Dec. 6, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame women’s swimmer Emma Reaney earned her second BIG EAST Women’s Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week award for the week of Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, the league office announced on Tuesday.
The award, which is the second for the season for the freshman, puts her in elite company among BIG EAST women’s swimmers. Since the award began during the 2008-09 season, only two other swimmers have won two scrolls in the same season. Former Notre Dame great Samantha Maxwell accomplished the feat in 2008-09, while Louisville’s Therese Bergstrom did it in 2009-10 and again in 2010-11.
The recognition comes on the heels of a strong all-around performance at the OSU Invitational this past weekend, where Reaney won both the 200 and 400 IM events, including setting a school record in the 200 IM, and finished in the top four in five other events. She earned NCAA B-cut times in all seven events, in helping the Irish to a fourth place finish at the three-day meet.
In the 200 IM, Reaney distanced herself from the other competitors, swimming 1:58.47 in the prelims to qualify first for the finals. The time broke former Irish great Katie Carroll’s school record of 2:00.09 that she set at the NCAA Championships in 2007. The Lawrence, Kan., native topped herself in the finals, lowering her own school mark to 1:57.67 to take the title. 1:57.67 was also a meet record and the ninth-fastest time in the nation this year.
Reaney completed the sweep in the IM events the next day, taking the 400 IM title (4:12.19). The time was just .78 off the meet record and .12 away from Carroll’s 2007 school record.
She is now 8-0 on the year in IM events, including 4-0 this past weekend including the prelims and finals.
Reaney also performed well in the 100 and 200 breast events, taking third in the 100 (1:02.21) and second in the 200 (2:12.37).
In the relay events, Reaney helped lead the 400 (3:20.93) and 800 (7:21.79) free relay squads to a pair of third place finishes, while the 400 (3:39.59) medley relay team took fourth. Both 400 relay times are tops in the conference so far this season.
Notre Dame will return to the Rolfs Aquatic Center on Jan. 21, when it hosts Big Ten foe Michigan State at 2 p.m.
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