Jan. 28, 2005
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Sophomore Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) and junior Patrick Davis (Clearwater, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) turned in the two fastest unshaved 1,000-yard freestyle times in school history, as the 21st-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team (8-2) posted two victories Friday evening in the Busbey Natatorium. The Irish won seven of the first nine swimming races en route to beating host Cleveland State (8-3) 137-101, as well as Canisius (0-10) 172-53.
“I was really pleased with the way the meet went and how we were able to win the closer races,” said Notre Dame head coach Tim Welsh.
The 1,000 free was the first individual swimming event on the program, and the two Irish swimmers raced with Viking Bjorn Schantz of Sweden the entire way in what proved to be a great race. Brown, swimming the event for the first time this season, took first with a time of 9:22.88 that stands as the third-fastest time in Notre Dame history and the quickest-ever in a non-championship meet, as well as the fastest by an unshaved swimmer, and the quickest in an actual 1,000-yard race. Jonathan Pierce, a 2002 graduate and the University recordholder in both of the two longest events, is responsible for each of the two fastest times in the 1,000, but both of those were leadoff split times during his 1,650 freestyle swims at the BIG EAST Championships in 2002 (9:15.52) and 2000 (9:20.99). Brown bettered his previous career best – 9:26.53 at UC Santa Barbara and vs. Wyoming on Jan. 9, 2004 (which had been the seventh-fastest time in school history coming into Saturday) – by nearly four seconds, but beat Schantz, who finished in 9:23.10, by just .22 seconds.
Davis took third in 9:25.02, which is the fifth-fastest time in Notre Dame history, behind only Pierce’s two mile splits, Brown’s time on Saturday, and Davis’ own leadoff split of 9:23.23 at the 2004 BIG EAST Championships. It would have been the fastest unshaved time ever by an Irish swimmer if not for Brown’s performance. Davis previously had that distinction of holding the quickest unshaved, non-championship, and actual 1,000-yard race time, which was 9:25.51 against Pittsburgh and Michigan State on Nov. 12, 2004. Brown, Davis, and current freshman Jay Vanden Berg (Holland, Mich./Southfield Christian School) now combine to hold 10 of the fastest 13 times ever in the 1,000 freestyle.
Junior Patrick Heffernan (Norcross, Ga./Norcross H.S.) also turned in a strong performance, leading a Notre Dame 1-2-3 finish in the 200 butterfly. He registered a season-best time of 1:52.43 that ranks him seventh in the BIG EAST this season. The runner-up in the race was Irish record holder sophomore Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.), who had a time of 1:54.69, while Brown was next in 1:57.64.
Kegelman notched a victory in the 200 individual medley, another event in which he is tops in school history, with a time of 1:53.28. He barely outtouched Irish junior Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.), who was second in 1:53.42.
After Cleveland State got its first race victory of the meet in the 200 free, Notre Dame senior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) responded by winning the 50 freestyle in a time of 21.08. Sophomore Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley H.S.) took third in the race with a time of 21.56, while junior Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) was fourth in 21.78.
Cavadini got a victory of his own in the 100 free, with a time of 46.73. Sophomore Nick Fanslau (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn H.S.) was the runner-up with a time of 47.31, while sophomore Alan Carter (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel H.S.) was fourth in 48.40.
Vanden Berg also notched a first-place finish, winning the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:35.68. Davis was second in 4:37.13. Sophomore Justin Barber (Carson City, Nev./Carson H.S.) took fourth place with a time of 4:46.03.
Notre Dame led off the swimming portion of the meet with a victory in the 400 medley relay. The group of junior Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School), Randolph, Kegelman, and Krakowski finished in a time of 3:26.27 that was a team best in a dual meet this season. The Irish also took second, with the team of freshman Andrew MacKay (Georgetown, Cayman Islands/Cayman Prep and H.S.), juniors Tyler Grenda (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum H.S.) and Steve Shomberger (Spotsylvania, Va./Courtland H.S.), and Fanslau ended in a time of 3:27.85 that was quicker than the top relays for both CSU and Canisius.
Cleveland State’s Thatcher Carr, a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier before transferring from Navy, swept the diving events. Irish sophomore Scott Coyle (Indianapolis, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern H.S.) was the runner-up in the meet’s opening event, the three-meter diving, with a score of 293.63. Freshman Sam Stoner (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) took third with 279.00 points, while rookie Chris Kane (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan H.S.) posted a score of 278.85 that was a collegiate high for him by more than five points and would have placed him fourth if he had not been competing as an exhibition entrant.
In the one-meter competition, Stoner was second with a score of 277.65, while Coyle was just behind with 277.05 points and freshman Steven Crowe (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport H.S.) ended up fourth with 264.15 points.
Though CSU’s Daniel Thomasson won the 200 free, the Irish went 2-3-4 in the race. Senior captain Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.) led the team with a time of 1:43.10, while Vanden Berg was third in 1:44.11, and freshman Rob Seery (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City H.S.) was next in 1:46.11.
Viking Pieter Pelser, a two-time Horizon League champion in the event who ranks among the top 50 in the nation this season, won the 200 backstroke. Bauman was second with a time of 1:50.88, while Shomberger was next in 1:53.74, and sophomore Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.) ended up fourth with a time of 1:55.02.
With victories clinched in both meets, Notre Dame swam as exhibition competitors in the final two events. Nonetheless, Grenda turned in a strong swim in the 200 breaststroke, ending in a season-best time of 2:05.58 that ranks him fourth in the BIG EAST this season. He touched the wall nearly four seconds ahead of the nearest CSU competitor, though he did not get credited with the victory. It was the second consecutive meet that saw Grenda improve his season-best time in the race.
Notre Dame snapped a six-meet winning streak for Cleveland State and defeated the Vikings for the 10th consecutive year and 18th time in the last 19 meetings.
With the victories, the Irish clinched their eighth winning season in the last 10 years.
Notre Dame will return to action on very little rest, competing at St. Bonaventure (6-3) on Saturday at Noon (EST).