KSC women’s swim and dive had a wave of success against Eastern Connecticut State
The Keene State women’s swim and dive team won every event in their meet against Eastern Connecticut State on Saturday, January 15. The Owls earned a total of 198 points against Eastern Connecticut’s 60 at their first meet back since their return from winter break.
The team and coaches said they were very pleased with the results from the meet. Head swim and dive coach Chris Woolridge said, “We knew we had to win about two thirds of the events to win the meet, but to have them come through and win every event was awesome. They were even more prepared than I thought they were going to be.”
Keene State Athletic Director Phil Racicot said, “It was great to see both teams get back to action after the long layoff. Posting such strong results right out of the gate is impressive and speaks to the commitment and dedication these student athletes have as well as their level of preparation.”
Jaelin Jang, a junior on the team, was one of three people on the team to win three individual events, capturing the 200 butterfly event in 2:17.46, the 100 butterfly event in 1:02.11 and the 200 IM in 2:20.87. Jang said, “I had faith that we were going to do well but it was also complicated because of [COVID-19]. But I’m glad it went the way it did.”
Paige Carey, who is a senior and captain of the women’s team, also had a great performance at Saturday’s meet, winning the 200 freestyle event in 2:08.10, the 100 freestyle event in 58.52 and the 200 breaststroke event in 2:36.12. Carey said the coach sent workouts to do over winter break if we had access to a pool or dry land workouts to keep our cardio up.
Carey was named Little East Conference (LEC) Swimmer of the Week for the second time this academic year. She said she doesn’t feel ready to give up swimming yet, this being her last year at Keene State. She said, “I’ve been swimming since I was 11, so it’s not even that I’m saying goodbye to Keene State and the swim team, it’s like I’m saying goodbye to something that was with me for 11 years.”
The swimmers said they are looking forward to the upcoming meets this season. Carey said a team goal is to win the LEC championship, which takes place in February. The team upped their intensity and yardage in practice to prepare for the conference championships, according to Carey.
“It’s about time to drill down to the specifics,” said Woolridge. “Just running through the specifics of the event and repeating that a lot in practice so when they get to the end of the year and go about doing it, it’s second nature.”
The team said they have worked hard to take necessary precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic. At Keene State, athletes are required to get tested twice a week. According to Woolridge, this is different from other schools in the LEC, where only symptomatic students have to get tested..
Anna Logan can be contacted
at anna.logan@keene.edu
