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Editor's Note: This question-and-answer with swimming sisters Colleen and Katie King of Barkhamsted is the first  in a four-part series devoted to sibling athletes at Eastern. The second installment is a question-and-answer with lacrosse sisters Kelsea and Amy Burkhardt of Old Saybrook, and the third is with Monroe natives Drew Accomando of the baseball team and sophomore brother Dean of the lacrosse team. The final installment will be a story about the unique situation in the men's lacrosse program, which includes three sets of brothers this year: Drew and Angus Deane, Kevin and Sean Fechtmann, and Mike and Brendan Gillotti.

A junior on this past season's swimming team, Colleen King  (at right in photo) is a junior three-year letterwinner who was joined this season by her freshman sister Katie.  Both are high honors students, Colleen majoring in Graphic Design and Katie in Math. While they have somewhat different personalities, they are similar in the respect that they are both devoted to their family, their academics, and their teammates.

Despite nursing a shoulder injury throughout the season, Colleen posted the fastest time on the team this year in the 50 yard butterfly, while Katie set program records in the 50 and 100 breaststroke. Both were All-New England at the NEISDA Championships in February. In the 50 breaststroke at the New England meet,  the two were separated by only .55 seconds and both were also members of the record-setting 200 medley relay which placed third and reaped All-New England honors.

Were you two inseparable growing up?
Colleen: I wouldn't say inseparable. We would have our fights every now and then.
Katie: We didn't start getting along until middle school. That's when we start getting closer.

Did you two share a bedroom while growing up?
Colleen: Yeah,  for what, probably ten years?
Katie: We shared a bedroom (when the family lived) in Winsted, in the condo, until I was ten, so nine or ten years.

What kinds of things do you like to do together?
Katie: Shop, go to the beach, anything. We go to games here together, go eat, anything.
Colleen: If one of us is bored, we'll always call up the other one.

What kind of things do you have in common?
Katie: Our personalities, sense of humor.
Colleen: We both like to do things outdoors.

Did you both compete with each other in a lot of different things?
Colleen: Well,l I started swimming when I was seven and Kate started two years later, I think, when she was seven, and, in the most part growing up we were in different age groups, so we didn't necessarily race each other until high school.
Katie: We have never raced one-on-one until this year at New England's in the same race, the 50 breast. I got third and Colleen got fifth.

Did that make you angry that she beat you?
Colleen: No. Everyone always asks me that and it doesn't bother me at all.

In what ways would your parents or friends say you are alike or in what ways would they say you are different?
Colleen: Katie has more of an attitude than I do, more competitive, more aggressive.
Katie: I'm a lot more driven.
Colleen: Everyone says that I'm nice, that I'm too nice.
Katie: She needs a fire to be lit under her, by somebody else.

When you both were in high school or junior high, did you ever talk about maybe playing sports or at least attending the same college?
Colleen: Well, we did play the same sports. We both played volleyball in high school, and we swam together for two years, and then Kate stopped swimming for the high school.
Katie: The year she graduated. We never talked about going to the same school, it just kind of happened. I mean, she wanted to come here all along. This wasn't my top choice,  but things just happened the way they did.

At right: At the season-ending awards banquet May 5, Colleen (at left in photo)  received an E-Club Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award, while Katie was voted Individual Sport Rookie-of-the-Year.

Do you think that your parents wanted the two of you to go to the same college, or did they leave it entirely up to you both?
Colleen: I don't think they necessarily pushed her to go to the same school as they did me.
Katie: No, not at all.
Colleen: I mean, it was convenient
Katie: I had it in my head that I did not want to go to the same school as Colleen, because I didn't want to follow in her footsteps and be copying her. I didn't want to feel like I had already some friends made for me and stuff because that's the way it happened in high school;  I would just get along with her friends, too. It wasn't ideal in my head at first, but I like it now.

What do you do to each other thats get you angry?
Colleen: Taking my stuff, that's probably the number one thing.
Katie: She wears my clothes without asking sometimes, that's pretty much it.

Who is the better all-around athlete?
Katie: Colleen was a three-sport athlete in high school, with something like 11 letters, and I swam for four years, played volleyball for four years, and I did track for a year.
Colleen: She's more focused on swimming, that's her thing. 
Katie: She was better than me in volleyball and track, obviously, but I'm better at swimming, I guess.

