The swimming and diving team put the finishing touches on a perfect 10-0 season Saturday, defeating Dartmouth for its final regular season win.

Senior captain Kara Lane won all of her events including the 100- and 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter medley relay. Her performance earned her this week’s Northeastern News Player of the Week honors.

Lane, along with fellow seniors Brittany Gilles and Brooks Wallace, were honored before the meet as part of Senior Day at Barletta Natatorium.

Lane said she was thrilled about the team’s accomplishments this season.

“It is really a tribute to our coaches and the entire team who worked so hard this season,” she said. “We had pressure every meet from beginning to end and no one let their guard down. We knew what we had to do and I think that we even surprised ourselves.”

As a captain of the team, Lane said she knew she had to keep her teammates level-headed and motivated for every match.

“I really tried to lead by example,” Lane said. “I showed support to the other swimmers and remained positive through everything.”

Lane is a psychology major with a concentration in elementary education. Upon graduation, she is interested in teaching elementary school.

But even more, she would love to be an athletic director of a school.

“I love sports and I would really love to coach swimming in the future,” Lane said.

Although she is a senior in NCAA eligibility standards, Lane will not be graduating Northeastern until 2009. Next year she plans to be a graduate assistant coach for the team and she said she wants to stay as close to the action as she can.

“I am not really ready to leave the team yet,” she said.

Next year she will be back in classes in the fall and will complete her college years student teaching in the spring.

Lane is originally from Michigan and although she appreciates the Midwest, she said she loves everything about living on the east coast. Lane said she is a big sports fan and enjoys all kinds of sporting activities.

She also likes to shop, hit up the beach in the summer and spend time with her friends.

“When I am at home, I try to relax but being that I am so active, it’s really hard,” Lane said.

Lane said she faced a tough decision about whether to come to Northeastern or UConn, but now that she is almost done, she doesn’t regret her choice.

“I love the area of the city that Northeastern is in,” Lane said. “The area around Fenway Park is really nice and I enjoy going there and watching games.”

Lane said that when she first came to Boston she was not a Red Sox fan, but after four years of being here, she has been converted.

“You really can’t help it,” Lane said. “I have become a fan for life.”

Lane was very appreciative of her years on the swimming and diving team.

“It is really special to be part of a collegiate team because not a lot of people get to experience that,” Lane said. “There is so much support from everyone around you and right from the beginning I had 25 new friends.”

– Jared Shafran,

News Correspondent