Top ECAC Weekly honors for PSU Diver and Hockey player

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Two Plymouth State University student-athletes were honored by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tuesday, one in men's ice hockey and one in women's diving.

Senior Mike Jackson (Middleton, Mass.) was named ECAC Northeast Ice Hockey Conference Player of the Week, and senior Krit Kearins (Andover, Mass.) was selected ECAC Women's Division III Diver of the Week. Both were recognized for their performances in Panther contests last weekend.

A 5'7", 185-pound forward, Jackson registered back-to-back two-goal games last Friday and Saturday, leading PSU to a terrific start to 2004 with a weekend sweep of schools from the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). Jackson broke a 2-2 tie to open the third-period scoring Friday night against Buffalo State, then broke a 3-3 deadlock at 8:42 with the game-winner, an unassisted power play score, giving the Panthers the 4-3 win. The next night against Fredonia, Jackson tallied a power play goal in the first period to put the Panthers up 2-0, and added a key insurance goal (unassisted) late in the third period (16:43) that helped seal the 3-1 PSU victory. Jackson now leads the Panthers with seven goals. The Panther hockey team, winners of three in a row to improve to 4-5-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the Northeast Conference, continues a four-game homestand at Waterville Valley Ice Arena with contests Thursday and Saturday against Nichols and Newmann, respectively. Both games begin at 6:00 p.m.

The defending New England champion on the one-meter board, Kearins has continued her success this season, winning all eight diving events she's entered. She captured both the one and three-meter events last Saturday in a dual meet with Bentley College, winning the one-meter with a school and pool record score of 235.35, and she took the three-meter with a season-best score of 238.85. On the low board, Kearins posted scores of 6's and 7's on her back one-and-a-half somersaults in the pike position, and she scored 6's on her reverse double somersault tuck. On the three meter, Kearins recorded scores of 7 or better on three dives - a forward dive in the straight position, a back one-and-a-half straight, and a forward two-and-a-half tuck. The Panther women's swimming and diving team, 2-3 overall, continues a three-meet homestand at the PSU Natatorium Saturday with a match-up against Bridgewater State (1:00 p.m.).

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