Colleen, what do you do better than Katie?
I don't know. I have a more optimistic view on life; she gets more stressed out easily.

Katie, what do you do better than Colleen?
Plan things out probably.  I think about things ahead of time, I swim better, I study harder, and that's about it.

How much contact do you have on an ordinary day at school?
Colleen: Kind of depends, like there will be days where we text each other a lot and there are times where we don't hear from each other.
Katie: When we're bored, we text each other. When she's at work, I always know when she is at work I'll have like a hundred texts rolling in. (Editor's Note: In Colleen's best interest, we will not divulge the name of her employer).

Do you have less contact when you are out of season?
Katie: Yeah, I mean I don't see her as much, I see her about once a week, rather than every day.

Charity to benefit Be The Match is combined with Team IMPACT

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - The Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team and alumni will sponsor a Goal-a-Thon to benefit the Be The Match National Marrow Donor Program Saturday, April 20 at 9 a.m. at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

All proceeds from the Goal-a-Thon will benefit the Be The Match program in the name of Eastern soccer senior Jon DeCasanova, who was diagnosed with aplastic anemia this past fall and has spent most of the past eight months in the hospital.

The Goal-a-Thon involves Eastern players and alumni divided into teams of 4-6 and will play timed, small-sided games until a combined total of 100 goals are scored.The minimum sponsorship is 5 cents per goal.

Prior to the Goal-a-Thon,  15-year-old Tyler Belfleur of Canterbury will be outfitted in a team uniform and will join team members during official introductions as part of the Team IMPACT! Program.  In June of 2012, Tyler was involved in an ATV accident and sustained brain injury. Since then, he has advanced from a wheelchair to a walk and now needs only a crutch. Prior to the injury, Tyler was active in soccer and basketball, among other sports.

Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization chartered to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening illnesses. The goal of the organization is to harness the power of teamwork by matching those courageous kids with college athletic teams. Team IMPACT children are "drafted" onto local college athletic teams and to the greatest extent possible, become "official" members of the team for the duration of their treatment, and beyond.

Tyler will be "drafted" by the Eastern soccer team prior to the Goal-a-Thon.

To support the Goal-a-Thon through a financial contribution, contact Eastern head men's soccer coach Greg DeVito at  860-465-4334 or at devitog@easternct.edu.

Warriors excel in and out of the pool and are noted for sportsmanship

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Over the last handful of seasons, the Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team has continued to raise the  bar on its accomplishments in and out of the pool.

The 2012/13 season was no exception.

After winning eight of nine dual meets in the regular season for the second straight year and attaining a second place finish in the Little East Conference Championships for the fifth straight time, the Warriors attained their highest rating ever (2nd) in the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Championships in February.

In a true "team" effort, 18 swimmers on the 23-person roster qualified for the NEISDA meet, and 17 individuals contributed points in individual events.

"We've never had that many (qualify) in the three years that I've been here," noted junior tri-captain Marissa Colley (East Haven). "It's really exciting. Because of how hard everyone works, it's a good feeling to know that you've (qualified), that your time is good enough to be recognized. Everyone sets achievable goals in the beginning of the season," added Colley. "We work for four months, and by the end, when we go to New England's, we know that we need to be focused, and we have in our head what time we want to get. And the majority of the time, all the girls get the time that they want."

 In the NEISDA meet, junior Michelle Schapp (Torrington) led the way with 75 points, junior Becky Odgers (Shelton) adding 74, freshman Katie King (Barkhamsted) and junior Erin McVeigh (Windsor) adding 73, Colley 70, junior Jacqueline Tromp (Bohemia,NY) 68, senior Stephanie O'Kelly (Westport) 64, sophomore Kayla Smoragiewicz (Norwalk) 62, sophomore Rachael Thatcher (Newington) 60, and junior Colleen King (Barkamsted) 59.

Eight Eastern individual and relay records were set in the meet. Schapp broke her own records in two backstroke events, Katie King broke two breaststroke records and O'Kelly one, and three relay records were re-written.

