By Kevin Williamson

The Northeastern swimming team received its first taste of southern competition this weekend in Norfolk, Va.

The Huskies fought their way through a two-day tri-meet, falling to Delaware and William ‘ Mary, but returned home with a victory over Old Dominion.

Head Coach Ray Coates had said of the meet “We’re going in somewhat blind to the competition.” Being a former member of the America East Conference, it could only be determined on paper what Coates’ new competition was going to bring to the table. It would take a meet to reveal how Northeastern would fit into the CAA mix. The team’s most recent performances have affirmed the confidence in his team’s ability to perform in their new conference.

Despite the losses, the team gained confidence and made progress.

Northeastern beat Old Dominion by a score of 211-140. Delaware won 182 -171, while William ‘ Mary had an easier time with NU, winning 195-156.

“I knew William ‘ Mary was very good,” Coates said.

His concerns lay more on how his girls measured up against Delaware, though.

“Old Dominion was a little weaker, [but] we knew we’d go right at Delaware,” the coach said.

NU refused to give Delaware the win until the closing races of the weekend.

“We went down to the last events. It was a two-day meet, so that’s good; Delaware is just deeper on paper,” said Coates.

Senior Captain Sarah Reddick had multiple first place showings over all three teams. She took first in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard free, and 100-yard butterfly, leading her team with 27 points.

Freshman Elena Alvarez and sophomore Brooks Wallace also took the top spot in the 100-yard breaststroke and 3-meter dive events, respectively.

“William ‘ Mary and Delaware will be top three in the conference, so competing with them is good,” said Coates.

Northeastern won’t see another CAA competitor until the conference championships in February, when they will face not only this weekend’s hosts but four-time champion University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

If Coates’ preseason predictions are accurate, the team will have to shave a few more points off Delaware’s future advances to achieve a top-three spot in the conference.