The Northeastern University (NU) swimming and diving team won their first meet of the season in decisive fashion, beating Wagner College 208-134.
The Huskies were led by a stellar performance from second-year Megan Clark, who finished first in two individual events and was a crucial part of three winning relay teams.
The Huskies were in control throughout the meet, falling in just two of 19 events.
“They performed well and exceeded my expectations,” head coach Roy Coates said. “Across the board everyone was good.”
Fourth-year diver Alyssa Seales, who finished first in both diving events, attributed the team’s dominance to their energy and enjoyment of the meet.
“We’re a very light-hearted group,” she said. “We do our best when we are just having fun.”
The team was locked in during every single event, constantly supporting each other and yelling encouragement. At one point, the cheering on the Northeastern side of the pool deck got so rambunctious that a referee fell into the pool.
The Huskies’ new class of swimmers and divers lived up to their hype and performed well. First-years Klara Juliusson and Sabrina Chan each made meaningful contributions to the Huskies’ winning cause, with breaststroker Juliusson winning five events and Chan finishing second in three meter diving with a score of 247.05.
Fourth-year captain and top backstroker Christine Leong was out against Wagner with a punctured eardrum but will likely be back in the pool this week, Coates said.
Second-year Sidney Smith was tasked with Leong’s normal role as the backstroker on the team’s medley relays and performed very well, as they both finished first.
“Our backstrokers really stepped up to fill her absence,” said third-year freestyler Carly Schnabel. “It’s tough because [Leong] is such a great backstroker.”
The team also made a collective effort to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month during the meet, sporting swimming caps with pink ribbons on them and covering the pool deck with pink decorations and posters expressing their support for awareness.
“A few members of our team have had family members affected by breast cancer, so it was really a nice thing for us to come together and do this,” Schnabel said.
The team will face conference foe James Madison University (JMU) Oct. 21 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. JMU finished second at the CAA Championships last year.
“We go right back to training hard,” Coates said. “JMU is one of the best teams in the conference, so [this meet] will tell us even more about our team.”
Schnabel added that the win against Wagner will be beneficial to the team’s confidence level.
“JMU is one of the faster teams in our conference, so it’s really important to go into that meet confidently and I think our work this weekend will help us do that,” Schnabel said.
