WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University men's swim team set the temp by winning the opening 200 medley relay and the Warriors collected 14 points in the 100 butterfly late in the meet to post a 136-126 victory over Keene State College Saturday afternoon at the Sports Center pool.
 
The win over Keene (0-6) in dual competition is the first for Eastern (3-2) – a fourth-year program – after losing by over 100 points in each of the last two years. Eastern was competing Saturday following a layoff of nearly six weeks.
 
In the first official Little East Conference Championship last year, Keene was second among five teams with 858 points, Eastern third, nearly 300 points behind the Owls. The win is the second over an LEC opponent this year, following a 135-59 victory at home Nov. 19.
 
Triple winners Ben D'Addario (Fairfield) and Connor Rego (Winsted) and double winner Sam Hurlburt (Meriden) combined for all eight of the team's first-place finishes in the meet's 12 individual events, with the trio also teaming with junior Nathan Melia (Manchester) to capture the opening 200 medley relay.
 
Rego won the 100 and 200 butterfly and 100 individual medley, D'Addario the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle and Hurlburt the 100 and 200 breaststroke. Rego completed his triple with a photo-finish victory over Keene's Zach Finman in the 100 IM. Rego broke his own record in the event (1:00.21), with Finman .52 behind at the finish.
 
Holding a slim overall lead after Keene collected 14 of a possible 19 points in the 11^th event of the meet, Eastern countered with 14 points in the next event – the 100 butterfly --  by capturing three of the top four spots. Behind Rego's first-place finish, Hurlburt was third and junior Elliot Anderson (Goffstown, NH) fourth.
 
Twelve swimmers contributed points in individual events. Double-digit point-producers included  D'Addario and Rego (27 each), Hurlburt (21), Melia (10) and junior Connor Scully (Oxford), also with ten. Sophomore Joseph Sylvester (Morris) chipped in nine points with second-third and fourth-place finishes in the distance freestyle and backstroke events. Eastern's depth played a role in the win, with the Warriors claiming the top two spots in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and two of the top three spots in the 100 and 200 butterfly, 100 freestyle and 200 breaststroke.
 
Eastern visits Western Connecticut State University Monday at 1 p.m. The Colonials were fifth in last year's LEC Championship, with 311 points.