In a 21-team field, Eastern individuals were named All-New England a total of 22 times and all five relays earned identical honors as the team recorded program-bests not only with its  second-place finish but with its total of 1,136.5 points. Despite not sponsoring diving - where it could have added upwards of 100 points to its total - Eastern out-pointed all but one team in the competition.

The top eight individuals and first four relays in each events are accorded All-New England honors. Schapp, Odgers and Katie King all swam to regional honors in each of their three individual events, with O'Kelly, McVeigh, Tromp, Colley, Colleen King and Smoragiewicz earning the honor twice.

Additionally, all five relays earned All-New England honors, none of them finishing lower than fourth. Schapp and McVeigh added All-New England accolades with four relays each, Odgers and Smoragiewicz with three, Colley and Katie King with two and Colleen King and freshman Macaire Jones (Danbury) with one each.

In addition to the breaking eight records, a remarkable 42 personal-bests were attained by 17 individuals in the competition. Besting their previous top times in the maximum three events were Colleen King, Katie King, McVeigh, Odgers, O'Kelly, Thatcher, Tromp, and freshmen Heather Avery (Wethersfield) and Courtney Holzer (Cromwell).

For the swimmers, the season is a long and arduous one. It begins with a three-week pre-season in preparation for the season-opener in late October. The first semester includes a season-opening pentathlon and the LEC Championships in early December, and a total of five meets. Soon after the holidays, the team spends a week training intensely in Florida. In addition to running and swimming sessions, the Warriors compete in the Bob Moweson Meet at the Ft. Lauderdale Aquatics Complex. Eastern returns to competition in early January with a six to seven dual meets,  before beginning the two-week "tapering" process which hopefully produces maximum fitness for the NEISDA Championships in mid-Feburary.

At left: Recognized prior to the final regular-season home meets of their careers Feb. 2 were 2012/13 seniors Stephanie O'Kelly (second from left) and Julie Pietrycha (third from left).

"You are mentally and physically tired and know that you are not going to see your best times toward the end of the (regular) season," says Colley. "Then, you start tapering, and once tapering is over, your body's going to be rested and you're going to be strong enough to achieve the times you want (at the NEISDA Championships)."

As has become commonplace under 17-year head coach Maureen Fahey - the NEISDA Coach-of-the-Year in two of the last past five years  (including this season), the swimmers' accomplishments outside the pool and their displays of sportsmanship on the pool deck have kept pace with their achievements  in the pool.

For the fifth semester since the fall of 2008, Eastern qualified as a member of the Scholar All-America Team, which is sponsored each semester by the College Swimming Coaches' Association of America and acknowledges Division III swim programs with a cumulative GPAs of at least 3.00. A total of 114 programs nationwide earned the honor in the fall of 2012, but
Eastern was the only swim program in the LEC to reach the standard, checking in with a cumulative team GPA of 3.13.

"The success that our swimmers have achieved in and out of the pool is a testament to Coach Fahey's commitment toward developing well-rounded student athletes," praises Dr. Jeff Konin, Eastern's director of athletics. "This recognition by the CSCAA reflects our student-athletes' dedication to Eastern's  mission."

As part of the emphasis upon classroom excellence, six individuals - Arisco, Colley, Colleen King, junior Mackenzie Russo (New Milford), Schapp and Thatcher - earned spots on the Little East Conference Academic Honor Roll for having cumulative grade-point averages of at least 3.30 through the fall semester (freshmen are not eligible for the award). The six All-Academic selections equaled the most by any of the ten LEC institutions which sponsor swimming and equaled the most by any of Eastern's six winter programs.

"Coach is always stressing that you have to have good grades," points out Colley. "She'll sit down and have meetings with us to talk about our grades and mid-terms. Even when we're not in season, she still talks to us individually."

At the NEISDA Championships this past Feburary, Eastern was voted to receive the Sportsmanship Award for its enthusiasm and support for not only its own swimmers, but those on competing teams, as well.

A telling moment at the NEISDA meet came when Eastern swimmers vocally lent their support to the University of Saint Joseph (CT) relay team. With all four of their NEISDA qualifiers competing in the relay, the Blue Jays had no swimmers left on the deck to lend encouragement,  "so we cheered for them," said Colley.

