Jan. 28, 2010
Shamrock Invitational – Live stats, results, scores
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 2009-10 regular season will come to an end this weekend at the Rolfs Aquatic Center as the Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team will host the Shamrock Invitational. Denver, Iowa and Missouri will join the Irish to comprise the four-team field. The first of three sessions will begin Friday (Jan. 29) at 6:00 p.m. (ET). Saturday’s action will begin at 10:00 a.m. and the final session will start at 5:00 p.m. The event will be scored as a dual meet between each of the participating teams. Live stats will be available at UND.com.
Notre Dame (0-4) is receiving votes in the latest CollegeSwimming.com/CSCAA Top 25 standings along with Iowa, while Missouri enters the weekend ranked 21st. Denver is ninth among mid-major Division I programs.
The Irish picked up three dual meet victories during the 2009 edition of the Shamrock Invite, defeating Michigan State (259.5-106.5), Denver (233-131) and West Virginia (265.5-97.5).
“We’ve been racing well against some great teams lately and while the squad is still focused on the BIG EAST Conference and NCAA Championships, we can learn a lot this weekend,” Irish head coach Brian Barnes said. “This meet provides the opportunity to participate in a three-session event under a format similar to that of the BIG EAST Championships. We can really dial in on our priority events, and this will set the tone for our training heading into the league meet. Four different conferences will be represented by the incoming field, and they all bring something different to the table that will make it a competitive meet.”
While the Irish have suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses in recent weeks (the dual meets with both Louisville and Northwestern were decided on the final relay), a number of encouraging performances could swing momentum back in favor of the Irish to close the regular season. Amywren Miller set a pool record in the 50 free (22.72) two weeks ago against No. 14 Louisville, bettering the mark set by Carrie Nixon (22.94) on Dec. 3, 1998. Notre Dame’s 200 medley relay squad of Kim Holden, Samantha Maxwell, Kellyn Kuhlke and Miller went 1:42.61 against the Cardinals and broke a five-year old facility mark.
Holden leads the BIG EAST with a 1:57.98 in the 200 back and ranks second in the 100 back (54.72). Miller’s pool record in the 50 free is third among league swimmers and her 100 free (50.27) mark is also third.
The top ranks of the 100 fly is littered by Irish performers with Holden (55.00) second, Katie Casey (55.11) third and Kuhlke (55.30) fourth. Casey paces the league in the 200 fly (1:59.46) and Ashlee Edgell is third in the 200 IM (2:02.42).
Maxwell has recorded NCAA B-cuts in the 100 breast (2nd – 1:01.53) and 200 breast (2nd – 2:15.23).
–ND–