March 12, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s swimming team learned Wednesday afternoon that three individuals – Zachary Stephens, Jonathan Williamson and Tom Anderson – had all been invited to the 2015 NCAA Championships. Two relay teams – the 200 medley and 800 free – have also qualified. The Championships will be held March 25-28 at the Campus Recreation Center at the University of Iowa.
“We are extremely excited to have three invited student-athletes at this year’s NCAA Championships,” Irish head coach Matt Tallman says. “I know they are excited, and along with our relay team members, they all plan on representing Notre Dame to the best of their abilities.”
Five of the six divers – seniors Michael Kreft, Nick Nemetz, Ted Wagner, and sophomores James Lichtenstein and Joseph Coumos – are in Columbus, Ohio Thursday through Saturday, competing at the Zone C Qualifiers for a chance to join their swimming teammates at Iowa. Coumos was the lone diver to qualify in 2014, earning the number seven bid by way of his third-place finish in the one-meter event.
Stephens and Williamson will both be making their third appearances after qualifying in 2013 and ’14, while Anderson will be making his second appearance (but first as an individual and not a relay-only swimmer). Both Stephens and Williamson earned individual All-American accolades in 2013, joined by freestyle specialist and class of 2014 graduate Frank Dyer.
At last year’s championship, Stephens swam to a 34th-place finish in the 200 IM (1:45.52) and a 25th-place finish in the 100 breast (53.47) before coming in 26th in the 200 breast (1:55.74) race. He also swam with the 200 medley relay team that finished 25th (1:27.35) and 400 free relay squad that came in 21st (2:55.22). Williamson, swimming in the 500 free, 100 fly and 200 fly, earned NCAA personal bests in each event, finishing 52nd in the 500 free (4:29.57), 38th in the 100 fly (47.72) and 24th in the 200 fly (1:44.01). As a relay-only swimmer, Anderson helped the 200 free relay team finish 26th (1:20.93) and the 800 free relay team took 19th (6:26.18) in the event.
2015 Notre Dame Men’s Swimming Individual Qualifiers (can also compete in relays)
500 Free
Tom Anderson (4:24.56)#
200 IM
Zachary Stephens (1:44.26)!
400 IM
Tom Anderson (3:43.03)!
100 Fly
Jonathan Williamson (47.48)#
100 Breast
Zachary Stephens (52.54)!
200 Back
Tom Anderson (1:44.11)#
200 Breast
Zachary Stephens (1:55.49)#
200 Fly
Jonathan Williamson (1:43.57)!
! – Automatic Qualifying Time
# – Invited Time
Notre Dame Relay Qualifiers
200 Medley Relay
800 Free Relay
Lizzie Mikes,
Media Services Coordinator
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