 By Jonathan Mizger/Sports Information Staff

The National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) has designated the month of March as National Athletic Training Month.

The theme of the second annual NATA month is Every Body Needs an Athletic Trainer. From the NATA  toolkit, the goal  is "to continue to reach those individuals and organizations that can help make a difference for athletic trainers when it comes to legislation, employment and public health."

At right: Athletic trainer Julie Alexander works recently with baseball catcher Ben Richards, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. (Daniela Marchitto photo)

Promoting the awareness of athletic training to people who do not know what athletic trainers do is a key goal that the NATA looks to achieve. Educating people of the importance of athletic trainers and establishing relationships between student-athletes and athletic trainers are things to consider in promoting the awareness.

Eastern Connecticut State University has athletic trainers who work hard without needing any recognition or high praise. The athletic trainers at Eastern are people who are helpful to the student-athletes and make sure each are cleared to play based on the guidelines on handling a specific injury.

Below (from left): Eastern athletic trainers Julie Alexander, Stevie Clines, Tom Holton, Jarrett Sorge.

Athletic trainer Julie Alexander, who graduated from Eastern with a B.S. in Psychology and went on to earn a M.S. in Athletic Training at Old Dominion University, expressed her feelings on the importance of this month and beyond.

"I think that we will carry out our day-to-day functions the same way we always have," said Alexander. "Any athlete that comes in with an illness or an injury that's athletically-related, we care for the same way regardless of whether it's March, April, May, August or September.  I think this month of March is more to promote the field of athletic training to people who don't understand what it is that we do. A lot of people think athletic trainer, they think personal trainer, a strength coach, and while we do have some function in teaching strength and conditioning and techniques, we're also on the field emergency care, injury evaluation, treatment rehabilitation, returning to play concussion management, the list goes on and on."

Alexander, who was hired at her alma mater this past summer after many years at Division I Sacred Heart University, has been proud of helping out the people she has met in her field.

"After 20 plus years, I can tell you that anytime we have an injured athlete, the best day is the day that they return to their field of play," said Alexander.  "That is probably the most exciting thing about what we do, especially if it's an athlete that's been injured, had surgical interventions, has gone through post surgical rehabilitation in our room; returning to play is those days I look forward to. I enjoy every day but those are the days that are special."

As there are upsides, there are downsides for being an athletic trainer. Athletic trainer Tom Holton, who earned a B.S. in Physical Education from Eastern and an M.S.S. in Sports Medicine from the U.S. Sports Academy, noted that he loves his job but dislikes when he lets the student-athlete know the bad news.

"I love doing my job it's just part of the job you hate saying 'you can't play'," said Holton. "I really wish I could come into work every day and not have to do that.. The reality of the fact is that  there's people we have to hold out and tell them 'you're season's over, you got to have surgery' and deal with the emotions of that athlete and how they're going to handle 'my career is over'."

Holton, a staff member since 1999, noted how being able to get the student-athlete to get back in his or her field of play and watching him or her succeed is one of his proudest moments as an athletic trainer.

Eastern director of athletics  Dr. Jeff Konin, another Eastern alum,  has been an athletic trainer and a physical therapist. Konin mentioned how the importance of athletic trainers is not just for the collegiate level, but for all levels of competition.

"The purpose is to bring awareness to the general public, to bring awareness to the public of the importance of athletic trainers and the injury prevention care of the numerous student-athletes that participate in sports in all levels," said Konin. "At the high school level, less than 50 percent of high schools have an athletic trainer, and when every high school has programs but less than half of them have proper ways to care for the kids, that's why an awareness month is there to inform people of what they should be doing to provide appropriate programs. You wouldn't put them out there if you didn't have the fields, you wouldn't put them out there if you didn't have the coaches and you really shouldn't put them out there if you don't have the appropriate medical care for them."

As the spring season is starting to get into full-swing, so are the athletic trainers at Eastern working hard to make sure every student-athlete is evaluated and cleared to play. The month of March will be busy at Eastern with lacrosse, baseball, softball, and track & field. The Eastern athletic trainers will be the unsung heroes in helping our student-athletes,  not only during national NATA month, but every month of the academic year.

