Irish Take Second; Earn Three Titles On Final Day

Feb. 18, 2012

Complete Results

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Notre Dame won three events, including breaking the school record in the 400 free relay, on the final night of competition at the 2012 BIG EAST Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships held at Trees Pool on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

Louisville repeated as conference champions as it out-distanced the field, scoring 758.5 points. The Irish finished second with 593.5 points.

Sophomore Kelly Ryan starred for the Irish on the final night of competition, pulling off the impressive double victory in the 200 back and 100 free, while also swimming the lead leg on the record-breaking 400 free relay team. With barely 10 minutes to spare between the two individual races, the Hinsdale, Ill., product won the 200 back in a Trees Pool record time of 1:55.56, before taking the 100 free (49.38) for the second consecutive year. The two titles makes her just the 16^th Irish swimmer to win an event twice at the conference meet. Ryan now has four individual titles for her career, which puts her in a tie for seventh in Notre Dame history. She has eight BIG EAST titles and 13^th all-BIG EAST scrolls under her belt through two years with the Irish.

The 400 free relay repeated and lowered the school mark from 3:19.38 to 3:18.93 with Ryan, senior Amy Prestinario, freshman Suzanne Bessire and freshman Emma Reaney leading the charge.

Prestinario, who swam a blazing 49.02 leg on the 400 free relay team, also earned a runner-up finish in the 100 free. She closes out her BIG EAST career with 15 all-BIG EAST awards and four relay titles.

Reaney closed out a brilliant meet with a runner-up finish in the 200 breast. For the meet, the Lawrence, Kan., native earned all-BIG EAST accolades in seven events, three individual and four relays, while winning four titles, two individual and two relay. Reaney won the 200 IM and the 100 breast, and swam a leg on the winning 400 free and medley relay squads. She finished second in the 200 breast and earned third place finishes on the 800 free and 200 medley relay teams.

Junior Kim Holden and Bessire close out the meet with four and three all-BIG EAST citations, respectively.

Also placing for Notre Dame in the finals were Kim Holden (200 back), Bessire (100 free), Bridget Casey (200 fly) and Melissa Scott (200 fly).

Elsewhere in the evening action, Lauren Scott (100 free), Hannah Bowen (100 free), Christen McDonough (200 breast), Lauren Stauder (200 breast) and Gracie Fredlake (200 back) also scored points for the Irish in consolation finals.

Complete Results

1,650 Free: A pair of Irish swimmers competed in the 1,650 free, as freshman Erin Foley placed 17^th in 17:11.86, while junior Jaime Malandra took 21^st in 17:29.76.

200 Back: Ryan won her first career 200 back title as she set a new Trees Pool record with a season-best time of 1:55.56. The time broke the record of teammate Holden, who set the mark in 2010. The sophomore led from start to finish as she beat her closest opponent by just under two seconds. The victory was the eighth 200 back title for Notre Dame in the BIG EAST.

Two-time champion Holden placed eighth in the finals (2:01.06). In the consolation finals, Fredlake took fifth in the heat and 13^th overall in 2:01.40.

100 Free: Ryan pulled off the impressive double victory in the 200 back and 100 free as she won the latter in 49.38. Teammate Prestinario followed right behind, taking second in 50.12. Bessire claimed fifth in a season-best time of 50.46. In the consolation finals, L. Scott took 14^th in 51.44, while Bowen finished 16^th in 51.58.

200 Breast: Reaney had a strong showing in the 200 breast, taking second in 2:11.42. However, Louisville’s Gisselle Kohoyda blazed to a meet and pool record in 2:07.69 to take the title.

In the consolation finals, McDonough (2:13.86) and Stauder (2:14.35) took first and second, respectively, to finish ninth and 10^th overall.

200 Fly: Freshman Bridget Casey lowered her season best to 1:59.22 in the 200 fly to finish fourth. M. Scott came in eighth in 2:02.38. In the consolation finals Whyte finished eighth and 16^th overall in 2:03.73.

400 Free Relay: The 400 free relay team repeated as the foursome of Ryan, Prestinario, Bessire and Reaney breezed past Louisville (3:21.86) to win by almost three seconds. Notre Dame’s time of 3:18.93 broke the school record of 3:19.38 that was set in 2008 by Megan Farrell, Christa Riggins, Lauren Parisi and Amywren Miller.

BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Recap (Consolation Finals and Finals Results Only)
*Indicates All-BIG EAST

Emma Reaney
1^st – 200 IM (ND, Meet and Pool Record)*
1^st – 100 Breast*
1^st – 400 Medley Relay*
1^st – 400 Free Relay*
2^nd – 200 Breast*
3^rd – 800 Free Relay*
3^rd – 200 Medley Relay*

Kim Holden
1^st – 400 Medley Relay (Three-Time Champion)*
3^rd – 200 Medley Relay*
3^rd – 100 Fly*
3^rd – 100 Back*
8^th – 200 Back

Kelly Ryan
1^st – 400 Medley Relay (Two-Time Champion)*
1^st – 400 Free Relay (Two-Time Champion)*
1^st – 100 Free (Two-Time Champion)*
1^st – 200 Back*
2^nd – 200 Free*
2^nd – 200 Free Relay*
3^rd – 800 Free Relay*

Amy Prestinario
1^st – 400 Medley Relay*
1^st – 400 Free Relay (Two-Time Champion)*
2^nd – 200 Free Relay*
2^nd – 100 Free*
3^rd – 800 Free Relay*
3^rd – 200 Medley Relay*
10^th – 50 Free

Jenny Chiang
1^st – 3-Meter Dive (Three-Time Champion)*
3^rd – 1-Meter Dive*

Lauren Scott
2^nd – 200 Free Relay*
13^th – 100 Fly
14^th – 100 Free

Sarah Dotzel
3^rd – 200 Medley Relay*
5^th – 100 Fly

Suzanne Bessire
1^st – 400 Free Relay*
3^rd – 800 Free Relay*
3^rd – 200 Free*
5^th – 100 Free

Hannah Bowen
2^nd – 200 Free Relay*
9^th – 50 Free
16^th – 100 Free

Allison Casareto
2^nd – 1-Meter Dive*
7^th – 3-Meter Dive

Bridget Casey
4^th – 200 Fly
5^th – 400 IM

Gracie Fredlake
9^th – 400 IM
12^th – 500 Free
13^th – 200 Back

Christen McDonough
9^th – 100 Breast
9^th – 200 Breast

Lauren Stauder
10^th – 200 Breast
13^th – 100 Breast

Melissa Scott
8^th – 200 Fly
11^th – 400 IM
15^th – 100 Fly

Emily Barton
15^th – 200 IM

Courtney Whyte
13^th – 100 Back
16^th – 100 Fly
16^th – 200 Fly

–ND–