By Jared Sugerman
The senior members of the swimming ‘ diving team competed in their last meet at Barletta Natatorium Sunday, where they and the rest of the Huskies defeated Vermont 167-128.
Before the meet began, head coach Roy Coates introduced the team to the crowd. After announcing the names of the underclassmen, Coates recognized his seniors: co-captains Tarah Rodriguez and Katy Turner, Samantha Hoffmann and Sara Underwood. Junior Lauren Aloma, who will be leaving the team to go abroad, was also introduced with the seniors.
But even on a day set aside to honor those who will be leaving the team, some of Northeastern’s younger stars seemed reluctant to relinquish the spotlight. Sophomore Elena Alvarez, combined with Hoffman, Rodriguez and Turner captured first in the 200-yard medley relay, then went on to take first in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke competitions.
Freshman Kathrine Fugge also won two events, finishing first in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events. Junior Brittany Gilles took first in the 1-meter and 3-meter dive competitions, as did freshman Emily Sutliff in the 1,000 yard freestyle.
After his team defeated the Catamounts, a former America East Conference rival, coach Coates compared the state of the Northeastern swimming ‘ diving program now to what it was when his seniors began their athletic careers at Northeastern.
“When they first came in, we were still winning championships in America East,” Coates said. “A lot has changed since then, with the change in conference being the most obvious.”
He commended the seniors for their ability to handle the transition, and to manage the lofty expectations placed on Division I college athletes.
“What is unique about this senior class is their ability to juggle a lot of different things, both in and out of the pool,” he said. “Many of them are majoring in very difficult fields of study, and some have jobs as well, so I thanked them before this meet for their commitment to the team … I attribute a lot of the success of this year’s team to their ability to lead the team by setting a good example for the underclassmen.”
The Huskies will travel to Dartmouth Friday for their last meet of the season before competing in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Feb. 14 through 17.
