After a long offseason of hard work, the Grand Valley State University swim teams notched a successful first meet on Saturday.

Both GVSU teams dove into the fall portion of their schedule with a pair of home wins against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and set a few records in the process. The GVSU men won 153-90, while the women finished their meet with a 129-114 triumph.

The Laker men took first in 10 events, recording five first-place finishes in the first five races of the dual meet.

GVSU snatched up 16 points in the 200 meter freestyle as junior Gianni Ferrero placed first, freshman Gonzalo Rodriguez-Villasonte took second and junior Nathan Wagner came in third. Ferrero also took first in the mixed 100 meter butterfly, setting a new GVSU pool record (47.96).

The Laker ladies won seven of their events and placed second or third in three events. Senior Sarah Roeser secured first place in both the 50 yard freestyle (24.53) and 100 meter freestyle (53.79).

GVSU coach Andy Boyce, who is in his eighth season at the helm, has led the program to success on numerous occasions in the past. Boyce said the expectations this year are no different.

“We have a lot of high caliber athletes,” he said.

Boyce said the team’s training will continue to evolve as the season goes on, but the offseason discipline was certainly on display for the new-look Lakers on Saturday. A main focus this season, he said, is getting the less-experienced members acclimated to competition at the collegiate level.

“We try and schedule more meets so that newer members can get more experience racing and learning how to pace themselves,” he said.

In addition to the intense training, there is a strong family atmosphere emphasized within the program.

Senior Emily Eaton said the seniors work to encourage the younger members even when things get tough in the pool or in the classroom.

“Keeping focus and having a positive attitude is really important, especially for the freshmen,” Eaton said. “Attitude is everything.”

While there are many new and unfamiliar faces on the roster this year, one freshman stood out for GVSU in the meet. Freshman Samantha Postmus broke both the pool and school records in the 400 yard individual medley with a time of 4:29.33.

Postmus hadn’t been part of a team since her sophomore year in high school at Grand Rapids Novi Sad Aquatics (GRNSA). She competed with USA Swimming during her junior and senior years, and was evaluated on a personal level rather than as part of a team effort.

However, her first performance with GVSU was meaningful both to her and her new Laker teammates.

“Representing the team during my first year is really cool,” Postmus said. “I really like being part of a team again.”

GVSU will be back in the pool Friday at Calvin College.