NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The No 16/12 Notre Dame Swim & Dive Team posted seven pool record times, including one school record time, and both squads placed first after the initial day of competition in the Shamrock Invitational Friday.
“These kids are competitive,” Head Coach Mike Litzinger attributed. “And, I think when they’re executing their races correctly in this environment, those school records and those pool records are in jeopardy.”
“I just think it shows that we’re starting to dial it in and starting to swim fast all the time,” he added. “It’s been fun to watch these kids grow a little bit.”
DAY 1 SCORES | RESULTS
Men:
- No. 16 Notre Dame: 869
- No. 18 Iowa: 586
- No. 14 Ohio State: 553
- Missouri State: 309
Women:
- No. 12 Notre Dame: 754.5
- No. 7 Ohio State: 651
- Akron: 488
- RV Iowa: 442.5
SESSION I
In the morning, the Irish got off to a quick start, winning the women’s 200 Free Relay. The team of Coleen Gillilan, Abbie Dolan, Carly Quast and Rachel Wittmer posted a 1:30.56. From there, senior Dolan took home first in the women’s 500 Free with a B-Cut 4:46.60, followed by Madeline LaPorte, who turned in a 4:50.21.
On the men’s side, freshman Jack Hoagland notched the first pool record of the day for Notre Dame, touching the wall in 4:17.12 in the 500 Free, also a B-Cut time. Junior Zach Yeadon followed closely behind with a 4:21.13, also an NCAA B Cut. Senior Sadler McKeen rounded out the top three with a 4:21.38 (B Cut).
Gillilan marked the second of Notre Dame’s pool records, also her second pool record in two weeks, this one in the 200 IM (1:56.84 – B Cut). Marci Barta continued the strong performance, winning the 200 IM with a 1:47.97.
To finish off Session I, Notre Dame swept the 400 Medley Relay, with the women’s team of Quast, Gillilan, Cailey Grunhard and Dolan marking down the third pool record of the day for the Irish, turning in a 3:34.94. The men’s team of Jack Montesi, Josh Bottelberghe, Zach Smith and Aaron Schultz touched the wall in 3:12.57, good for first place.
SESSION II
Notre Dame began the Friday evening session with the dedication of the Coach Tim Welsh Team Room.
Welsh served as the head coach of Notre Dame Swimming and Diving for 30 seasons. Under his guidance, the Fighting Irish captured the program’s first BIG EAST title in 2005, and repeated the feat five more times during his career. Welsh received the National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America’s highest honor, and this fall, received the 2019 Notre Dame Monogram Club’s Jesse Harper Award, which recognizes a member for his commitment and involvement with the athletic department and the university as a whole.
To kick off Session II of the Shamrock Invitational, the Irish swept the 200 Medley Relay, with the women’s team of Quast, Gillilan, Grunhard and Wittmer posting a time of 1:38.73. The men followed suit, as Montesi, Matt Limbacher, Smith and Schultz touched the wall in 1:27.68.
From there, Notre Dame posted record times in three consecutive events. Luciana Thomas showed out first for the Irish, posting a 4:11.89 (B Cut) in the women’s 400 IM, a pool record.
Hoagland followed it up with another pool record, his second of the day, in the men’s 400 IM (3:46.38, B Cut). Gillilan rounded out the trio, setting not only a pool record, but a school record, in the women’s 100 Fly (52.13).
In the men’s 400 IM, Barta came in second, with a B-Cut time of 3:48.63, and in the women’s 100 Fly, Grunhard placed third, posting a B-Cut 53.59. Dolan touched the wall second in the women’s 200 Free with a B-Cut time of 1:46.15.
McKeen marked Notre Dame’s seventh pool record of the evening, touching the wall in 1:34.86 (B Cut) to place first in the men’s 200 Free. Gillilan followed it up, winning the women’s 100 Breast with a B-Cut 1:00.02, while Bottelberghe won the men’s 100 Breast, also with a B-Cut time (54.14).
Quast touched the wall first in the women’s 100 Back, posting a B-Cut time of 52.92, while Montesi posted another win, this one in the men’s 100 Back, touching the wall for a first-place time of 47.91.
The Irish men finished out competition with a win in the 800 Free Relay, as the team of Yeadon, McKeen, Schultz and Wilburn posted a 6:26.22.
On the diving end, senior Erin Isola won the women’s 3-meter competition with a score of 301.95, besting her closest competition by more than 15 points.
LOOKING FORWARD
With two sessions Friday and the final to follow on Saturday, Litzinger emphasized that the style of the Shamrock Invitational is set to model that of a championship meet.
“One of the reasons that we do this format is because it’s very challenging physically and mentally, so they have to take each session as a separate meet — to try to get the rest, hydrate, fuel properly and reset,” the Notre Dame coach shared. “But, when you go from tonight to tomorrow, it really does simulate a finals situation, and back to your prelims situation. That’s kind of the message that I sent, and I think all the rest of the teams that are here are probably practicing that very same thing.”
The Shamrock Invitational resumes Saturday at 9 a.m. with the 1650 Free and will begin with remaining events at 11:15 a.m. Notre Dame will recognize its 17 senior student-athletes prior to the 11:15 a.m. session.
Follow along on Twitter at @NDSwimDive and with live times at und.com/swimmingstats.
RECORDS BROKEN (JAN. 24)
- Men’s 500 Free (Pool Record): Jack Hoagland – 4:17.12
- Women’s 200 IM (Pool Record): Coleen Gillilan – 1:56.84
- Women’s 400 Medley Relay (Pool Record): Carly Quast, Coleen Gillilan, Cailey Grunhard, Abbie Dolan – 3:34.94
- Women’s 400 IM (Pool Record): Luciana Thomas – 4:11.89
- Men’s 400 IM (Pool Record): Jack Hoagland – 3:46.38
- Women’s 100 Fly (School and Pool Record): Coleen Gillilan – 52.13
- Men’s 200 Free (Pool Record): Sadler McKeen – 1:34.86