Jan. 31, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – A pair of event wins and solid times across the board propelled the University of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team during the first session of the 2014 Shamrock Invitational in front of 432 fans Friday night at the Rolfs Aquatic Center.
The Irish enter day two of the competition Saturday with a 66-44 dual lead over Iowa, and a 58-52 edge over Missouri State following the opening night of the invitational.
After placing third in the 200 freestyle relay to open the racing, Notre Dame gained its first win of the meet in the 500 freestyle. Freshman Joe Petrone shaved more than six seconds off his previous top time in a victorious run of 4:30.39. Junior co-captain Patrick Murphy was immediately behind Petrone with a runner-up effort of 4:30.81. Senior two-time All-American Frank Dyer gave the Irish a podium sweep with a time of 4:32.46 to place third.
Sophomore Shane McKenzie paced Notre Dame in the 200 IM, taking third place following a trek of 1:50.75. Freshman Reed Fujan (1:51.25) was just behind in fourth place, followed by senior co-captain Colin Babcock (1:51.50) rounding out the top five in the favor of the Irish.
Iowa swept the podium in the 50 freestyle, but Notre Dame sophomore Michael Hudspith was hot on the trail of the leaders, winning his heat and tying for fourth overall with a season-best clip of 21.00. Sophomore Nicholas Sim (21.56) and freshman Jack Cobain (21.75) finished in 15th and 16th place, respectively.
Freshman Joe Coumos provided the second Irish win of the day, cruising to victory in the 3-meter dive with a cumulative score of 353.55 points, his sixth score of 350 or more points this season. Junior Ted Wagner put together a solid series of dives to place third with 331.10 points, with classmates Nick Nemetz (328.15 points) and Michael Kreft (322.00 exhibition score) providing Notre Dame with four of the top five scores.
Strong closing legs from Dyer and junior All-American Zach Stephens helped the Irish secure second place in the 400 medley relay to cap the day’s action, as the Notre Dame ‘A’ entry that also included Bogac Ayhan and Cameron Miller completed the race in 3:19.41. The Irish ‘C’ squad consisting of senior Bertie Nel, junior Patrick Olson, junior Broderick Kelley and Fujan added a point-scoring swim of 3:22.94 for fifth place.
Day two of the Shamrock Invitational is scheduled to begin Saturday at 10 a.m. inside the Rolfs Aquatic Center with the 200 medley relay. The men’s 1-meter diving competition will begin at 1:30 p.m., and the event’s third and final session is scheduled to get under way at approximately 5 p.m. Notre Dame seniors Colin Babcock, Joshua Choi, Frank Dyer and Bertie Nel, and senior manager Madison Boyle will be recognized prior to the start of Saturday night’s third session.
Notre Dame Shamrock Invitational
Notre Dame vs. Iowa; Notre Dame vs. Missouri State
January 31, 2014
Rolfs Aquatic Center, Notre Dame, Ind.
Session One Results
Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay: The Notre Dame ‘A’ entry of Frank Dyer, Zach Stephens, Colin Babcock and Kevin Bradley touched the wall in 1:22.85 to claim third place behind Missouri State and Iowa. The Irish ‘B’ squad of Michael Hudspith, Matthew Buerger, Patrick Olson and Trent Jackson posted a time of 1:23.88 to place fifth.
Men’s 500 Freestyle: Joe Petrone scored the first Irish win with his top time of the season in the distance, 4:30.39. Co-captain Patrick Murphy turned in a runner-up performance by traversing the pool in 4:30.81. Dyer earned third place with a readout of 4:32.46, with Hudspith adding the fourth-fastest result with a time of 4:33.31. James McEldrew (4:35.19, seventh) and John Nappi (4:35.69, eighth) contributed additional top 10 efforts for Notre Dame.
Men’s 200 IM: Shane McKenzie was the top Notre Dame finisher, touching the pad in 1:50.75 for an overall third-place time. Reed Fujan was the next competitor in for the Irish, logging a clip of 1:51.25 for fourth place. Babcock rounded out the Notre Dame point scorers with a fifth-place clip of 1:51.50. Olson (1:52.96, eighth) and Stephens (1:53.14, ninth) chipped in top 10 times for Notre Dame.
Men’s 50 Freestyle: Hudspith was the top finisher in his heat with an effort of an even 21.00, tying for fourth overall with Jackson Allen of Iowa. Nicholas Sim (21.56) and Jack Cobain (21.75) logged the other two Notre Dame scoring times, placing 15th and 16th, respectively. Bogac Ayhan contributed a swim of 21.81 for 19th place.
Men’s 400 Medley Relay: The Notre Dame ‘A’ entry of Ayhan, Cameron Miller, Dyer and Stephens notched a runner-up finish with a final time of 3:19.41. The Irish ‘C’ lineup of Bertie Nel, Olson, Broderick Kelley and Fujan also scored with a final team clip of 3:22.94.
Men’s 3-Meter Diving: Joe Coumos earned the victory for Notre Dame off the 3-meter board, posting a cumulative score of 353.55 points. Ted Wagner chipped in a third-place finish with 331.10 points. Nick Nemetz (328.15 points) and Michael Kreft (322.00 points) rounded out the Notre Dame competitors in the top five.
–ND–