By Stephanie Daly, News Staff

This is the first in the series of articles profiling the five top male and female senior athletes at Northeastern, culminating in the Huntington News male and female’ Senior Athletes of the Year.

Being named All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for three seasons is only the beginning of senior Elena Alvarez’s accomplishments in her four years swimming for the Huskies.
Alvarez, a San Anselmo, Calif. native, competed in the CAA Championship all four years at NU and placed second in the 100-meter breaststroke her sophomore and junior years. In her senior year alone, she broke the 100-meter breaststroke record twice, once at the Terrier Invitational (1:04.01) and again at the CAA Championship, her last meet as a Husky (1:03.97).
However, the two-year captain’s abilities to score points and break records are not her only valuable attributes, head coach Ray Coates said.
‘ ‘She’s a hard worker and she has a really great attitude as far as being a leader and contributing to the team,’ Coates said.
Before coming to Boston, Alvarez was an All-American in the breaststroke from 2003-05 and was named team MVP all four years she competed at Sir Francis Drake High School.
Swimming was only one of the reasons she decided to come to Northeastern though, she said.
‘I knew [Northeastern] had a good swimming program and I was at the same level as them,’ Alvarez said. ‘But I also came because of the co-op program.’
Alvarez made her mark during her first year as a Husky when she broke an NU record in the 100 breaststroke in the CAA Championship (1:04.57), set an NU record in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:20.86) and was named CAA Rookie of the Year.’ She went on to break her own records in her sophomore year in the 100-meter breaststroke (1:04.08) and the 200-meter breaststroke (2:18.55).
‘She’s been a star since day one and she certainly finished up that way breaking the school record in the last meet of her career in the 100 breast stroke,’ Coates said.
However, none of her record-breaking accomplishments made Alvarez’s list of best memories on the swim team. The best memories have to do with her family and teammates, she said.
‘My parents were actually able to come to the championships this year, which was really nice,’ Alvarez said of one of her favorite moments on the team.’ ‘They don’t get to come to a lot of meets because I live so far away.’
Although the breaststroke was her main event, Alvarez also competed in others, like the individual medley and the medley relay, where another fond memory lies.
‘In the very last relay in a meet against James Madison, Kathrine Fugge went incredibly fast and pulled two body lengths ahead of a person and we won [the meet] by half of a point,’ Alvarez said, describing another memorable moment.
Alvarez, a physical therapy major, has two more years at Northeastern and she said after graduation she will most likely stay in Boston a few more years. However, she said she thinks she will end up back in California some day.
‘ As she leaves the competition behind, there is one thing she said she is going to miss the most.
‘We have such a great team. I love every girl on the team,’ Alvarez said. ‘I will definitely miss getting to see them everyday.’
The feeling is mutual, Coates said.
‘She’s been a coach’s dream,’ Coates said.’ ‘She’s been consistent, she’s been excellent and she will definitely be missed.’