Oct. 5, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team will enter the pool as a complete unit for the first time since winning last year’s BIG EAST championship this Friday as the Irish host the Dennis Stark Relays. Both the Fighting Irish men and women will compete in the relays, which are slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Rolfs Aquatic Center on the Notre Dame campus.
The men’s relays will boast a field of seven schools. Ball State, Cleveland State, Marquette, Oakland (Mich.), Valparaiso and Wisconsin-Milwaukee will all join Notre Dame in the pool. There will be 13 events (11 swimming, two diving) taking place throughout the evening.
“It’s always exciting to get the season started,” states Notre Dame men’s head coach Tim Welsh. “The Dennis Stark Relays are a real chance to race and let us get the season underway. We are excited to use our new starting blocks and get in the pool. Plus, this meet carries its own excitement. We have some new teams coming in this year and they will provide depth and strength to the field.”
This will mark the 41st year that Notre Dame has hosted the annual relay event to begin the season. Prior to 2003, the meet was known as the Notre Dame Relays. In 2003 the event’s name was changed to honor Dennis Stark, the long-time Irish men’s swimming and diving coach who guided the program from 1958-1985.
“Dennis (Stark) is the founding father of Notre Dame swimming,” Welsh says. “He started the program and he created the relays. He has touched everyone who has ever swam here. He’s been here for every relay and it will be a pleasure to have him here again this year to be the meet official. He is a genuine Notre Dame man.”
Headlining the 2005-06 Irish roster will be junior Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb), who is coming off a season in which he claimed two individual BIG EAST titles and became just the second member of the Irish program to ever compete in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. He swam the 100-yard butterfly, the 200-yard butterfly and the 200-yard individual medley at the national meet.
The key to Notre Dame’s success this year will be the depth of the team. Captaining the veteran group of Fighting Irish swimmers and divers this season will be seniors Patrick Heffernan (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) and local-product Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn). The Irish are also welcoming in a talented freshman class.
“The strongest thing about our team this year is our team depth,” Welsh comments. “We have been quite strong in the distance freestyle events and that looks to continue this season.”
Notre Dame hopes the depth will lead them to a second straight conference crown. The Fighting Irish men captured the program’s first BIG EAST title during last year’s campaign. Notre Dame dethroned Pittsburgh, who was the eight-time defending conference champion. The Irish claimed five BIG EAST titles en route to defeating the Panthers by 275 points.
Notre Dame will have two weeks off before entertaining Texas A&M in the Rolfs Aquatic Center on Friday, Oct. 21 at 6:00 p.m.
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