NOTRE DAME, Indiana — The No. 14 Notre Dame women’s swim team will send six student-athletes to the NCAA Championships March 17-20 in Greensboro, North Carolina, their selections announced by the NCAA on Wednesday.
Freshman Megan Deuel, junior Sammie Eyolfson, sophomore Coleen Gillilan, junior Madeline LaPorte, junior Bayley Stewart and junior Luciana Thomas will represent the Irish at the national meet. Qualifying outright with nine times, the Irish are eligible for 12 total swims.
In addition, four Irish divers — senior Kelly Straub and juniors Annie Wiese, Austin Flaute and David Petrison — will compete in the Zone C Diving Championships March 7-9 to earn a spot at the NCAA meet.
“To have six women, and potentially divers, as well, that just speaks to the talent that we have on the team, and now we have to realize the talent,” head swim coach Mike Litzinger said. “And then, the next step after that is putting together the team for the next year. Hopefully, those returners, which is all of them, will be able to communicate exactly what it takes to be at that elite level.”
Gillilan, Stewart and Thomas have all qualified for the NCAA Championships previously, with Stewart and Thomas the only Irish qualifiers to have previously competed in the meet. Gillilan qualified in 2020, her freshman season, but the championships were cancelled due to COVID-19.
“Last time we were at the NCAAs, both Luciana and Bailey were with a really strong group of women,” Litzinger noted. “So, I think they understand the competitiveness of the meet, and their preparation this time around is a lot different — their mindsets are a lot different.”
Deuel, Eyolfson and LaPorte are first-time qualifiers for the meet.
Swimmer: Qualifying Event (Qualifying Time)
- Deuel: 200 Fly (1:56.42)
- Eyolfson: 1650 Free (16:25.47)
- Gillilan: 200 IM (1:57.21), 100 Fly (52.27) and 200 Fly (1:55.37)
- LaPorte: 1650 Free (16:19.02)
- Stewart: 200 Back (1:53.46)
- Thomas: 400 IM (4:12.89), 200 Fly (1:55.90)
Deuel will compete in her first NCAA Championships after posting a season-best 1:56.42 in the 200 Fly this past weekend at the Louisville last-chance meet. She will be joined in the event by Gillilan and Thomas.
Eyolfson heads to the NCAA meet in the middle of a breakout season in the distance events, as she has shot up the program Top 10 lists in the 1000 and 1650 Free. She placed eighth overall in the 1650 Free at the 2021 ACC Championships, also making finals in the 500 Free and 400 IM. At the national meet, she will compete in the 1650 Free, qualifying with a time of 16:25.47.
Gillilan, a bronze medalist at the 2020 ACC Championships and qualifier for the 2020 NCAA meet, will also take on her first national meet with the Irish, as the 2020 championships were cancelled due to COVID-19. She is the only Irish swimmer to qualify outright in three events (200 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Fly).
LaPorte has led the Irish in distance events this season, noting Top 10 program times in the 1000 Free (9:52.21, fourth) and 1650 Free (16:19.02, third). In addition to the 1650 Free, LaPorte will swim the 500 Free, thanks to her B-cut 4:46.26.
Stewart qualifies for the NCAA Championships for the second time in her career, earning a spot first as a freshman in 2019. In addition to the 200 Back, for which she qualified outright, she will also swim in the 100 Back after posting a provisional 53.23.
Thomas is a three-time qualifier for the championships, punched her 2021 national meet ticket in two events, the 400 IM and 200 Fly. She will also swim the 500 Free, thanks to her provisional time of 4:45.47.
Men’s swimming selections to the NCAA meet will be announced at a later date.
DIVING
Four Irish divers have qualified for the Zone C meet, which will determine the individual divers that will compete at the NCAA Championships. Straub and Wiese will compete for the women, and Flaute and Petrison will represent the men.
Straub, a bronze-medal winner on platform at the 2021 ACC Championships, made finals in all three events at the conference meet. Wiese joined her in finals on the 1-meter and 3-meter, making Notre Dame the only program to qualify multiple female divers for multiple finals at the meet. Both have achieved ‘A’ zone-qualifying scores on all three events throughout the season.
Flaute was Notre Dame’s top male diver at the ACC Championships, placing 22nd on the 3-meter, 18th on the 1-meter and 24th on platform. Petrison broke his own Irish record on platform in 2021, posting a 346.80 in the event.