PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Seven Owls won multiple events including Braden Ledder,
Kiley Young, and
Aaron Turgeon, who each won three, as the Keene State College swimming and diving teams won all but three events overall against Plymouth State University and Rhode Island College on Saturday afternoon at the PSU Natatorium. The KSC women downed the Panthers 236-54 and the Anchorwomen 235-56, while the men easily handled PSU (RIC does not sponsor a men's team) 211-59.
Keene State won the first 13 out of 32 events as a team, and then closed by winning the final 13, including 20 events in which the Owls had each of the top two finishers.
The meet continued the standout season of Young, who set a new personal best and bettered her time on KSC's top 10 list in the 50 butterfly, finishing first in 26.95, ahead of
Samantha Taylor (29.59). Young also won the 400 IM in 4:42.86 and the 200 IM in 2:15.98 before being part of the winning 200 freestyle relay with
Jillian O'Neil,
Gina Nunziata, and
Allie Stewart in 1:46.79. The Owls took all four relays, including Stewart,
Amanda Davies, Taylor, and
Rory Lee in the 200 medley (2:03.31). Ledder,
Ben Stafford,
Logan Phillips and Turgeon took the men's version of that event in 1:44.27. Phillips, Stafford, Zach Finman, and
Caden Hedquist were the winners of the men's 200 freestyle relay in 1:33.51.
In addition to Young, Turgeon took care of three men's events, winning the 500 freestyle in 5:14.38, the 100 freestyle in 51.71, and the 200 IM in 2:10.38. Ledder finished first in the 50 backstroke (27.28), 100 backstroke (56.99), and the 200 freestyle (1:58.43).
The Owls also got multiple wins from O'Neil (50 breaststroke, 50 freestyle) and Lee (500 freestyle, 200 freestyle).
Megan Strzegowski and
Cooper Niles won both diving events, with Strzegowski scoring a 204.30 on the 1-meter board and a 178.95 on the 3-meter. Niles scored a 136.25 on the 1-meter and 138.80 on the 3-meter.
Leo Lauridsen won the men's 400 IM in 4:49.18 and Stewart the 50 backstroke in 30.59.
The only events KSC did not win turned out to be the men's 50 yard freestyle, which Plymouth State's Aiden Macdonald won in 22.80, the women's 100 yard freestyle (Rhode Island College's Anna Vygoder in 1:00.46), and the women's 100 backstroke (PSU's Olivia Bailey in 1:07.58).
Keene State is off until the Little East Conference championships February 15-18. The 3-meter diving will be held at Babson College's Morse Pool on the first night at 6:30, with the remainder of the meet to take place in Wellesley at the Boston Sports Institute. General admission is $10 per session and $20 per day, and an all-sessions pass $50.
The Owl women are looking to win their 20th overall title and 17th straight, and the men their first (the league only began contesting a championship on the men's side in the 2021-2022 season.) For nine straight years – from 2009-2010 through 2017-2018 – the KSC men had representation at the NCAA championships.
