March 6, 2004
Freshmen Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) and Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) will take part in the Boiler-Make-It Invitational on Sunday at Purdue University in an attempt to strengthen their chances to become the first Notre Dame swimmers ever to earn berths in the NCAA Championships when the invitations are announced next Friday. Kegelman, the school recordholder in the event, will swim the 100-yard butterfly, while Brown will compete in the 400-yard individual medley.
KEGELMAN IN THE 100 FLY: Freshman Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) heads into the weekend as the University recordholder in the 100 butterfly, after finishing second in the BIG EAST Championships with a time of 48.43. According to the College Quick 50, he is tied for 44th in the nation in the event this season, including fourth among freshmen.
Kegelman had eight of the top 13 times on the Irish this season in the 100 fly, all of which were below 50.00 seconds – a barrier that had been breached just five times prior to this season in the history of Notre Dame varsity competition. Kegelman also owns the second-fastest time in the event in program history, after breaking the school record with a 48.45 in the preliminaries at the BIG EAST meet. In addition, he holds the eighth- (49.19 on Jan. 19 in quad meet at Pittsburgh) and ninth-fastest (49.30 on Dec. 5 in the Notre Dame Invitational). The former is the best unshaved time in the race in school history.
Kegelman has been nearly unbeatable in the race during his first collegiate campaign. Against nine teams in dual-meet competition, he was beaten only once – by Northwestern’s Tony Swanson, who set conference, pool, and school records in winning the Big Ten title last weekend with a time of 46.89 that is the fourth-quickest in the country this season. Overall, only three other student-athletes have touched the wall ahead of Kegelman in 2003-04. Fernando Alves of North Dakota was quicker than the Irish freshman in both the prelims and finals of the Notre Dame Invitational, while Connecticut’s Dustin Rogers did the same in the BIG EAST meet. West Virginia’s Pedro Pinto was faster than Kegelman in the preliminaries of the Notre Dame Invitational, but was slower in the finals, as well as in both rounds of the BIG EAST Championships.
The current Irish roster features the top three swimmers in the event in Notre Dame history – Kegelman, junior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School), and freshman Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley H.S.) who have combined to post the 17 fastest 100 fly times in the varsity annals of the program.
The NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 100 fly is 47.25, which eight swimmers have achieved. A year ago, the final NCAA qualifier in the event had a time of 47.72. Historically, the cutoff for qualifiers in an individual event has been anywhere from the top 18 getting berths to the top 24 gaining entry. Heading into the final weekend, the 18th-best time in the country was 47.79 and 47.90 was tied for 24th. For a complete explanation of NCAA qualifying procedures, see “Qualifying for the NCAA Championships” note later in this release.
BROWN IN THE 400 IM: Freshman Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) finished second in the Notre Dame Invitational – behind teammate and pool recordholder David Moisan (Fisherville, Ky./Louisville Male H.S.) – to post the second-fastest time on the Irish and the fifth-quickest in the BIG EAST during the regular season, 4:00.10. He did not swim the race in the conference meet, electing instead to compete in the 500 free (3rd place, University record of 4:25.83), the 200 free (8th), and the 1650 free (10th). Brown is the sixth-fastest swimmer in Irish history in the race, though he is fourth on this year’s team.
In five times swimming the 400 IM, Brown was beaten by a non- Irish student-athlete just twice, in finishing third in a November quadrangular behind a pair of BYU competitors, Diogo de Oliveira Yabe and Mountain West Conference champion Randy Belliston. Other than that, only Irish sophomore Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) and Moisan – who finished first and second, respectively, in the BIG EAST meet – have beaten Brown in the race.
The NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 400 IM is 3:47.29, which nine swimmers have achieved. A year ago, the final NCAA qualifier in the event had a time of 3:50.46. Historically, the cutoff for qualifiers in an individual event has been anywhere from the top 18 getting berths to the top 24 gaining entry. Heading into the final weekend, the 18th-best time in the country was 3:50.12 and 3:51.33 was 24th. For a complete explanation of NCAA qualifying procedures, see the ensuing “Qualifying for the NCAA Championships” note.
