Oct. 25, 2013
USAF Academy, Colo. – The University of Notre Dame men’s swimming team won eight combined individual and relay events Friday night to earn a 134-128 dual meet victory over the United States Air Force Academy at the USAFA Natatorium. The Irish won in their first return to Air Force in 11 years, and the meet was the centerpiece of a week-long training trip to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in nearby Colorado Springs.
Notre Dame got the meet off to a fast start in the 200 medley relay, as the Irish lineup of Bogac Ayhan, Cameron Miller, Frank Dyer and Zach Stephens completed the course in 1:30.88 to defeat the Air Force `A’ entry by nearly two seconds (1:32.46). The second Notre Dame squad of Matthew Buerger, Colin Babcock, John Williamson and Patrick Olson placed third with a time of 1:32.67.
Sophomore Michael Hudspith enjoyed a gold medal swim in the 200 free, touching in with a time of 1:42.91 for Notre Dame first-place points. Senior co-captain Colin Babcock was the third finisher in the event, logging a 1:44.72 swim, while junior Kevin Hughes followed in fourth place (1:45.06).
Sophomore Bogac Ayhan paced two Notre Dame finishers in the top-two places of the 100 back, clocking a 51.70 at altitude for the race win. Senior Bertie Nel was just behind Ayhan with a runner-up time of 52.23, while Buerger was the fifth swimmer to place (53.31).
Stephens and Miller went heads-up for the 100 breast crown later in the meet, with the 2013 All-American Stephens tapping the pad in 56.02 for first-place points. Fellow junior Miller was the second swimmer in, closing with a time of 56.32. Olson rounded out Irish finishers in the top five with a time 1:00.08 (fourth place).
Williamson, an honorable mention All-American in the 200 fly at last season’s NCAA Championship, won what has become his signature event Friday, bringing home a near five-second victory in the event in 1:51.93. Freshman Joe Petrone was the next Notre Dame swimmer to the wall, taking fourth place (1:56.95), followed by sophomore Andrew Jensen in fifth (1:59.42).
Dyer earned the first of his two individual race victories in the 50 free, narrowly missing an NCAA B-cut with a winning swim of 20.58. Fellow senior Josh Choi gave the Irish a second top-five finisher following an effort of 22.22 (fifth place). Dyer also was the top competitor in the 500 free, traversing the pool in 4:42.83 for his third overall race victory of the meet.
Freshman Tom Anderson picked up the eighth Notre Dame victory of the night, recording a gold medal swim of 1:53.02 for a two-second race win in the 200 back. Nel (1:56.71, fourth place) and Shane McKenzie (1:58.30, fifth place) added top five’s for the Irish.
Notre Dame returns to dual meet action on Nov. 1 against Purdue at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind.
ADDITIONAL EVENT-BY-EVENT INFORMATION:
200 Medley Relay: Along with the winning Notre Dame `A’ (1:30.88) and `B’ (1:32.67) entries, Michael Scheid, Jensen, Broderick Kelley and Trent Jackson clocked an exhibition run of 1:37.16, while McKenzie, Choi, Jack Cobain and Nicholas Sim swam an exhibition heat of 1:37.54.
1,000 Freestyle: Kevin Bradley earned a runner-up finish behind Air Force’s Andrew Faciszewski, clocking a time of 9:53.05. James McEldrew (10:02.12, fourth place) and Brennan Jacobsen (10:05.24, fifth place) represented the Irish in the top five, while Matthew DeBlasio added a time of 10:22.54.
200 Freestyle: Along with the three Notre Dame competitors in the top five, Reed Fujan contributed a time of 1:46.35 to place seventh.
100 Backstroke: After Ayhan and Nel went 1-2 in the event for the Irish, and Buerger’s fifth-place result, Scheid added a swim of 55.86.
100 Breaststroke: Just off the pace of the three top Notre Dame finishers was Jackson, who touched the wall in 1:02.76.
200 Butterfly: Kelley added a swim of 2:02.73 to Williamson’s gold medal heat and strong times by Petrone and Jensen.
50 Freestyle: Sim was slightly off the fifth-place pace of Choi in the event, touching in with a clip of 22.33 to take sixth place behind Dyer and Choi.
100 Freestyle: Hudspith was the top Notre Dame finisher in the event, clocking a time of 47.30 for third place. Hughes (48.26, fifth place), Olson (48.41, sixth place) and Sim (48.66, seventh place) were also in the field.
200 Backstroke: John Nappi tapped in with a time of 1:58.48 to take sixth place behind Anderson, Nel and McKenzie.
200 Breaststroke: Babcock claimed another Notre Dame runner-up placement with a time of 2:11.34 in the distance breast event. Jensen placed fourth with a clip of 2:14.95, with Choi in fifth place after a time of 2:17.13.
500 Freestyle: In behind Dyer’s first-place run were Williamson (4:53.50, fifth), McEldrew (4:58.86, seventh) and Jackson (5:00.44, eighth).
100 Butterfly: Stephens nearly missed becoming a double individual winner in the 100 fly, earning second-place honors (50.83) behind Air Force’s Ryan Dunne (49.94). Ayhan checked in with a time of 52.28 (fourth place), followed by Cobain (53.44, seventh place) and Kelley (55.37, eighth place).
200 IM: Miller (1:59.08) and Fujan (1:59.14) went 2-3 in the event, with Anderson giving the Irish a third top-five finisher with a swim of 1:59.34. Olson placed seventh in the race (2:00.94).
400 Freestyle Relay: The Notre Dame `A’ entry of Babcock, Jackson, Hudspith and Hughes posted a time of 3:10.07 for third place, followed by the `B’ lineup of Bradley, Buerger, Nappi and Petrone in fourth (3:10.45). A `C’ squad of Sim, Williamson, DeBlasio and Jacobsen placed fifth with a time of 3:17.11.
–ND–
— Tony Jones, Media Relations Assistant