Katie Sterpka set conference records in the one and three meter diving events. (Photo by Mickey Curtis)
NORTH DARTMOUTH – Record setting performances by standout diver Katie Sterkpa led Westfield State University to fourth place in the Little East Conference women’s swimming and diving championships on Saturday.
Keene State cruised to the team championship with a meet record score of 668 points. Eastern Connecticut placed second in the eight-team meet with 304 points, followed by UMass Dartmouth (151), Westfield State (128), and Bridgewater State (127).
Sterpka swept the events in the diving well in record fashion.The junior from Barkhamsted, Conn., shattered the 3-meter diving record with 266.31 points, putting an additional 17.06 points between the previous standard that was set by Westfield’s Kim Schmidt in 2011. Sterpka also eclipsed the oldest record in the Little East Championship with a one-meter score of 249.20 points to outdistance the previous mark of 246.00 (Kelly Kidd, UMD).
Teammate Emily Fullerton finished fourth in the one-meter diving (181.75) and eighth (143.90) on the three-meter board.
Westfield’s other top performers were senior Kirsten LaMotte, who placed sixth in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 200 breaststroke. Placing ninth were Haylee McQuay (100 freestyle) and Holly Arel (100 butterfly).
The 400 medley relay squad of Kerry Sullivan, LaMotte, Arel, and Anna Boucher finished fourth.
KEENE STATE CAPTURES CHAMPIONSHIP IN RECORD FASHION: For the second straight season, Keene State College shattered the Little East Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship record for team points with a score of 668 to capture the program’s eighth consecutive and 11th overall title this afternoon at the Tripp Center Natatorium on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The Owls won 11 individual races, while sweeping both team relays.
Keene State set three individual championship meet records, in addition to the 400 yard freestyle relay to eclipse the previous team standard (630 points) that was established by the 2012 KSC squad. Eastern Connecticut State University surpassed the 300-point barrier for the second straight season to place second with 304 total points.
Junior Caitlyn Shea (Salem, N.H.) paced Keene State with three individual titles, including breaking the 200 and 500-yard freestyle records. She eclipsed a pair of championship meet records that were previously held by former Keene State standout Jackie Foster. Shea completed the 200 freestyle race in one minute, 57.22 seconds, while touching the wall at five minutes, 13.02 seconds in the 500 freestyle event. She also captured the 200 butterfly individual title with a time of two minutes, 13.49 seconds.
Keene sophomore Alison Bartlett (Stratham, N.H.) stood atop the awards podium twice this afternoon, winning the 50 and 100-yard freestyle races. Bartlett established a new Little East record in the 100 freestyle (52.46), while also sporting the best time in the 50 freestyle (23.99). Classmate Amber Long (Dover, N.H.) was also a double winner for Keene State, placing first in the 100 butterfly (1:00.41) and the 1650 freestyle (18:09.31).
Westfield State junior Katie Sterpka (Barkhamsted, Conn.) swept the events in the diving well in record fashion. The junior from Barkhamsted, Conn. shattered the 3-meter diving record with 266.31 points, putting an additional 17.06 points between the previous standard that was set by Kimberly Schmidt in 2011. Sterpka also eclipsed the oldest record in the Little East Championship with a one-meter score of 249.20 points to outdistance the previous mark of 246.00 (Kelly Kidd, UMD).
Eastern Connecticut sophomore Katie King (Barkhamsted, Conn.) prevented an Keene sweep by capturing the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of one minute, 7.73 seconds. She was able to edge Keene State junior Diana Pimer (West Haven, Conn.) by 14 one hundreds of a second (1:07.87). Pimer earned a measure of revenge in the 200-yard breaststroke, when she barely beat King to the wall.
Fans unable to make the trip to the Tripp Center Natatorium, can watch the archived broadcast of the 2013 Little East Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship on LittleEast.tv.