QUALIFYING FOR THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: The NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships have a fixed field of 270 student-athletes, including 35 divers. The swimming field consists first of all competitors who have achieved an “A” qualifying standard in any event. Beyond that, entry is given to student-athletes with the best “B” qualifying standards in events with the fewest “A” qualifiers until all the events have an equal number of entrants. From there, additional “B” qualifiers are added in order, one per event at a time, until the field size of 270 is reached. If a complete additional round of next-best qualifiers will put the field over 270, the times that are closest in percentage terms to the national record are given the final spots in the field. Any student-athlete in the field may enter and compete in a maximum of three individual events.
For instance, if there are four “A” qualifiers in the 100 backstroke, 10 in the 100 butterfly, and between four and 10 in every other event, then the top “B” qualifying times will be given entrance until every event has 10 participants in it. From there, the next best “B” time is added in each event, one by one, until the field is full. If not enough spaces remain to take the next entire round of “B” qualifiers, those swimmers’ times are compared in percentage terms to NCAA records in the events and taken in order until the field is full.
In relay competition, teams with the top 12 times in each relay earn invitations to the meet, with all of those student-athletes counting as part of the 270 qualifiers. In addition, a team with four qualifiers also may compete in any relay in which it posted a “B” qualifying time at some point throughout the year, even if the NCAA qualifiers did not participate in the “B” time.
The diving field is determined by performance at five NCAA zone meets, which take place two weeks prior to the NCAA Championships. A student-athlete qualifies for the Zone Diving meet by registering a performance in which he scores points equal or better than the qualifying standard. Each zone sends a minimum of four divers to the NCAA meet, with the zones that had better performances at the previous year’s NCAAs getting additional entries. In 2004, Zone C, in which Notre Dame competes, will send seven divers to the NCAA Championships. Once in the 35-diver field, a student-athlete may compete in both the one- and three-meter springboard events, but can only take part in the platform competition if he participated in it at the zone meet.
ND IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Notre Dame has never had a men’s swimmer or diver earn entrance to the NCAA Championships since the current format was adopted. This year’s meet will take place March 25-27 in the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow, N.Y., the same venue that played host to the BIG EAST Championships last month.
IRISH POST HIGHEST POINT TOTAL EVER IN BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS: Notre Dame scored 584 points in finishing second behind #16 Pittsburgh in the BIG EAST Championships. The runner-up result was the third for Notre Dame, after also doing so in 1999 and 2000, while the point total was the most-ever for the Irish, topping the ’99 total of 565 points. Virginia Tech finished third with 568.5 points, while the Panthers had 746.
LUTKUS, MOISAN MAKE IRISH HISTORY AT BIG EAST: Sophomore Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) and junior David Moisan (Fisherville, Ky./Louisville Male H.S.) provided Notre Dame with its first-ever 1-2 finish in the BIG EAST Championships, taking the top two spots in the 400-yard individual medley. Lutkus gave the Irish their sixth BIG EAST title and first since 2000 with a time of 3:55.40, while Moisan was right behind in 3:56.83. Lutkus took second in the race in 2002.
Tim Welsh NAMED CO-BIG EAST COACH OF THE YEAR: Head coach Tim Welsh was named co-BIG EAST Coach of the Year for leading the Irish to a second-place finish, highlighted by nine top-three results and their first-ever 1-2 finish in the league meet. Welsh, whose team broke eight University records in moving up two spots from last year’s conference meet and scoring a school-record 584 points, shared the honor with Virginia Tech’s Ned Skinner. The Irish mentor, in his 19th season, also won the award in 1999 after guiding his team to its first of three runner-up finishes in the BIG EAST Championships.
RECORDS MADE TO BE BROKEN: Notre Dame set eight University records in last month’s BIG EAST Championships. Leading the way were sophomore Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) and freshman Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.), who each set two individual marks. Bauman was the quickest in Irish history in the 100 (50.16) and 200 backstroke (1:48.44), while Kegelman etched his name in the record books for both the 200 IM (1:50.45) and 100 fly (48.43). Freshman Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) broke the school record in the 500 free by nearly two seconds with a time of 4:25.83, while sophomore Steve Shomberger (Spotsylvania, Va./Courtland H.S.) broke the 200 back record in the prelims and bettered his time at night (1:48.66) despite losing to Bauman.
