Feb. 10, 2018
by Tony Jones
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A total of three event victories, six NCAA B-cut times and 10 personal-best times highlighted Saturday competition for the University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s swimming teams at the Ohio State Winter Invitational. The Irish performed at a high-level during the winter showcase, a first-chance meet for the NCAA Championship, inside the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Rebecca Walton (women’s 500 freestyle), Alyssa Storino (women’s 100 breaststroke) and Kelly Jacob (women’s 100 freestyle) were ‘A’ final victors for Notre Dame on Saturday, with David Stewart (100 butterfly), Jack Russell (men’s 100 breaststroke), Claire DeSelm (women’s 100 backstroke), Paige Kaplan (women’s 400 IM) and Daniel Fujan (men’s 100 freestyle) adding runner-up results.
The second and final day of racing at the Ohio State Winter Invitational kicks off with preliminary heats beginning at 11 a.m. (ET) at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
Top Irish Performances
Women’s 500 Freestyle – Rebecca Walton logged a first-place swim for Notre Dame, outpacing the field by nearly four seconds with a race win in 4:50.89. Sammy Steigerwald finished ninth by clocking in at 4:59.54.
Women’s 100 Butterfly – Carolyn Kammeyer paced all Notre Dame finishers in ninth place with a time of 57.06.
Men’s 100 Butterfly – David Stewart flew to the wall with a runner-up time of 47.92, good for an NCAA B-cut. Soren Holm placed sixth in the ‘A’ final with a time of 48.82.
Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Alyssa Storino was the race winner with a time of 1:00.85, safely under an NCAA B-cut.
Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Jack Russell not only notched a runner-up finish, he did so with an NCAA B-cut time of 54.52. Rex Riley placed fifth in the field, with a matching NCAA B-cut standard of 54.89.
Women’s 100 Backstroke – Claire DeSelm posted an NCAA B-cut with a runner-up time of 54.75.
Men’s 100 Backstroke – John Paul Becker narrowly missed an NCAA B-cut with a time of 49.68 for fourth place. Soren Holm placed fifth in 50.05.
Women’s 400 IM – Paige Kaplan took home race runner-up with a time of 4:24.58.
Women’s 100 Freestyle – Kelly Jacob threw down an NCAA B-cut time of 49.68 for the event victory. Katie Smith placed third with a time of 50.01, while Sammy Steigerwald was 10th with a time of 52.28.
Men’s 100 Freestyle – Daniel Fujan was event runner-up with an NCAA B-cut time of 43.97.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball, men’s soccer and swimming and diving programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.