GREENSBORO, N.C. — The No. 12 Fighting Irish ended the ACC Championships in fifth place (784 points), a full team effort that was highlighted by Coleen Gillilan’s third-place finish in the 200 Fly. Over the week, Notre Dame women also turned in the highest point total by a diving squad, posting 151 points.
“It was a solid meet for us; we had some highs and some lows,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Litzinger shared. “Coleen’s 200 Fly was an outstanding bronze-medal performance, along with Luciana Thomas and Bayley Stewart in their respective finals.”
HOW IT HAPPENED | COMPLETE RESULTS
In the morning, Stewart kicked it off in her main stroke for the Irish, punching her ticket to the 200 Back A Final with a 1:54.27 (seventh). In a competitive 100 Free preliminary competition, Abbie Dolan claimed the 13th slot (48.93), placing her in the B final heading into the evening. In the 200 Breast, freshman Elizabeth Fry made her mark with a 2:14.50, placing 16th into the B final.
The Irish took the 200 Fly prelim by storm, as Gillilan and Thomas both claimed A final slots. Gillilan posted a personal best, climbing to the No. 2 performer in Irish history with a 1:54.95 to place second heading into finals, while Thomas placed seventh in prelims with a 1:56.77.
In the evening, Stewart moved up one spot in the 200 Back to take sixth overall (1:54.10). For the standout performance of the week, Gillilan placed third and claimed the bronze medal in the 200 Fly (1:54.79), posting a new personal best and improving on her No. 2 fastest performer status in Irish record books.
Lindsay Stone made her mark in the 1650 Free, posting a 16:23.93 to place seventh overall, while on the diving end, Kelly Straub turned in a 218.10 in the women’s platform, good for seventh overall.
To end the evening, the team of Dolan, Carly Quast, Skylar Fore and Lauren Heller posted a 3:18.75 to place eighth in the 400 Free Relay.
“I can’t dispute the heart and competitive spirit that the group competed with,” Litzinger attested Saturday evening. “We had some great leadership this season, and now it’s on to the NCAA meet.”
UP NEXT
The No. 16 Irish men will take the pool Feb. 26-29 for their own ACC Championships, and the squad will then send individual members to the NCAA Championships in March.
STANDINGS
- Virginia – 1492.5
- NC State – 1333
- Louisville – 1105.5
- North Carolina – 839
- NOTRE DAME – 784
- Duke – 675.5
- Florida State – 555
- Virginia Tech – 469
- Georgia Tech – 407.5
- Pitt – 359
- Miami – 298
- Boston College – 164