Irish teams set relay school records in the 200 free, 800 free, and 200 medley. The 200 free quartet of sophomore Tiu Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.), junior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School), Kegelman, and freshman Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley H.S.) had a time of 1:21.30, while Bauman, Randolph, Kegelman, and Krakowski went a program-best 1:30.48 in the 200 medley. In the 800 free, senior co-captain Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School), freshman Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.), junior Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.), and Brown bested the previous record by nearly three seconds, finishing in 6:42.55.
NINE IRISH SWIMMERS EARN ALL-BIG EAST HONORS: In registering nine top-three finishes (eight in individual events, one in a relay), Notre Dame had nine student-athletes earn all-BIG EAST honors in last month’s conference meet. Leading the way was freshman Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.), who gained mention with his University-record performances in both the 100 butterfly (2nd, 48.43) and 200 individual medley (3rd, 1:50.45). Freshman Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) also was a an honoree with two school-record times. He was third in the 500 free in 4:25.83, while also being the anchor on the 800 freestyle relay team that was third in 6:42.55. Other members of that relay were senior co-captain Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School), junior Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.), and freshman Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.).
Sophomores Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) and Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) were all-BIG EAST honorees for the second consecutive year. Lutkus won the 400 IM in 3:55.40 after taking second as a freshman, while Bauman was second in the 200 backstroke with a Notre Dame record time of 1:48.44 after leading off the third-place 200 medley relay in ’03. Juniors David Moisan (Fisherville, Ky./Louisville Male H.S.) and Patrick Davis (Clearwater, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) posted runner-up finishes to gain all-conference mention. Moisan was right behind Lutkus in the 400 IM in 3:45.83, while Davis was second in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 15:34.41.
The eight top-three finishes were the second-most ever for an Irish team, behind the ’99 squad’s 13, while the nine different all-BIG EAST honorees were tied for second with the 2000 team and behind the ’99 group’s 10. Over the previous three years (2001-03), Notre Dame had just a total of eight top-three finishes, including three in ’03.
IRISH GET THREE NCAA “B” CUTS IN BIG EAST MEET: Senior co-captain Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School) and freshmen Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) and Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) notched NCAA “B” qualifying times in last month’s BIG EAST Championships, meaning they will be considered for entrance into the NCAA meet. Obringer’s was a 1:38.64 in the 200 free, which was good enough for fourth and stands as the fourth-quickest time ever by an Irish swimmer, behind a pair of his from last year’s BIG EAST meet and the school-record performance by Ray Fitzpatrick in 2000. Kegelman was second with both a University record and a “B” mark in the 100 fly with a time of 48.43. Brown finished third in the 500 free, setting a Notre Dame record in 4:25.83, also a “B” cut.
IRISH IN THE COLLEGE QUICK 50: Notre Dame is represented eight times in the College Quick 50, the list of the top times in the nation this season in each event. Four Irish relay teams are listed among the nation’s top 40 with times from last month’s BIG EAST Championships. The 200 medley relay team of sophomores Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) and Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.), freshman Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.), and junior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) lead the way at 33rd with their University-record time of 1:30.48. The same quartet is 35th in the 400 medley with a mark of 3:19.66, while the team of Randolph, Krakowski, Kegelman, and freshman Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley H.S.) is 35th in the 200 free with a time of 1:21.30. The Irish record of 6:42.55 in the 800 free, set by senior co-captain Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School), freshman Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.), junior Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.), and freshman Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) is 38th.
In individual events, Kegelman is tied for 44th in the 100 butterfly with a school record of 48.43, while sophomore Patrick Davis (Clearwater, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) is 46th in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 15:34.41. Coming in 47th are both Brown in the 500 free (4:25.83) and sophomore Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) in the 400 IM (3:55.37).
GOING OUT IN STYLE: Notre Dame’s senior co-captains each went out with memorable performances on the final day of the BIG EAST Championships. Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School) matched his career-best time in the 100 free in taking second in the consolation final. Josh Dermott (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Rio Americano H.S.) cut 1.39 seconds off his previous career-best mark in winning the consolation final of the 200 breaststroke by more than a second, in 2:02.96. His evening time was more than two seconds faster than his performance in prelims.
