The University of Rhode Island women’s swim and dive team enjoyed a short break in their season with the return of the alumni meet over the weekend.
Grouped with the team’s annual Blue/White meet, alumni added an extra element to the intrasquad competition.
Teams competed in various events, including 50-yard events of different strokes, the 100-yard individual medley, the 200-yard medley relay, and the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Alumni were able to sign up for the events that they were interested in, joining the teams that the athletes had split themselves into.
“I thought it was a good twist,” Rhode Island Head Coach Lilli Falconer Deering said. “It increased the energy level with having the alumni there and then the girls being a little competitive within themselves.”
URI’s last season with a men’s swim and dive team was in 2008, but four male alums were able to join the meet and represent the former team. The event brought swimmers back to Tootell Aquatic Center from former teammates of Deering up to recent graduates.
“I’d say there were like 10 to 15 alumni there, which was really cool,” Deering said. “There were other alums that popped in and said hi, they didn’t swim but they were there.”
The event was well received by the alums in attendance, boding well for future alumni meets, according to Deering.
Deering plans to bring the alumni meet back for a second year in a row after its long hiatus.
“[We want to host at the] same time next year hopefully,” Deering said. “We’ll get the word out a little bit sooner and try to advertise a little bit better and get more and more alum to come back every year.”
The alumni meet comes at a good time in the season, according to Deering, as URI looks to bounce back from their first loss of the season last week against Northeastern University.
“I think it was a good change of pace for the girls,” Deering said. “Just something a little more fun on the weekend.”
Rhode Island takes on two local rivals next week as it returns to action.
“We have been training pretty hard this week as we get ready for next week,” Deering said. “We’re trying to stay as healthy as we can and train hard and get ready for PC and UConn and then a big midseason meet right before Thanksgiving.”
The University of Rhode Island’s swim and dive team starts their two-meet week on Nov. 6, hosting in-state rival Providence College at 5 p.m. They will follow up on Nov. 9, traveling to UConn for a 1 p.m. meet.