Katie Sterpka reaches back for the water during the 3-meter diving. (Gary Robinson/UMD photo)
NORTH DARTMOUTH – The Keene State Owls captured their ninth-consecutive and 12th overall Little East Conference Swimming and Diving Championship on Saturday, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at the Tripp Athletic Center Natatorium. For the third-straight year, Keene State set a Little East Championship record for team points, bettering its previous mark set last season by half of a point with a 668.5 total.
The Owls, under the leadership of head coach Dr. Jack Fabian, claimed every individual swimming event in the meet along with the two relays. Westfield State senior Katie Sterpka (Barkhamstead, Conn.) won the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events, sweeping both for the third-straight season.
Rounding out the top three in team scoring were Eastern Connecticut, which totaled 328.5 points, while third place was claimed by UMass Dartmouth, which recorded 207 points.
Keene State senior Caity Shea (Salem, N.H.) and junior Amber Long (Dover, N.H.) paced their 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. The junior from Dover, N.H. 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 (Candia, N.H.) and Corrina Nickerson (Torrington, Conn.), 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.
Westfield State’s Katie Sterpka continued her dominance in Little East diving in her final season, winning both events. She totaled 249.80 points in the 1-meter competition, while recording 239.10 in the 3-meter event. Second place in both was earned by UMass Dartmouth’s Kendra Hebert (Lowell, Mass.), who scored 185.15 in the 1-meter dive and 188.35 in the 3-meter.
Completing the scoring on the championship were Westfield State (132 points), Plymouth State (93), Rhode Island College (89) and Western Connecticut (76).
Formed in 1986, the Little East serves as New England’s premier athletic conference for public institutions in NCAA Division III. Featuring 19 championship sports, the Little East sponsors quality competition in every season for our student athletes. Our eight state colleges and universities dedicate themselves to an ongoing fulfillment of the Division III mission of passion, responsibility, sportsmanship, and citizenship. – Story Courtesy Megan Erbes, Little East Conference
