Jan. 15, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – One week after narrowly falling to No. 23 Northwestern, the Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team will get another shot to take down a ranked opponent when No. 14 Louisville comes to the Rolfs Aquatic Center on Saturday (Jan. 16). The dual meet will begin at 1:30 p.m. (ET), with Notre Dame’s Senior Day ceremonies set to take place on the day of the event.
Live stats and live streaming video will be available at UND.com.
“We’re five weeks out from the BIG EAST Conference Championships and nine weeks away from the NCAA Championships, so we’re in a period where we need to balance our stress and recovery,” Irish head coach Brian Barnes said. “Having Northwestern here last weekend and looking ahead to Louisville, it’s important to swim fast enough to get the victory while dialing in on our team goals.
“It will be great to honor our senior class as well. It is one of those bittersweet moments. It will be tough to say goodbye to them, as we’re very proud of all of their accomplishments. This is an outstanding senior class – both athletically and academically – and they are poised to do so many great things not only for the rest of the their careers in an Irish suit, but also when they graduate from Notre Dame.”
Despite a 156-144 loss at Louisville in 2009, Samantha Maxwell completed two winning individual swims to bolster an effort that saw the Fighting Irish drop the meet on the final race. Maxwell won the 100 breast in 1:02.16, good for a pool record and NCAA B-cut, followed by her second win in the 200 breast, which also broke a pool record and cleared the NCAA B-cut standard in 2:15.04. The sophomore picked up an assist by leading the 200 medley relay team to a win in 1:43.04, notching another pool-record performance along the way. Maxwell was named the Division I Women’s Counsilman Hunsaker National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week by CollegeSwimming.com for her efforts.
Notre Dame bettered the Cardinals at the 2009 BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships while winning its 13th consecutive title. The Irish totaled 828 points, nearly 150 ahead of second-place Louisville (581).
Last week against Northwestern, Maxwell beat her season-best 100 breaststroke mark by over half a second with a final time of 1:01.93, and clocked a 2:16.94 in the 200 breaststroke for another team-best. Lauren Sylvester also swam the season’s top time for the Irish with a 10:15.01 in the 1,000 freestyle.
Notre Dame (0-3) is receiving votes in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association Top 25 poll.
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