Dara Torres Caps off 1st Season as Boston College Head Coach with First Pitch at Fenway

12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres is no stranger to ceremonial first pitches, having done so on numerous occasions, including once for the New York Yankees (the Massachusetts native that I am, I’ll try not to hold it against her). However, Torres, who was then coming off of a triple silver medal-winning performance in Beijing, has found her way to the top of the mound again at a Major League Stadium 17 years later, albeit perhaps for different reasons.

Earlier this month, Torres threw out the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game as part of their Swimming Night at Fenway. Her inclusion, while likely related to her stellar career, was also in part related to her successful first year at the helm of the Boston College Swimming and Diving Team.

 

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One of the sights on the Boston Marathon route, BC, which is just four miles west of Fenway park returned to NCAA competion this past year under Torres. The program, in September of 2023, was rocked by allegations of hazing, with the school’s independent newspaper, The Heights, reporting that freshmen swimmers were pressured to binge drink and consume their vomit during a series of team parties at the beginning of September.

The program was indefinitely suspended that fall, as an investigation was launched, which eventually saw the entire coaching staff released, and the cancellation of the 2023-2024 season.

This past June, during the week of the US Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, Torres was announced as the program’s 4th head coach.

Over the course of this past season, Torres helped lead the men’s team to a 2-4 record, while the women were 2-3. At ACCs, the BC Eagles finished 13th on the men’s side and 15th on the women’s, scoring 123 and 103 points, respectively. For reference, BC at the 2023 ACCs scored 158 and 162 points, respectively, albeit this was before California and Stanford joined the conference.

However, success in swimming isn’t tied to just records and points. In her first year as Coach, the BC Eagles broke numerous school records on both the men’s and women’s side. Jack Doyle, a senior, broke multiple records over the course of ACC. The South Carolina native, who won bronze in the 200 IM at the US Open, led off the 800 Free Relay in 1:37.30, with the team setting a new mark of 6:29.65. The next day, he bettered his time from the US Open, going 1:44.62 to not only earn a spot in the C Final but also to rewrite the record books. Doyle added another record as he time-trialed the 100 breaststroke to a new mark of 53.77.

Doyle wasn’t alone as Samantha Smith, a fellow senior, reset the 100 fly record, as she posted a time of 54.64 in the prelims of the 100 fly. Like Doyle, she doubled up on the records, as she went 1:58.55 in the 200 fly, not only rewriting the record but also earning her a second swim. She would go on to place 24th in the C Final in a time of 1:59.42.

For reference, the Red Sox, like BC, are looking to come out of a rebuild. Last season, they finished 3rd in the American League East with an 81-81 record. This season, as of April 28th, they are 16-14 and sit second in their division, behind archnemesis, Yankees, who are 17-11.