"I have the best job in the world," said Alexander. "In this job, you don't sit behind a desk or do the same thing every day . Every day is different , and you get to work with amazing people who you want to see get better when they get injured.. What's better than that?"

From left: Smoragiewicz, Bierly, Geitner

Eastern Athletics Weekly -- Eastern Connecticut State University's weekly student-run sports talk show -- airs live from Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium Wednesday between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. on LittleEast.tv. This week's show, co-hosted by Nick Aconfora and Nick Minutelli, features guest basketball coaches Denise Bierly and Bill Geitner and sophomore swimmer Kayla Smoragiewicz. With the basketball season winding down, Bierly and Geitner will look back at the 2012/13 regular-season and preview Wednesday night's Little East Conference home games against Keene State College, and ahead to the Little East Conference playoffs, which get underway next Tuesday evening. Smoragiewicz will close out the show  reflecting upon her team's second-place finish in the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Championships this past weekend at White River Junction, VT. Upon completion of the live broadcast, the show can be accessed in the "Recent Archives" section on the LittleEast.tv website. Wednesday night's  Keene State women's and men's games kick off at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, on LittleEast.tv, with the pre-game show hosted by Aconfora and starting 15 minutes before the scheduled start of each contest.

17 individuals contribute points as Warriors capture second place

Complete Results.htm                  Eastern's Finishers.pdf

WHITE RIVER JCT., Vt. --  Individuals were named All-New England a total of 22 times and all five relays earned identical  honors as the Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team recorded program-bests with a second-place finish and a total of 1,136.5 points in a 21-team field at the three-day New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Division II-III Championships which concluded Sunday night at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center.

Eastern, which had a previous program-high finish of third in 2009/10, moved into second place ahead of Roger Williams University for good after outscoring the Hawks 63-20 in the 13th event of the championships (100 yard backstroke) Saturday evening. Division II institutions Bentley University (the 2012 champion) and Assumption College - two of the three teams to finish ahead of Eastern last year -- did not compete in the championships this season.

In a three-team race, Keene State College captured the title with 1,593 points. Eastern holds a 129-point advantage over Roger Williams, heading into next weekend's diving portion of the championships (Eastern does not offer diving). Diving events were  postponed this weekend due to snow and have been re-scheduled for next weekend at Plymouth State University. Keene, Eastern and Roger Williams were the only institutions to collect as many as 1,000 points.

Eight Eastern individual and relay records were set in the meet. Junior Michelle Schapp (Torrington) broke her own records in the 50 (28.56) and 200 (2:12.06 backstroke, and all three breaststroke records fell, as did three relays. 

Senior Stephanie O'Kelly (Westport) broke the 200 breaststroke record  in Sunday afternoon's final in a time of 2:29.36 after sophomore Rachael Thatcher (Newington) had broken it in Sunday's preliminary (Thatcher also broke her own record in Sunday's final). Freshman Katie King (Barkhamsted) broke the three-year old 50 breaststroke (31.10) record  Friday and her own 100 breaststroke (1:08.95)  record Saturday.

The program's 400 medley relay record fell in a time of 4:07.97 Friday, and the 200 medley relay (1:52.52) and 800 freestyle relay (8:07.84) records were broken Saturday.

At left: Becky Odgers

Seventeen individuals contributed points in individual events. Schapp led the way with 75, junior Becky Odgers (Shelton) adding 74, Katie King and junior Erin McVeigh (Windsor) adding 73, junior Marissa Colley (East Haven) 70, junior Jacqueline Tromp (Bohemia,NY) 68, O'Kelly 64, sophomore Kayla Smoragiewicz (Norwalk) 62, Thatcher 60, and junior Colleen King (Barkamsted) 59.

The top eight individuals and first four relays in each events are accorded All-New England honors. Schapp, Odgers and Katie King all swam to regional honors in each of their three individual events, with O'Kelly, McVeigh, Tromp, Colley, Colleen King and Smoragiewicz earning the honor twice.

All five relays earned All-New England honors, none of them finishing lower than fourth. Schapp and McVeigh added All-New England accolades with four relays each, Odgers and Smoragiewicz with three, Colley and Katie King with two and Colleen King and freshman Macaire Jones (Danbury) with one each.

