By Glenn Billman, news staff
The Northeastern University (NU) swimming and diving team crushed the University of Vermont (UVM) on Saturday with a final score of 199-101 while celebrating Senior Day. The Huskies claimed first place in 15 out of 16 events and became the first team to defeat the Catamounts this season.
Northeastern’s seven seniors notched five first place wins and 11 top-five finishes during their last home meet.
“The seniors were really spectacular – they’re a dynamic class,” head coach Roy Coates said. “They did what they normally do. They just got up and stepped up, and it was cool to have their parents here and watch them.”
Senior captain Delaney Lanker commemorated her final day of racing in Barletta Natatorium with two first place wins in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly, while fellow senior captain Jordan Domeier achieved first place for the first time this season in the 400-yard IM with a time of 4:42.43.
“It’s been a long time leading up to this point,” Domeier said. “Everyone was up and on their feet and cheering for everyone. It was just exciting to see everyone swim well and be happy about the races. I think, being a senior meet, it really amped up our spirits.”
For Senior Day, Coates highlighted the graduating class by having each athlete swim a few of her best events, as opposed to the full set each athlete usually competes in. As a result, more races were opened for underclassmen to compete in.
The younger swimmers rose to the challenge: Angela Gyurina triumphed in the 50-yard freestyle, joining Miriam Schaefer and Megan Clark as the only three freshmen to achieve individual first place wins this season. Together the trio racked up 37 of the 48 points scored by rookies. Sophomore Sophie Tallier also contributed points to NU for the first time this season with her fourth place finish in the 500-yard freestyle.
“It’s about the development of the team,” Coates said. “Naturally, we’re going to lose the seniors, so we’re going to have a transition and these people will eventually step into their spot. Today they got to step in their spot, and they did a great job.”
In the diving well, the Huskies nabbed the top three spots in the three-and one-meter dive. Junior Alyssa Seales continued her strong season by coming first in both events and setting a new season high with 275.85 points in the three-meter dive.
Seales attributed her success and the success of the team to the extra training the Huskies completed over winter break when they traveled to Key Largo, Florida.
“Coming off the training trip, I think we definitely got to showcase what we’ve been working on, and personally, it was just a really big day for me,” Seales said. “Obviously there are things here and there to work on, but I’m really happy with what I did.”
Coates said the team will continue to train hard for the next month in preparation for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, where NU will by vying for a place in the top three. The Huskies’ record now stands at 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the CAA, and they will travel to Central Connecticut State University Jan. 21 for their next competition.
Photo Courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics
