By: Jimmy Brooks, News Staff
The swimming & diving team wrapped up its regular season by defeating Rhode Island 230-65 but fell to Dartmouth 176-119 in a tri-team meet last weekend.
The meet marks the last time the Huskies will suit up before the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, which take place Feb. 23 to 26 in Fairfax, Va.
Saturday’s meet started with a third-place performance by freshman Candace Young, who posted a score of 244.15 in the 3-meter platform dive. Junior Rachael Peterson placed third in the 1-meter platform dive, with a score of 240.70.
Although NU fell victim to non-conference opponent Dartmouth, the Huskies will not have to deal with them again this season, and head coach Roy Coates said the team was not deterred by the loss.
“On paper it was expected,” Coates said. “Dartmouth is a better team, and second of all, we were competing tired. It was the most broken down they were going to be all season.”
Freshmen Julia Sepulveda, Jenny Doolin and Julia’s twin, Adriana, finished third, fourth and fifth in the 200-yard freestyle, with times of 1:57.30, 1:58.49, and 2:00.00, respectively.
Senior Erica Smotrycz said she wasn’t thrown off by the Dartmouth loss and gave credit to the 9-5 Big Green.
“Dartmouth got a bunch of really fast [swimmers],” Smotrycz said. “They were fast throughout all the races – they had a really deep talent pool.”
Freshman Julia Alvarez recorded a first-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, touching the wall at 1:07.83. Right behind her was sophomore Keary McClernan, whose time of 1:08.66 was good enough for a third-place finish. McClernan also posted a third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke, with a time of 2:28.26.
Newcomer Colleen McCormack earned a second-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle, with a time of 10:35.79. Doolin recorded a third-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle, posting a time of 5:12.51.
“[It was] about what we expected,” Coates said. “We weren’t sharp, but [we still] trained hard and are getting better. We would have liked to surprised everyone, but this point in the season beating Dartmouth wasn’t the most important thing.”
Senior Sarah Martin and Smotrycz placed first and second, respectively, in the 50-yard freestyle. Martin’s time of 24.65 earned her a victory, while Smotrycz’s time of 24.73 was good enough for second.
With less than two weeks to prepare for championships, Coates said being mentally ready and being able to swim lifetime bests is the biggest factor in determining this squad’s success.
With tapering, or reducing practice intensity, just starting on Monday, the Huskies are working hard to reach their ideal goal at the end of the month – to win championships.
Despite the general fatigue the team felt throughout the weekend, the Huskies still turned in a solid performance in the 200-yard individual medley. Julia Sepulveda claimed the top spot with a time of 2:13.94, while juniors Jill Kearns and Brie de Palezieux, and Alvarez following right behind her, claiming the second, third and fourth place spots, respectively.
The Huskies finished the season with an 8-4 overall record, improving on last year’s 7-5 finish.
“It’s a very young team with so many [underclassmen],” Coates said. “We did much better than expected.”
The team’s second-place finish at the Terrier Invitational and the squad’s 151-148 upset against Delaware Jan. 15 were the highlights of the season, Coates said.
Yet with CAA tournament less than two weeks away, the Huskies now must begin to shift their focus.
“Were excited,” Smotrycz said. “We’ve trained so hard this season that I think that it’s going to really show in our races at CAAs.”
