A home meet for the Mt. Hope High School swimmers against the Middletown/Rogers co-op Friday night, Jan. 3, at PODs in East Providence was the first of the 2024-25 season for the boys and second for the girls.

Both teams ended the evening victorious as the boys were 56-25 winners in their debut and the girls improved to 2-0 with a 53-41 triumph.

It certainly was an auspicious beginning for the Mt. Hope boys, including senior co-captain Cohen Ferreira, who broke the longest standing individual male school record. Ferreira clocked 1 minute, 11.33 seconds to win the 100-yard breaststroke, two seconds better than the previous mark set in 2014 by current Huskies' assistant coach Adam Dutra. The time also qualified Ferreira for the state meet later in the winter.

Ferreira's record-setting night actually began with the first event. Liam Gagner (backstroke), Ferriera (breast), Finn Pansa (butterfly) and junior Sam Coles (freestyle) started the meet by beating the previous program best, likewise set in 2014, while winning the 200 medley relay with a 1:54.26 Friday.

Ferreira added two other individual wins in the 100 free (1:00.26) and 100 breast (1:11.33). Gagner won the 100 back in 1:13.24. Pansa qualified for states with his solo wins in the 200 (1:57.01) and 500 (5:23.4) freestyles.

The Huskies also won the 200 free relay with Gagner, Coles, Max Silva and Kieran Riedl clocking a 1:54.99 and closed the night with a victory in the 400 free relay (4:00.91) from Sam Coles, Ben Coles, Ferreira and Pansa.

As for the girls, who opened before the Christmas break with a 20-point win over Burrillville, the Huskies won the first three swims and never trailed.

Emma Quigley, Bridget Courtney, Olivia Taylor and Jessica Deal began the meet with a time of 2:12.62 in the 200 medley relay.

Deal then won the 200 free in 2:19.16 and Taylor followed with a 2:30.11 to win the 200 IM. The latter time qualified Taylor, the Huskies' well-regarded freshman, for the state meet in the event.

Taylor next won the 100 fly in 1:12.93 with Evelyn Towers second. Deal added her second solo win with a 1:12.93 in the 100 fly. Taylor was second.

The visitors made things a bit interesting late, cutting their deficit to just four points. But Mt. Hope later closed the meet with Courtney's individual win in the 100 breast (1:25.16) and with Quigley, Hazel Bradley, Deal and Taylor taking the 400 free relay (4:20.64).

In between, Bradley was second in the 500 free and Quigley the runner-up in the 100 back. The 200 free relay of Towers, Bradley, Summer Komiega and Vivian Goodman were second were second while Komiega, Goodman, Towers and Courtney ended the night in the runner-up spot in the 400 free relay.