SWIMMING & DIVING NOTEBOOK
The undefeated Vermont women's swimming & diving team returns to the competitive pool for the first time in nearly two months on Saturday (Jan. 14) as it travels to face Northeastern in Boston. The dual meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Barletta Natatorium. Free live video is available via GoNU.com at the link below, and live results can be found via the Meet Mobile app. 

RELATED LINKS
Live Video

POST-MEET RECEPTION | Register
Please join the Catamounts following the Northeastern meet at 3 p.m. for a reception at Barletta Natatorium (360 Huntington Ave. in Boston). To RSVP, please visit go.uvm.edu/wimt or contact our Victory Club office at victory.club@uvm.edu or 802-656-0956.

SETTING THE SCENE
Vermont did not compete against two-time defending America East champion UMBC and Howard last weekend in Baltimore due to travel complications at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. The team was traveling to Baltimore last Friday from its annual training trip in Florida and was in the airport at the time of a shooting incident. The team and staff, who were in a different terminal from where the shooting occurred, were evacuated and all were safe despite a few minor injuries. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
Vermont closed the first half of the season on Nov. 19 by placing third overall with 500 points at the annual Terrier Invitational hosted by Boston University. Army defended its title with 1,000.5 points while host BU took second overall with 920.5 points.
 
On the final day, the Catamounts won the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:25.08 and earned 40 points as UVM held off BU for the top spot by just three tenths of a second. Haley Gula raced her way to a second place finish in the 200 breaststroke at 2:21.04 and Shannon Cowley grabbed a third place spot behind Gula with a time of 2:21.17. In the 100-yard freestyle race, Sarah Mantz had another top-3 performance with a third place overall finish in 51.46.
 
UVM's best performance on day two was a second place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay when the team of Kelly Lennon, Abby Holmquist, Mantz, and Sophia Smith posted a time of 7:32.20 for 34 points. The Catamounts' 200 free relay team of Mantz, Courtney Gray, Kira Hancock, and Sierra Sexton began the competition by finishing less than a second out of first place and took third overall with a time of 1:35.01.
 
FAST START
UVM (5-0, 3-0 AE) is off to its first perfect five-win start since the 2011-12 season when it began the year 7-0. Vermont's average margin of victory in its five dual meets this season is nearly 60 points. The Catamounts have a chance to match the 7-0 start from five seasons ago with wins over Northeastern and Rhode Island. Despite missing the opportunity to face UMBC, Vermont has defeated each of its other three America East opponents by at least 45 points this season. 
 
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN
The Huskies enter Saturday's meet with a 5-2 record and a 2-2 mark against Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) competition. NU competed in the Drexel tri-meet last weekend in Philadelphia, defeating Delaware 200-98 but falling to host Drexel by a final of 179-121. Carly Schnabel led the Huskies with 49 individual points as she placed first overall in both the 200 and 500-yard freestyle races with times of 1:53.40 and 5:02.99.

Northeastern head coach Roy Coates has spent nearly a quarter century with the program, having led the Huskies to 18 winning seasons including 10 straight. Diving coach Lauren Colby '12 was a two-time team captain for the Catamounts and was a four-time America East Diver of the Week during her career. As a senior, she placed third at the America East Championships in the three-meter dive and graduated with a degree in dietetics and nutrition science.

LAST MEETING
Last year, Northeastern edged Vermont 155-145 on Senior Day at Forbush Natatorium as the Huskies set three pool records. Shannon Cowley won the 200-yard breaststroke (2:27.60) by five seconds and the 200-yard IM (2:12.30). Christa Weaver claimed the 50-yard freestyle in a photo finish as the senior registered a time of 24.24 seconds, while Madeline Blumenfeld captured the 1000 free by more than six seconds in 10:42.40

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont returns home for Senior Day next Saturday, Jan. 21 against Rhode Island at 12 p.m. at Forbush Natatorium in the final meet before conference championships. Prior to the meet, the Catamounts will honor their senior class of Carleigh Abromovitz, Molly Condron, Courtney Gray, Abby Holmquist, Sarah Mantz, Ali McClure, and Lauren Punger.

Speeder & Earl's Coffee is the presenting sponsor of the 2016-17 women's swimming & diving season