WELLESLEY, Mass. – The Eastern Connecticut State University women's swim team completed a commanding performance at the four-day Little East Conference Swimming & Diving Championships by compiling 234 points on the final day in rolling to its second title in three years at the Boston Sports Institute.

Eastern built a lead of 114.5 points over Bridgewater State University after nine events, improved its margin to 211 after 18 events and closed out with a final winning margin of 310 ½  points over runner-up Keene State College to overwhelm ten opponents at the 24^th LEC Championship event with a final total of 839.5 points. Keene, last year's champion, used a late surge on Sunday to overtake Bridgewater State by 42 points and total 529 on the weekend.

The women's final point total broke their previous high of 805 which was compiled when they won their first title two years ago.

Competing in the fifth LEC men's championships, the defending champion Eastern men maintained their solid third-place standing over Husson University throughout the event, which was won for the fourth time by Bridgewater State University. The Warriors finished in third place, 84 ½ points ahead of Husson and just 30 points behind Maine Maritime Academy, collecting a total of 756.5 points. Bridgewater totalled 870 points, with its final winning margin over Maine Maritime (786.5 pts.) was 83 ½ points.

The men's and women's championships were each comprised of 25 events (five relays, two diving competitions and 18 swimming events). The top three individuals in all events were accorded All-LEC recognition.

For Men, Tito is a Double Winner, Seven Records Fall and 26 are All-LEC

The men were led by, among others, senior veteran Sam Hurlburt (Meriden) – competing in the championship for the fourth straight season – as well as a strong junior class which included Samuel Ainscough (Mystic), Ryan Jezek (Avon) and second-year transfers Boden Tito (Southington) and Eric Quiterio (Windsor), and first-year athlete Spencer Bagtaz (Wilmington, MA).

Tito was credited with both of the men's first-place finishes. He followed up titles last year in the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly by defending his title in the 400 IM and also capturing the 200 IM. His winning time of 1:56.46  in the 200 IM broke his own program record and his second-place time of 1:55.97 also broke his own record in the 200 butterfly.

Also breaking two program records each were Quiterio and Bagtaz, with Jezek breaking his own record with a time of 47.72 in a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle; Quiterio's records came in the 50 butterfly (23.58) and 100 butterfly (51.49); Bagtaz broke program marks in the100 backstroke (55.09) and 200 backstroke (1:59.87).

Jezek, Quiterio and Bagtaz all earned All-LEC honors in two events and with three relays. Also contributing to three All-LEC relays were Ainscough and Hurlburt.

Women Sweep All Five Relays, Also Record Five Individual Firsts; 34 are All-LEC

For the second time in three years, seventh-year Eastern head men's and women's coach Sarit Gluz and her assistants were singled as out Coaching-Staff of the Year on the women's side (her staff has also been recognized twice in five years on the men's side).

The women returned a veteran team of ten letterwinners from last year's third-place finish, and also received noteworthy contributions from eight newcomers who helped the Warriors overpower their opponents this weekend with both star power and depth.

Remarkably, the women captured all five relays (breaking two championship records in the process) and got two first-place finishes each from senior Natasha Frisch (Mendota Heights, MN) and first-year swimmer Jai-Lynn Wheeler (Stonington) and one from first-year athlete Ashley Carvente (Norwalk).

Jai-Lynn Wheeler swam anchor on four winning relays, with Frisch and juniors Molly Ryan (North Royalton, OH) and Stacey Sheno (Newington) contributing to three each and senior Camille Attle (Bristol) and first-year swimmer Julia Ames (Pawtucket, RI) swimming a leg of two winning relays each.

In all, Eastern women earned All-LEC honors in 14 individuals events, with 20 more All-LEC honors coming in the five relays. In individual events, Carvente swam to All-LEC honors in all three of her events with finishes of first, second and third; Fritsch also earned All-LEC recognition in all three of her events with two firsts and a second, as did Jai-Lynn Wheeler on the strength of two firsts and a share of second.

Jai-Lynn Wheeler was credited with the team's only broken record when she won the 100 freestyle in a time of 53.51, which broke the 14-year-old record of Amanda Rivers (53.66), set in New England competition in 2012.