By Ellyn Bailey, News Staff

The stands in Baretta Natatorium were packed for the Northeastern swimming and diving team’s first match of the season, as friends and family watched the Huskies beat the Boston College Eagles 186-109 at Baretta Natatorium.

This season’s team has an abundance of talent, captained by senior Julia Alvarez, who finished first in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05:43.

Senior Colleen McCormack attributed the Huskies’ 13 first-place wins on Sunday to sheer work ethic.

“We have been practicing harder than ever and it definitely reflected in our times, which were a whole lot faster than they were at the beginning of last season,” she said.

The first meet of the season kicked off with the 1-meter dive, which is scored out of 10. The judges of this event were not feeling very generous, as neither Northeastern nor Boston College divers were able to score above a seven.

Even though their diving scores were relatively low with 236.75 and 222.40 respectively, senior Candace Young and sophomore Megan Rutter managed to swipe the top two spots in the 1-meter dive.

Swimmer Addison Koelle, the team’s only graduate student, stood out with three first-place wins in the 100-yard backstroke, the 100-yard butterfly, and the 200-yard butterfly.

Throughout, the Huskies established strong leads and maintained them in each swimming event, proving not only the stamina of each swimmer but also the leadership of Coach Roy Coates. In the 1000-yard freestyle, the longest event of the meet, senior Colleen McCormack finished first place with a time of 10:36:44.

“It’s easy to stay motivated because our team is constantly on their feet cheering for each other,” McCormack said. “Also, even though it’s an individual event, every point counts so I always try to race to the end.”

In the next meet of the season, the Huskies will take on the University of New Hampshire in Durham at noon on Oct. 26.