Swim Team Preps for NEC Championship

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Katie Lafferty hopes to lead SFU swimmers to NEC success. Photo by J.D. Cavritch

The Red Flash swim team has had an up-and-down 2015-16 season, but enters the postseason with momentum after sweeping its three meets in January.

The team will travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to compete in the Northeast Conference Swimming and Diving Championships Feb. 24-27, and head coach Rory Coleman is confident his team can build on its recent success.

“We do not rest during midseason,” said Coleman. “We like to put all of our eggs in the conference basket.”

Heading into the conference championship meet, the Red Flash hold an 8-7 record, thanks in large part to the efforts of sophomore Katie Lafferty.

Lafferty enjoyed a dominating regular season, earning NEC Swimmer-of-the-Week honors three times. The Bremen, Indiana, native won three individual events in her team’s final dual meet against Youngstown State, capturing first-place finishes in the 50, 200 and 500-yard freestyle events.

“It has been really fun,” said Lafferty. “I’m just happy to help the team.”

SFU has finished fourth in an eight-team field at each of the last two NEC championships.

“Our goal is to move up,” said Coleman. “We hope to knock off Wagner for third place, but we also have to focus on the teams lower in the bracket as well.”

The championship meet will be held at MIT’s Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center and can be viewed online on NEC Front Row.