Jan. 22, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Sophomores Scott Coyle (Indianapolis, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern H.S.) and Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) were double winners, but the depth of the 21st-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team (6-2) could not overcome the power boasted by #14 Northwestern (4-4) Saturday afternoon in a 163.5-134.5 decision in the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The Wildcats set four pool records, but could not clinch victory until just before the final event, due to depth that saw the Irish take at least two of the top three places in 10 of 14 individual events.
Notre Dame outscored Northwestern 28-8 in the two diving events, thanks in large part to the performance of Coyle, who swept the springboard competitions to bring his season victory total to seven. He outdueled Northwestern junior Mike Oxman off both boards to give the Irish valuable points that kept the meet close. Coyle registered his first win of the season in one-meter action with a score of 293.77 that was just his second time above 270 in 2004-05. Oxman barely edged freshman Sam Stoner (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) for second place, 287.77-285.15, and the Irish rounded out the top six with rookies Steven Crowe (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport H.S.), Mike Maggio (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier H.S.), and Chris Kane (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan H.S.), who all scored above 257. Maggio finished fifth off both boards with collegiate bests in each competition: 260.10 in one-meter action and 266.93 in three-meter diving. Coyle notched a score of 292.35 off the higher board, his third-highest sum of the season. Oxman again edged Stoner, 280.13-276.45, and Kane finished fourth with a collegiate-high 273.53 points.
The lone two swimming victories for the Irish came from Kegelman in the butterfly events. He led a 1-2-3-4 performance for Notre Dame in the 200-yard race, finishing with a time of 1:52.28. Junior Patrick Heffernan (Norcross, Ga./Norcross H.S.) was the runner-up in 1:52.93, while his classmate, Bryan Guarnier (Queensbury, N.Y./Glen Falls H.S.), was third in 1:53.64, and senior co-captain Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.), swimming in his final home meet, took fourth (1:54.66).
In the 100 fly, Kegelman – who ranks fifth in Division I this season and now has 11 first-place finishes – led the way with a time of 49.28, while senior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) took second with a time of 49.61. Sophomore Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley H.S.) was fifth in 52.11.
The depth of the Irish was nowhere more apparent than in the 100 breaststroke. Northwestern’s Louis Torres won the race, but he was followed by four Notre Dame competitors. Junior Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) was the runner-up in 57.58, while his classmate, Tyler Grenda (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum H.S.), was third in 58.39, sophomore Nick Fanslau (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn H.S.) took fourth with a time of 59.23, and freshman Eric Swenson (Scotch Plains, N.J./St. Joseph H.S.) was fifth in 1:00.59.
In the 200 breast, Grenda was second to Torres with a season-best time of 2:05.93, while senior David Moisan (Fisherville, Ky./Louisville Male H.S.) took third in 2:07.78, and junior Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) was right behind with a time of 2:07.80.
Northwestern sophomore Matt Grevers, who was an All-American in two events and honorable mention All-America in five more at last year’s NCAA Championships, was the star of the meet, as each of his four swims resulted in Rolfs Aquatic Center records. His assault on the record board at the north end of the pool began in the first event, the 200 medley relay, in which he combined with freshman Kyle Bubolz, Torres, and senior Matt Wever to beat the field by more than three seconds with a time of 1:30.05 that was more than 1.5 seconds faster than the pool record, set by a Michigan State quartet in November. Notre Dame’s team of junior Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School), Randolph, Kegelman, and Krakowski was second in 1:33.37.
Grevers next jumped into the pool for the 100-yard backstroke, in which he finished sixth at last year’s NCAAs and came into the weekend ranking third in Division I this season. He responded by topping the field by nearly four seconds and finishing in a time of 48.01 that was an NCAA “B” cut (but not a season best) and quicker than the previous record of 48.74, set by Western Kentucky’s Gord Veldman in the 1999 Notre Dame Invitational. Bauman took second in a time of 51.69, while freshman Andrew MacKay (Georgetown, Cayman Islands/Cayman Prep and H.S.) notched a collegiate-best time (51.74) in taking third, just hundredths behind the Irish record holder. Junior Steve Shomberger (Spotsylvania, Va./Courtland H.S.) was fifth in 52.78.
Three events later, Grevers became the fastest man ever to swim in the Rolfs Aquatic Center, winning the 50 freestyle in a time of 20.02 that was nearly a second quicker than runner-up Krakowski (20.93), counted for another NCAA “B” cut, and was better than the previous pool record of 20.16 by Western Kentucky’s Kicker Vencill in the ’99 Notre Dame Invitational. Cavadini finished third in 21.10, while senior Drew Pittman (Williamsburg, Va./Lafayette H.S.) was fifth in 22.27.
In his final swim, Grevers turned in his most impressive performance. He won the 200 backstroke by more than eight seconds and smashed the previous pool record (1:46.95 by Jerram Chudleigh of Wyoming at the 2002 Notre Dame Invitational) by 2.99 seconds with an NCAA “A” cut of 1:43.96. Grevers had already notched an automatic qualifying time to the NCAA meet in the 100 free earlier this season, but that time ranks him fifth in Division I this season. Bauman was Notre Dame’s top finisher in the race, taking third in 1:52.68. Shomberger was fourth with a time of 1:53.86, while sophomores Alan Carter (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park H.S.) and Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.) tied for fifth in 1:57.39.
Grevers was not the only Wildcat to notch and NCAA cut, as Bubolz won the 100 free with an NCAA “B” cut of 44.67. That was the only event in which Northwestern went 1-2-3, as Cavadini was the top Notre Dame finisher with a time of 46.74 and Fanslau was fifth in 47.55.
Following Notre Dame wins in the 100 fly and three-meter diving, the Irish had cut the lead to just 17 points, at 139.5-122.5. But it was the 400 individual medley the Wildcats used to clinch their fifth consecutive triumph over Notre Dame. Senior Mike Gustafson and junior Brian Davis beat the field, while Moisan was third in 4:01.39, Lutkus took fourth in 4:04.16, and sophomore Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) scored one point with a time of 4:07.94.
Davis and freshman Dan Walls went 1-2 in the first individual event, the 1,650 freestyle. Irish rookie Jay Vanden Berg (Holland, Mich./Southfield Christian School) was third in 15:50.94, while junior Patrick Davis (Clearwater, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) followed in 16:03.34, and freshman Rob Seery (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City H.S.) was fifth in 16:12.96.
The next race saw Brown lead Notre Dame by taking third in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:41.49. Freeman was fifth in 1:43.22.
Brian Davis also won the 500 free, and Vanden Berg was second in that race, as well, with a mark of 4:36.72. Brown finished third in 4:37.48, while Patrick Davis ended up fifth with a mark of 4:42.98.
In the meet’s final event, Krakowski, Randolph, Kegelman, and Cavadini were second in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:23.40. The Irish also finished third, with Fanslau, Carter, Pittman, and Bertke going 1:27.84.
The remainder of the 2004-05 campaign for the Irish will be away from home. Notre Dame has a busy weekend ahead, as it will swim at Cleveland State and against Canisius on Friday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. (EST) before going to St. Bonaventure on Saturday for a Noon (EST) meet.