Keene State Swimming and Diving jumped into its season on Saturday, Oct. 10, with its sprint pentathlon event in the Spaulding Gymnasium. The non-scoring event was the first in Keene State’s Swimming and Diving season, after the preseason alumni meet held on Saturday, Oct. 3. The meet was capped off with a first-place finish for the Owls’ 200 freestyle relay.
During the meet, the Owls achieved solid rankings in several disciplines. The 200 medley relay team, consisting of Junior Emily Stokel, first-year Sophia Paredes, first-year Faith Cullen and junior Hannah Reddick, placed fourth with a total time of 2:04.32. First-year Charlie LaMonica, first-year Kyle Bilodeau, sophomore Carter Beauchesne and junior Zack Menz took first place in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:34.58.
Head Coach Chris Woolridge said the event was a fun format for swimming. “We’re running it pretty early in the season, but it’s actually the biggest meet we host on campus,” Woolridge said. “We’re going to have about 150 athletes, and it’s kind of an all-around championship race. We have them swim 50 yards of every stroke, 100 yards [of the individual medley]. The times from all five events get added together, and the person with the lowest time wins the meet. [To win] you’ve got to be really well-rounded and a little sprint-oriented, but it’s just a fun format.”
Senior captain Maddy Fitzgerald said the meet was good for the team. “The [pentathlon] was a good first meet for the team. The energy was up; everyone was really engaged in it. It was one of the most cheerful meets that I’ve been at in a while,” Fitzgerald said. “I think I did pretty good to start off the meet. My headspace was good, and everyone’s energy just kept a good balance, so I kept wanting to do good. Having everyone behind me and having that energy helped me push forward through the meet.”
Three other swimming and diving athletes were contacted, but did not respond for comment.
Woolridge said he is looking forward to the upcoming season. “I’m really encouraged and excited,” Woolridge said. “I’m looking forward to the upcoming season. We brought in a really good freshman class. We’ve got really good leadership within the team, which helps with bringing them into the fold. We’re only like five weeks in [with the team], so we’re just getting rolling.”
Woolridge said that his priority is focusing on the midseason meet and Little East Conference (LEC) Championships. “We’re going to a midseason invite on [November 20 and November 21],” Woolridge said. “It’s called the North Country Invitational, up in Potsdam, New York. […] We really expect our best at the mid-season meet in November, and obviously the LEC Championships in February. We expect those two meets [to be the most important].”
Fitzgerald said she hoped for a fun and motivating season. “I think swimming is a long season; we start in early September, and we don’t end until the middle of February,” Fitzgerald said. “So it’s just a long and draining season, and I just hope everyone keeps their energy up and keeps the motivation. I don’t want anyone to doubt their place on the team or get frustrated with how long the season is. I just want everyone to have a good mentality throughout [the season], no matter what outcome they get.”
Frank LeBlanc can be contacted at
fleblanc@kscequinox.com