Both Obringer and Dermott end their careers ranking among the top five swimmers of all time in each of their three main individual events. Dermott, who posted career highs in all three races in this year’s BIG EAST meet, is fourth in the 100 breast (56.43) and fifth in the 200 breast and 200 IM (1:51.13), while Obringer is the second-fastest 200 free swimmer in Irish history (1:38.49) and ranks third in the 500 (4:27.57) and fourth in the 100.
WINNING WAYS: Notre Dame finished its dual-meet season with an 8-7 record. It was the seventh winning record – and eighth non-losing season – in the last nine years. It also marked the 28th winning season in 46 years of varsity competition.
STRONG FINISH: Standing 1-5 in dual meets midway through November, the Irish proceeded to turn their season around, taking first place in the Notre Dame Invitational (710 points ahead of #22 Harvard) and then posting a 7-2 record in 2004 to finish the year 8-7.
WELSH HITS 250: Notre Dame’s triumph over St. Bonaventure on Jan. 31 was the 250th at Notre Dame for head coach Tim Welsh . In his 19 years leading the Irish, he holds a 252-140 (.643) record coaching both men’s and women’s swimming and diving. He led the Notre Dame women’s program from 1985-95, compiling a 93-50 (.642) record, and Welsh remains the winningest coach in Irish women’s swimming and diving history. Welsh has a 160-90 (.640) mark leading the Notre Dame men. He is seven victories shy of becoming the all-time winningest Irish men’s swimming and diving coach. The program’s first and only other mentor was Dennis Stark, who had a 167-137 (.549) record from 1958-85.
HIGH SCORERS: A pair of freshman were Notre Dame’s top point scorers this season. Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) was the top scorer by a huge margin in individual events, accounting for 427 points, while Tim Kegelman (Yorktwon, Va./Tabb H.S.) was second with 278.5. When adding relay points (1/4 of total earned in each race), Brown was still first with 465.5, though Kegelman had 407.75. Sophomore Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) was third in individual points with 249.5, while senior co-captain Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School) was fourth with 226 and sophomore Patrick Davis (Clearwater, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) was fifth with 222. When including relays, junior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) came in third with 361, while sophomore Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) was fourth with 318, and Obringer was fifth with 300.75.
CHALLENGING SLATE: Notre Dame faced a total of six teams this season that are currently ranked or receiving votes in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America’s national top 25. Leading the way is defending BIG EAST champion Pittsburgh (L, 123-228; 1st in BIG EAST , 746-548) at 16th, followed by Northwestern (L, 133-155) at 18th, with BYU (L, 116-178) 20th, North Carolina (L, 111.5-181.5) 24th, and Harvard (2nd to ND, 2259.5-1549.5, at Notre Dame Invitational) 25th. Seven teams on Notre Dame’s dual-match slate qualified student-athletes for last season’s NCAA Championships.
YOUTHFUL AIRS: This year’s Irish team has a definite youthful side to it. Of the 29 student-athletes, only eight came into 2003-04 more than one previous season of collegiate experience. There are just four members of the class of ’03 and just four juniors, while 10 sophomores and 11 freshmen fill out the roster.
IT TAKES TWO: In returning to a Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving tradition, the Irish will be led by a pair of co-captains in 2003-04 — seniors Josh Dermott (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Rio Americano H.S.) and Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School). After Notre Dame had tri-captains a season ago for just the second time in the 46-year history of the program, the Irish will have co-captains for the 21st time in the last 24 years.
