PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team extended three records -- and broke a facility record in the process – in Saturday's dual-meet victories over Plymouth State University (158-67) and Western New England University (155-93) at the PSU Natatorium.
Eastern extended its win streak this year to six – opening the season at 6-0 for the first time in the program's 22-year history – and also improved dual-meet winning streaks against Plymouth (0-3) to four straight and against WNE (2-2) to 14.
In the meet, Eastern won 11 of 14 events – nine of 12 individual events and both relays – and captured the top two spots in an event three times, with swimmers establishing a total of 12 fastest times this year.
In addition, the Warriors broke the five-year-old PSU Natatorium facility record in the 400 medley relay with a time of 4:21.22. Swimming the event for the first time as a group, the team of junior Mollee Lasto (Orange), her freshman twin sisters Megan and Maggie and freshman Saige Grace (East Hampton) broke Keene State's previous facility record of 4:21.76 and drastically improved upon this year's earlier time in the event of 4:31.95. Only Maggie Lasto and Grace were part of the earlier relay.
The Lastos combined to claim first place in six individual events: Megan in three 200 yard events (butterfly, breaststroke and individual medley), Mollee in two backstroke events (50 and 200) and Maggie in the 200 freestyle. Maggie also took a second in the 500 freestyle and a third in the 200 IM.
Seven of the nine first-place finishes in individual events were submitted by freshmen. In addition to Maggie and Megan's combined total of four, Grace was the winner of the 100 freestyle and Kerry-Rose Buchanan (Southington) the victor in both the 500 and 1000 freestyle. The team of Kerry-Rose Buchanan, senior co-captain Bridgett Furlong (Mansfield) and Mollee Lasto also combined on the winning 400 freestyle relay which concluded the meet.
In addition to winning the 100 freestyle and swimming the final leg of the winning 400 medley relay, Grace was second to Mollee Lasto in the 50 backstroke and second in the 50 freestyle. Furlong also picked up points by capturing second in the 200 breaststroke and third in the 50 breaststroke, and freshman Tegan Ruschmeier (Vernon) checked in with a third-place finish in the 200 butterfly.
Nine swimmers combined to post 12 season-best times: Furlong, Megan Lasto and first-year sophomore Lauryn Smith (Colchester) had two each, and Mollee Lasto, sophomore Callan Veltheim (New London) and freshmen Amanda Mitchell (Rocky Hill), Grace, Kerry-Rose Buchanan, and Ruschmeier one each.
Eastern competes in the Third Annual Connecticut Cup Dec. 2 at Wesleyan University, having placed fourth among six Connecticut Division III institutions in each of the first two seasons of the competition.
