standout senior squad.
Brianna Laliberte, Corrina Nickerson, Amber Long, and Alison Bartlett combined to win the 200 medley relay by .34 seconds to start off the day. Nickerson went on to win the 100 (1:09.89) and 200 breaststroke (2:30.65), while Long took the 100 (1:00.59) and 200 butterfly (2:14.49) and 200 IM (2:16.83), and Bartlett won the 50 (24.05) and 100 free (53.54).
On the men's side, senior captain Cole Hogg swam to three individual event wins in the 100 (52.43) and 200 butterfly (1:56.89) and 200 IM (2:00.62). Classmates Ethan Etheridge, (100 breast) Matt Ahlberg (1,000 free) and Greg Youngstrom (50 free) also helped lead the Owls to victory.
Sophomore Hope Walsh got her hand on the wall first in the 500 (5:25.24) and 1,000 freestyle (10:46.70), taking both events in dominant fashion. Bartlett and Laliberte paired with Kylee Russell and Margaret Dean to take the 200 free relay by a wide margin.
Graham Lott (500 free), Ryan Boraski (200 free), Antony Hubbard (200 backstroke), and Chris Barriss (100 backstroke) were all individual event winners for the Owls, proving the team's depth and diversity.
Barriss, Boraski, and Youngstrom teamed up with Etheridge to take the 200 medley relay, then with Hogg to win the 200 free relay by over 4 seconds. The KSC "B" relay team of Etheridge, Zach Carroll, Logan Duffley, and Ahlberg took second, .95 seconds ahead of RWU's "A" team.
Senior Cody Fitzgerald and freshman Jake Driscoll proved successful on the diving boards taking first and second, respectively, in 3 meter diving. Fitzgerald was also victorious on the 1-meter board.
The day provided some great races and fighting finishes between both teams. The Owls will face the Hawks again next weekend at the New England Invitational Invitational after home competiton against Boston College at 5 p.m on Friday.
