Dec. 6, 2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Trailing by 162 points heading into the final day of competition, the 19th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team took first in five of seven events on Saturday in rallying to win the Notre Dame Invitational in the Rolfs Aquatic Center. Bowling Green, the second-day leader, finished second with 1,187.5 points, while the Irish had 1,284.
After trailing for nearly the entire competition, Notre Dame finally surged ahead after event 35 (of 40 on the program), keyed by a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 butterfly that gave the Irish control of the meet for good. Freshman Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) led the way, touching in 2:03.23 while senior Lisa Garcia (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) was second in 2:03.55 and junior Brooke Taylor (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highlands Prep School) finished next, in 2:06.63.
Freshman Ann Barton (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparrel H.S.) registered the first Irish victory of the Saturday evening session, leading a quartet of Notre Dame swimmers that finished ahead of the rest of the field. Barton finished in 2:02.67, nearly two seconds ahead of classmate Ellen Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy), who posted a time of 2:04.50. Another first-year student-athlete, Kiley Gooch (Carmel, Ind./Carmel H.S.), was third in 2:06.09, while junior Sarah Alwen (Maadi, Cairo, Egypt) finished fourth in 2:06.31.
In the next race, Johnson took the top spot, finishing the 100-yard freestyle in 52.50.
Senior Meghan Perry-Eaton (Brandon, Fla./Bloomingdale H.S.) remained undefeated this season by winning the one-meter diving competition with a score of 315.25.
Notre Dame finished the meet strong, with a first-place effort in the 400 freestyle relay. Carroll, freshman Kristina Archer (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory H.S.), junior Katie Eckholt (Omaha, Neb./Marian H.S.), and Johnson won the race in 3:31.48.
Freshman Abby Strang (St. Simons Island, Ga./The Bolles School) led Notre Dame in the first race of the day, finishing third in the 1,650 freestyle in 17:14.61.
Freshman Jessica Stephens (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg H.S.) was the top Irish finisher in the 200 breaststroke, coming in fourth in 2:21.04.
Notre Dame will return to action January 5 in dual-meet action against Army in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Other top-eight Irish finishers from the final day of the Notre Dame Invitational are listed below:
Kristen Peterson , sixth, 200 back, 2:07.42
Laurie Musgrave, sixth, 200 breast, 2:22.66
Courtney Choura, eighth, 200 breast, 2:24.78
Kiley Gooch, eighth, 200 butterfly, 2:11.70
Sarah Alwen, Ann Barton, Meghan Linnelli, Grace Galagan, eighth, 400 free relay, 3:36.50