McVeigh's second-place finish in the 200 freestyle Saturday was the highest individual finish by an Eastern swimmer in the championship, with Katie King's record-setting time in the 50 breaststroke and Schapp's record-setting mark in the 50 backstroke Sunday representing third-place finishes. Gaining fourth-place finishes were Colley in the 200 backstroke Friday, O'Kelly with her record time Sunday in the 200 breaststroke and Tromp in the 100 individual medley Sunday.

In the meet, the Warriors registered 272 of its points thanks to its relays, with  99 points coming from five individuals in the 50 breaststroke Friday, 93 from four swimmers in the event which followed  (200 backstroke), and 86 from four individuals in the 200 freestyle Saturday

Eastern shared the NEISDA Team Sportsmanship Award and 17th-year head coach Maureen Fahey shared the NEISDA Coach-of-the-Year Award. Fahey gained the identical honor iin both 2004/05 and 2009/10. Awards were announced following the completion of competition Sunday night.

Above: Holly Zimmerman Memorial Award winners (with plaques) Julie Pietrycha, Stephanie Johnson and Brittany Garnelis.

By Jennifer Catone/Sports Information Staff

Garnelis, Johnson, Pietrycha are recognized with memorial award

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Seniors Brittany Garnelis (Ellington) and Julie Pietrycha (Newington) and junior Stephanie Johnson (Plantsville) have been selected as 2012/13 recipients of the Holly E. Zimmerman Memorial Award. The selections were announced by committee co-chairmen Diana Pepin and Peter Maneggia and the awards were presented between games of a Jan. 26 women's and men's basketball doubleheader at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

This year's recipients bring to 34 the number of individuals recognized with the award, which is named in memory of the late Holly Zimmerman, an Andover native who attended Eastern between 1989 and 1993. She was a Health and Physical Education (HPE) major, basketball player, and student athletic trainer who passed away in 1993.

"This year's winners are very deserving recipients of this award," said Pepin, the current Eastern softball coach who was a close friend of Zimmerman when they were both undergraduates. "They are respected by the entire Eastern community for their commitment to their academics and their unselfishness and loyalty. There were many qualified candidates for this award, and the task of choosing the winners was difficult, but the committee felt that these three individuals stood apart."

Garnelis is a Sport & Leisure Management (SLM) major with a concentration in Sport Management and a minor in Coaching. She is a member of the competitive cheerleading squad and will be heading to Daytona, FL in April to compete in the nationals. She is a member of the SLM/HPE Club and is also a student athletic trainer. Garnelis has a 3.61 overall GPA and has been selected to for the Excellence Expo & Exercise Science College Bowl and is a recipient of the Connecticut Recreation & Parks Association Scholarship.

Following graduation, Garnelis hopes to intern with the South Windsor Parks and Recreation Dept.

"Brittany is one of the most honest and strong workers  who is always punctual and willing to help in any way that she can," noted athletic trainer Tom Holton. "She handles herself in a professional manner and takes the lead in getting things done, then looks for more to do."

Johnson is majoring in SLM with concentrations in Exercise Science and Sport Performance. Johnson is an outfielder and third-year member of the softball program and also is a student-assistant in the athletic training room. Johnson is planning on attending graduate school and pursuing a doctorate in Physical Therapy.

"Stephanie is a loyal teammate and one of the most dedicated and hardest-working individuals on the softball team," praised Pepin. "She has a passion for the sport and is a role model for newcomers. As a friend and former roommate of Holly's, I can think of no better person to receive this award."

 Pietrycha recently wound up a four-year career with the Eastern swimming program, serving as a team captain this year and as the program's only four-year letterwinner.  She is a Sport & Leisure Management major with a concentration in Exercise Science and minor in Business with an overall 2.83 GPA. Hoping to pursue an advanced career following graduation, Pietrycha is currently interning at ProCare Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Willimantic.

"Julie's determination and loyalty have shined over the years, showing most clearly in her dedication and work ethic in practice," said Eastern head swim coach Maureen Fahey. "Academically, she strives to be the best that she can be. She is an integral and well-respected member of the Eastern swimming family whose quiet sense of humor brightens the days of her teammates and coaches alike."