IRISH HEAD COACH: Irish head coach Tim Welsh is in his 19th season leading the Irish men’s swimming and diving program after helming both the men’s and women’s teams from 1985-94. Last month he was named Co-BIG EAST Coach of the Year for helping the Irish to their highest-ever point total and a runner-up finish in the conference meet. It was the second time he was so honored in the last six years, also gaining the distinction in 1999. In his career, which spans 26 previous seasons, Welsh has compiled a 374-231 (.618) overall dual-meet mark, including a 224-126 (.640) record coaching men’s swimming and diving. Last Saturday’s win over St. Bonaventure was his 250th at Notre Dame (252-140 record, .643). A former Division III National Coach of the Year, Welsh has helped his teams to a pair of national titles, as well as 24 conference championships (15 Midwestern Collegiate, 9 Middle Atlantic, 1 North Star). Prior to coming to Notre Dame, he led the Johns Hopkins men’s and women’s programs for eight years, winning back-to-back men’s Division III national titles in 1978 and ’79, being named National Coach of the Year on the latter occasion. Since coming to Notre Dame, he has coached 11 athletes who have earned berths in the NCAA Championships. His impact on the evolution of the men’s program is evidenced by the fact that all but one current University record has been set since 1999. Welsh has been awarded an honorary monogram for his distinguished service to the swimming programs by Notre Dame’s National Monogram Club. He currently has the second-longest tenure of any Irish coach at Notre Dame (track and field coach Joe Piane is first at 29 years). Welsh also is involved with the sport at the national and international levels, as he served on the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Swimming Committee from 1991-97 and was president of the group at one time. He also has served as the president of the BIG EAST swimming coaches, is a board member of the American Swimming Coaches Association, and will serve on the technical director’s staff for the 2005 World University Games in Turkey.
IRISH HEAD DIVING COACH: Caiming Xie is in his ninth season as the head diving coach at Notre Dame for both the men’s and women’s teams. Last month he was named the BIG EAST Women’s Diving Coach of the Year for the second time (also in 1999) after helping Irish senior Meghan Perry-Eaton to conference titles in the one- and three-meter competitions and her second consecutive BIG EAST Most Outstanding Diver award. During his tenure, he has coached two All-Americans on the women’s side, as well as the top two men’s divers in school history: Herb Huesman and Andy Maggio , who barely missed being the first Irish male ever to qualify for the NCAA Championships, in 2002. On the women’s side, Caiming was responsible for the development of Heather Mattingly and Perry-Eaton, the first two diving All-Americans in Notre Dame history. Caiming also has a great deal of international coaching experience, serving as diving coach for the Chinese Olympic and national team from 1977-90, being recognized as the Chinese National Diving Coach of the Year twice (1986 and ’87). His divers have won a number of medals in international events, including a gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain by Sun Shu-Wei.
IRISH SIGN THREE FOR NEXT SEASON: Head coach Tim Welsh recently announced the signing of three incoming freshmen for the 2004-05 season. Graham Parker (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill H.S. East), Rob Seery (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City H.S.), and Jay VandenBerg (Beverly Hills, Mich./Southfield Christian School) have signed national letters of intent to enroll at Notre Dame next year and join the Irish men’s swimming and diving team. Welsh anticipates the addition of further recruits for the class of 2008, but is unable to comment on them at this time due to NCAA regulations.
Parker is a three-time New Jersey state champion, having won titles in the 200 medley relay (2002), the 200 individual medley (’03), and the 400 freestyle relay (’03). He has earned high school All-America honors in the 100 breaststroke, 200 IM, and 200 medley relay and is a spring 2004 senior U.S. national qualifier in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:04.24. Seery posted the 14th-fastest time in the nation for 15- and 16-year-old boys in the 1,650 freestyle in 2003, 15:39.39. He has earned All-America honors in the 200 and 500 freestyle and qualified for the 2003 national championships in the 800 free relay. His top times in the 1,000 (9:26.26) and 1,650 freestyle (15:35.01, done after he turned 17) would rank him as the second-quickest swimmer in Notre Dame history in both events. VandenBerg boasted the 15th-fastest time in the nation for 17- and 18-year olds in the 1,650 freestyle last year, 15:32.52. He has posted senior national qualifying marks in the 800 free, 1500 free, and 1650 free. A U.S. Open qualifier in six events (400 free, 800 free, 1000 free, 1500 free, 1650 free, 400 IM), VandenBerg also holds the 16-and-under Michigan postal distance record for 3,000-yard freestyle. VandenBerg’s top 1,650 freestyle time of 15:32.52 has been bettered only once in the history of Notre Dame swimming, while his 9:21.76 mark in the 1,000 free would rank third on the all-time Irish list.
KEEPING UP WITH NOTRE DAME MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING: For the fastest results of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving meets, call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #7. The hotline provides schedule and results information for all 26 varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the meet previews and recaps provided on the official athletic website, www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with the results of each Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving meet. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu. He also can provide any needed information about the Irish men’s swimming and diving program.