June 3, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame head women swimming and diving coach Brian Barnes and rising senior swimmer Emma Reaney are set to represent the U.S. at the international Mare Nostrum swim series in Canet, France and Barcelona, Spain in the coming weeks.
Mare Nostrum is a series of long course swim meets that are held around the Mediterranean Sea in June every year. The three meets are the International Swimming Meeting of Monte-Carlo in Monaco, Monaco, the Meeting Arena in Canet and the Gran Premi Internacional Ciutat de Barcelona in Barcelona.
The term Mare Nostrum is Latin for “Our Sea” and was a Roman name for the Mediterranean Sea first used following the Punic Wars (264 BC to 146 BC) between Rome and Carthage.
Barnes and Reaney will meet the American contingent in Canet for a two-day meet (June 11-12) before busing to Barcelona for another two-day competition (June 14-15). Reaney will compete in her usual breaststroke and IM events in addition to some butterfly.
“It’s such a wonderful international opportunity for Emma,” said Barnes. “She is the fastest short course 200 breaststroker in American history. She needs to be on the stage with the rest of the world. It will be a highly competitive international invitational for her to be apart of.”
An impressive group will join the Irish duo overseas, as Alex Braunfeld, David Marsh and David Durden will coach with Barnes and Olympians Ryan Lochte, Cullen Jones, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Cammile Adams, Nathan Adrian, Natalie Coughlin, Anthony Ervin and Damir Dugonjic among other great swimmers will compete alongside Reaney.
Braunfeld has coached at dozens of national and international competitions and helped coach several Olympians. Marsh, a former multi-time national champion head coach at Auburn, is the CEO/Director of Coaching of the SwimMAC Carolina Team Elite squad that Reaney is training with this summer. Durden is the head men’s coach at the University of California, Berkley and has led the Golden Bears to three national championships in the last four seasons.
“I’m excited to learn,” said Barnes. “That’s the best part about doing this trip – the opportunity to work with USA Swimming and an amazing coaching staff in addition to so many Olympians. How much am I going to learn from our nation’s best? My goal is throw myself in there and help the U.S. contingent the best I can.”
For more information on Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving follow the Irish on Facebook (/NDwSwimming/Diving) and Twitter (@NDwSwimming).
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
–ND–