Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Men's Swimming Sending Three Participants To The 2000 Olympic Team Trials

Aug. 1, 2000

The Notre Dame men’s swimming team will be well represented at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind., August 9-16. Seniors Dan Szilier (Norristown, Pa.) and Ryan Verlin (Rye, N.Y.), along with junior Jonathan Pierce (Newburgh, Ind.) are ready for the trip to Indianapolis to compete for a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team.

Szilier will be competing in the 200 meter breaststroke, an event in which he took second at the BIG EAST Championships when he swam his best time of the year (2:01.72). He also holds the school record in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:00.09 at the 1999 BIG EAST Championships, where he won the event and captured his first BIG EAST individual title. The 200 breaststroke competition will begin August 13, the fifth day of competition at the trials.

Verlin will take on the 200 meter butterfly during the fourth day of competition, August 12. He is the top 200 butterfly specialist on the team, with a 1999-2000 season-best time of 1:48.39 at the BIG EAST Championships that also stands at the school record. Verlin was the 1998 recipient of the Beeler-Hipp award, which is given annually to the outstanding freshman who best exemplifies the vitality, competitiveness and love for Notre Dame shown by Meghan Beeler and Colleen Hipp.

BIG EAST Champion Jonathan Pierce is the third Olympic Trial qualifier to represent the Irish next week. Pierce took the 1,650 yard freestyle title at the 2000 BIG EAST Championship and will be competing in the 1,500 meter freestyle on the final day of competition, August 16. He holds three Notre Dame freestyle records (the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 yard events). Pierce was the first Notre Dame swimmer to win an individual BIG EAST title as a freshman in 1999.

The trials will be shown on NBC Sports on August 13 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. (ET) and August 19 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (ET). The event has been sold out since February and with the demand for tickets continuing to increase, the National Governing Body of swimming is making the trials available via big-screen closed circuit TV in the University Place Conference Center on the campus of IUPUI for each of the evening sessions.

NBC will is providing the live feed and former executive director of USA Swimming Ray Essick will emcee and provide some play-by-play of the races.

Results of the races that the Notre Dame participants are competing in will be posted on www.und.com and a link will be available to the official U.S. Olympic Trial web site.