By Chris Judd, News Correspondent
The Northeastern swimming and diving team set six school records as it finished fifth out of nine in the Colonial Athletic Association Championships from Feb. 27 through Mar. 2 in Fairfax, Va., moving up one place in the conference from their sixth place finish last year.
“I’m thrilled with the way the team performed,” coach Roy Coates said. “We had a really good goal. [University of] Delaware and Old Dominion [University] beat us earlier in the year, so it was great to beat them. We had six school records, and lots of personal best times in the tournament.”
Old Dominion was not officially scored because they are leaving the conference at the end of the year, but the Huskies beat them by 12 points. The College of Charleston will be taking ODU’s place in the CAA next season.
Senior Keary McClernan set a record in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:14.10), which earned her a fourth-place finish and earned a B cut list for the NCAA tournament. That means she was considered for a berth to the tournament, although she fell short. Junior Julia Alvarez also qualified at 2:16.82 in the prelims and 2:17.61 in the finals.
In the 200-meter individual medley, both sophomore Anna Schegoleva (2:02.21) and junior Julia Sepulveda (2:02.67) broke the school record. Schegoleva also broke the school record in the 100-meter backstroke (55.91) and earned a sixth place finish. Sepulveda also earned a third place finish in the 400-meter individual medley (4:20.98).
In the 100-meter breaststroke, Alvarez earned fourth place with a school record 1:02.77, while McClernan finished 7th (1:03.37).
Senior Kelley Becherer, Schegoleva, sophomore Jessica Colucci and Sepulveda set the school record in the 400 freestyle relay (3:27.11) and earned a sixth place finish.
Becherer, who is visually impaired, also set two U.S Paralympic records in the 50 freestyle (21.24) and the 100 freestyle (51.75).
Schegoleva, Becherer, Alvarez and sophomore Erica DeMunbrun broke the record in the 200 medley relay (1:43.84) and earned an eighth place finish. The Huskies missed setting a record in the 800 freestyle relay by under a second as Schegoleva, sophomore Megan Foran, Sepulveda and junior Adriana Sepulveda took sixth place (7:29.21).
For diving, junior Candace Young earned sixth place in the three meter dive with 249.75 points. Young took eighth place in the one meter dive with 218.75 points.
“Our goal [for next year] is still to move up in the conference,” Coates said. “We lose some great leadership and talent in the seniors, but eight people have been recruited, so we should continue to improve.”
Even after a successful season, the Huskies are already beginning their spring training in preparation for next season. University of North Carolina took fourth place with 359 points, 72 points higher than the Huskies, and the Huskies will be looking to close the gap.
