Kristine Trutor

New KSC alumna Kristine Trutor has been named the 2010 Little East Woman of the Year. The LEC also nominated her for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors graduating student athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service, and leadership.

After her remarkable success on the Owl swim team this past winter, Trutor was selected as the top swimmer in the Little East for the second-straight season. She also made her second-consecutive appearance at the 2010 NCAA Division III Championships, where she became the first Keene State swimmer to earn All-America honors in an individual event. The film production major made her second appearance on the Little East All-Academic Teams this past winter and helped Keene State raise the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association Championship (NEISDA) trophy for the third year in succession.

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The LEC Commissioner's Cup

KSC continues to stand as the top athletic program in the Little East Conference, which awarded the Owls the Commissioner’s Cup for the 10th year running. The Owls finished in the top-three of the final regular-season standings in 12 of their 17 (.706) conference-sponsored sports to average 6.667 points. Eastern Connecticut State University (5.812) edged intra-state rival Western Connecticut State University (5.522) for the second position.

“Keene State’s impressive 10-year stint as the conference’s top overall athletic institution will be difficult to repeat,” said Commissioner Jonathan C. Harper. “The dedication and hard work the Keene State athletic department, coaches, and student athletes have displayed over the past year continues to be a model for success in our conference.”

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The jubilant LEC Champions on Saturday, May 8. Note junior attackman Cam Sousa holding fallen goalie Alec Corliss' #31 jersey in the lower left. In a remarkable display of camaraderie, Sousa ran back to grab the jersey and make sure his teammate, who contributed so much to the victory and was at that moment on his way to the hospital, had a presence in the historic photo.

The Keene State College men’s lacrosse team will face Castleton State College at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12th, at the Owl Athletic Complex for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Owls received the automatic bid into the tournament after their thrilling 14-10 home-turf victory over the Eastern Conn. State Warriors on Saturday in the LEC Championship game. Sophomore attackman Griffin Meehan scored six of those Owl goals, setting a new school record of 66 goals in one season and earning the distinction as the  tournament’s MVP.

The Owls managed to win the championship on Saturday despite the fact that their top goalie, junior Alec Corliss, suffered a broken leg midway in the third quarter. Corliss, who had made phenomenal 10 saves, several on point-blank shots, went down following a collision at the side of the net.

KSC enters the NCAA Tournament riding a nine-game winning streak.

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LEC tournaments start tomorrow here at KSC as four Owl teams have earned coveted spots. The men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey teams have grabbed top seeds, while the KSC women’s volleyball squad is seeded fourth.

Looking for its sixth-straight LEC tournament title, the Keene State field hockey team (16-4) gets the ball rolling with a quarterfinal game against eighth-seed Salem State (8-8) on Tuesday night (6 p.m.), and the defending champion Keene State women’s volleyball team (18-16) takes on fourth-seed Rhode Island College (17-18) in a quarterfinal match at 7 p.m. at Spaulding Gym.

The KSC men’s soccer team (13-6) faces fourth-seed UMass-Dartmouth (9-6-2) on Wednesday (6 p.m.), while the Owl women (13-5-2), who get a first-round bye, take on the winner of the #4 Western Conn.-#5 Southern Maine game on Thursday (6 p.m.).

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(l to r) Brian Kolacz, Peter Najem, and Allison Chamberlain

Three Owl tracksters stepped out to win themselves – and KSC – some serious bragging rights. Allison Chamberlain, a sophomore from Scarborough, Maine, was named the Little East Conference Women’s Outdoor Track Runner of the Year. Senior Peter Najem, from Derry, N.H., was named the LEC Track Athlete of the Year, and sophomore Bryan Kolacz (Brentwood, N.H.) was selected as the LEC Field Athlete of the Year. Brian was also the 10th Keene State College student-athlete in men’s track and field to capture a national championship with his 61.48-meter hammer throw at the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Marietta College (Ohio).

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The Little East Commissioner’s Cup (courtesy photo).

Keene State College athletics set a record that will be tough to beat when it won its ninth-straight Little East Commissioner’s Cup. The Owls averaged 6.552 points to win the trophy in each of the nine years it has been awarded. The Commissioner’s Cup measures an institution’s overall performance in the 19 sports that the Conference sponsors. They don’t call us the top NCAA DIII public intercollegiate institution for nothin’.

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