EAST LANSING, Mich. — The University of Notre Dame swimming and diving program concluded their dual meet season with a sweep at Michigan State, Saturday afternoon. On the day, the Irish tallied 60 top-three finishes and 27 first-place spots, including all four diving events.
“It was a really solid day of swimming and diving for us,” Head Coach Mike Litzinger said. “I am very proud of our group as they showed versatility and depth at both ends of the pool versus Michigan State.”
The women finished their season undefeated, going 10-0-1 while the men defeated the Spartans in their first dual of the new year. Posting seven clean sweeps through 16 events, the women tallied 196 points to beat the Spartans 196-101.
“Our women capped off an undefeated dual meet season, and showed our strength in numbers by dominating the boards and the relays,” he added. “This group is very special and I am looking forward to championship performances by all.”
Notre Dame’s men beat Michigan State 188-108 to improve their 2018-19 season record to 4-4.
“The men came out of the gate taking the first four events and never looked back,” Litzinger went on. “We had a chance to showcase student-athletes in other events, and hone some skills. In particular Matt Grauslys did a fantastic job, taking first in both the 100 and 200 fly.”
Statistical Standouts
Combined, the Notre Dame men’s and women’s swim and dive teams accounted for eight sweeps during the afternoon meet.
Beginning with the women’s 200 medley relay, the Notre Dame A team led with a time of 1:41.77 before the “B” and “C” relays claimed the next two spots.
The women went on to sweep the next two events, with Madeline Laporte, Ellie Berdusco and Sammie Eyolfson finishing 1-2-3 in the 1000 free before Sinead Eksteen, Lindsay Stone and Alice Treuth swept the 200 free.
The fourth Irish sweep of the day came in the 200 fly when Luciana Thomas led the Irish trio with a time of 2:01.47. Katie Rentz and Cailey Grunhard finished shortly behind with a time of 2:05.47 and 2:05.65, respectively.
Matt Grauslys led the charge in the men’s 200 fly, leading the Irish to their first sweep on the men’s side and fifth overall. He finished first with a time of 1:47.99 followed by Zachary Smith (1:48.83) and Max Miranda (1:50.30).
In the diving well, the Irish women claimed the top four spots in the 3-meter competition. Kelly Straub earned first place with a score of 314.33 while Erin Isola and Annie Wiese tied for second with 299.48 points each. Claire Andrews rounded out the leaderboard with 296.32 points for fourth place overall.
After a short break, Kelly Jacob, Cailey Grunhard and Katie Smith tabbed the seventh clean sweep for the Irish against the Spartans, finishing the 100 free at the top.
The final Irish sweep of the day came in the women’s 500 free when Abbie Dolan, Luciana Thomas and Lauren Heller combined for first, second and third. Dolan led the trio with a time of 4:49.18 while Thomas swam the distance in 4:58.49. Heller touched the wall third overall with a final time of 5:08.48.
Up Next
The Irish will send a handful of individuals to the Ohio State Winter Invitational in two weeks before heading to Greensboro, North Carolina for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships.
The women’s and diving ACC Championships begin Wednesday, February 20 at 4 p.m. and will conclude Saturday, February 23. The men’s competition takes place the following week, February 27-March 2.
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