A nine-person committee comprised of coaches, faculty, staff and student-athletes selected this year's three winners from an original candidate pool of  nine.

Female undergraduates who are junior or senior Health and Physical Education or Sports and Leisure Management majors are eligible for the award. Candidates must have made significant contributions to the Eastern intercollegiate athletic program as either members of an athletic team or as student athletic trainers and have an overall grade-point average of at least 2.70. The candidates must reflect Holly's qualities of loyalty, thoughtfulness and academic determination.

Results

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt.-  The Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team broke four more records and strengthened its hold on second place Saturday at theNew England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Division II-III Championships at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center.

At left: Michelle Schapp (Colleen King photo)

Leading Roger Williams University by 23 ½ points after Friday's first day, Eastern fell into third place after three events Saturday, but outscored the Hawks  63-20 in the 100 yard backstroke to move ahead again, and opened up the lead to 80.5 points after Saturday's final event.

Eastern finished fourth last year, but two Division II institutions which finished ahead of the Warriors - champion Bentley College and Assumption College - did not compete this season.  
With seven swimming events remaining Sunday, Eastern has totaled 783.5 points and trails only Keene State College (1,125). Roger Williams has 703 and Division II Saint Michael's College 516 in a field which includes 21 scoring teams.

Each team's point totals do not included diving events which are taking place at Plymouth State University (Eastern does not have a diving team).

Saturday, Eastern  collected 86 points in the 200 freestyle - the fifth event of the day -- followed with 63 points in the 100 backstroke and 62 more in the 100 breaststroke before  the 800 freestyle relay garnered 52 points with a second-place finish in a program-record time of 8:07.84 in the final event of the day.

Securing additional program records for Eastern Saturday were junior Michelle Schapp (Torrington), freshman Katie King (Barkhamsted) and the 200 medley relay. Schapp set her second individual record in the championships with a time of 28.75 in the 50 backstroke which ignited the 200 medley relay to its program-record time of 1:52.52. Katie King broke her second individual record in two days with a time of 1:08.95 in the 100 breaststroke that broke her record that she had set in the Little East Conference Championships Dec. 1.

Joining Schapp on the record 200 medley relay were Katie King, junior Colleen King (Barkhamsted) and sophomore Kayla Smoragiewicz (Norwalk), while juniors Erin McVeigh (Windsor), Marissa Colley (East Haven), Schapp and Becky Odgers (Shelton) teamed on the record 800 freestyle relay.

Top finishes along with the 800 freestyle relay were the 200 medley relay (3rd), McVeigh in the 200 freestyle (2nd), Colleen King in the 50 butterfly (5th), Odgers  in the 1000 freestyle (6th),  Colley in the 200 freestyle (6th) and Schapp in the 100 backstroke (6th).

 
 

At right Katie King (Photo by Colleen King)

Results

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. --  The Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team broke two individual and one relay record Friday and stands in second place among 20 scoring teams after the first day of the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Division II-III Championships at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center.

Fourth overall last year and second among Division III institutions, Eastern has 384.5 points, second only to fellow Little East Conference team Keene State College (588) and 23.5 points more than Roger Williams University. Division II Bentley College, the defending champion, chose not to compete this year.

Junior Michelle Schapp (Torrington) broke her own record Friday morning with a time of 2:12.06 in the preliminary round of the 200 yard backstroke - a record she set as a freshman at this meet. Freshman Katie King (Barkhamsted) broke the three-year-old program record in the 50 breaststroke - her second breaststroke record of the year -- Friday morning with a time of 31.10 in the preliminaries, while the  400 medley relay broke the third record of the day with a time of 4:07.97 Friday morning in the preliminaries - a record set a year ago in this meet. Relay swimmers included Schapp, Katie King, junior Erin McVeigh (Windsor) and freshman Macaire Jones (Danbury).

Holding to fourth place after three events, Eastern collected 99 points in the 50 breaststroke to jump to second. Eastern swimmers garnered two of the top five and five of the top 16 spots in that event, led by Katie King , junior sister Colleen King (Barkhamsted), sophomore Rachael Thatcher (Newington), senior Stephanie O'Kelly (Westport) and senior Julie Pietrycha (Newington). Katie King was third - the highest finish by an Eastern individual Friday -- Colleen King fifth, Thatcher ninth, O'Kelly 11th and Pietrycha 16th.

The Warriors have registered 108 of their points in the two relays:  56 points in the 200 free relay (2nd place) and 52 in the record-setting 400 medley relay (4th). Swimmers comprising the 200 free relay in the final were Schapp, junior Becky Odgers (Shelton), sophomore Kayla Smoragiewicz (Norwalk) and McVeigh.

In addition to picking up 108 points in the relays and 99 in the 50 breaststroke, Eastern amassed 93 in the 200 backstroke by capturing four of the top nine spots behind juniors Marissa Colley (East Haven) and Schapp, Smoragiewicz and junior Jacqueline Tromp (Bohemia, NY). Colley was fourth, Schapp sixth in her record time, Smoragiewicz seventh and Tromp ninth. Eastern also accumulated  56 in the 500 freestyle, with Odgers and McVeigh taking 4-5 and freshman Courtney Holzer (Cromwell)  20th.

Due to the blizzard, Saturday's preliminaries were cancelled, with the day's finals scheduled to get underway at 4 p.m. Eastern's top seeds Saturday include the 200 medley relay (2nd), Colleen King in the 50 butterfly (4th), Katie King in the 100 breaststroke (4th), Schapp in the 100 backstroke (6th), McVeigh in the 200 freestyle (7th), Odgers in the 1000 freestyle (7th), Colley in the 200 freestyle (9th) and Thatcher in the 100 breaststroke (9th).

 

Eighteen swimmers will compete at this weekend's championships

Championships Web Page

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Every current Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim record but three have been set in the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Division II-III Championships.

At left: Michelle Schapp (Photo by Colleen King).

And you can expect several of those records to fall this weekend at the 34th Annual NEISDA Championships Friday through Sunday at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in White River Junction, VT.

Upwards of 20 institutions will be represented in the three-day event, which was won last year by Division II Bentley College. Eastern was the second-highest ranked Division III school, capturing fourth place overall with 773.5 points , more than 100 points ahead of the fifth-place competitors.

Since placing 15th overall in 2007, Eastern has never placed lower than seventh, with a program-best third coming in 2010 behind All-New England performers Kelsy Doheny, Jessica Wilson and Amy Arisco.

Eighteen swimmers on this year's 23-person roster will compete, with nine of them seeded among the top six. While Eastern will garner its share of top individual finishers, it is in the relays where the Warriors traditionally  collect the bulk of their points. The Warriors are seeded fourth or higher in four relays and seventh in a fifth (the composition of each relay is determined on the day of each event).

Freshman Katie King (Barkhamsted) - the program record-holder in the 100 breaststroke -- is seeded third in the 50 yard breaststroke, fourth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 100 individual medley, while junior Michelle Schapp (Torrington) -- who set the current 100 backstroke record at the Little East Conference Championships Dec. 1 -- holds seeds of No. 3 in the 50 backstroke, No. 6 in the 100 backstroke and No. 7 in the 200 backstroke.

Additional swimmers earning high seeds are junior Erin McVeigh (Windsor), who is seventh in the 200 and 500 freestyle and 200 butterfly,  junior Colleen King (Barkhamsted), who is fourth in the 50 butterfly, junior Marissa Colley (East Haven), fifth in the 200 backstroke, senior Stephanie O'Kelly (Westport), sixth in the 200 breaststroke and seventh in the 50 breaststroke, and junior Becky Odgers (Shelton), who is fifth in the 1,650 freestyle and seventh in the 1,000 freestyle.

Generally, the top 24 finishers in individual events score points, as do the top 21 relays.

Last year's five relays accounted for one-third of the team's point total.  McVeigh (55) and Schapp (47) are the most prolific point-producers from last year's meet, with Odgers, junior Jacqueline Tromp (Bohemia, NY),  and sophomores Kayla Smoragiewicz (Norwalk) and Rachael Thatcher (Newington) all netting at least 30.