GREENSBORO, North Carolina — The No. 14 Notre Dame women’s swim team, along with the men and women divers, will be competing in the ACC Championships this week, starting Wednesday, Feb. 17 and continuing through Saturday, Feb. 20, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The women’s swim team enters the postseason with an undefeated dual meet record for the 2020-21 season (4-0). Seven female swimmers have turned in a total of 20 NCAA B-Cut times, including sophomore Coleen Gillilan’s eight. Gillilan has twice been named ACC women’s Swimmer of the Week this season, and set a program record in the 100 Fly this season (52.07), breaking her previous record.
In the diving well, the tandem of senior Kelly Straub and junior Annie Wiese lead the way. Straub has set two program records this season (1-meter and platform), while Wiese has been a close second on multiple occasions. Both divers have noted Zone-A scores in all three diving events this season. Straub has also earned ACC women’s Diver of the Week twice this season.
For the men’s divers, junior Austin Flaute, ACC men’s Diver of the Week honoree, has achieved Zone-A scores in two events (1-meter and 3-meter), and junior David Petrison set a program record on the platform in Notre Dame’s final meet of the regular season.
The No. 14 ranking equals the Irish women’s team’s highest ranking in recent program history, and is a testament to the consistency of the program, according to head swim coach Mike Litzinger.
“We’re considered an elite, Top-15 team,” Litzinger noted. “For us to continue that, it’s about getting to the end. […] What a lot of the teams in the ACC really try to do is look at this more like the ACC basketball tournament. It’s awesome, because we all get together and we all fight it out, but next meet is where you really want to excel.
“I’ve always felt this since I was brought in: Notre Dame needs to be a national presence. And so, what we do at the NCAA level is the ultimate goal.”
Details
Date: Feb. 17-20, 2021
Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center (Greensboro, NC) – no spectators permitted
Streaming Information (ACC Network Extra on the ESPN App)
- Wednesday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m. ET – 8 p.m. ET: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=54ab0054-c6fe-4782-a0a8-eced4a963dbb
- Thursday, Feb. 18, 11 a.m. ET – 10 p.m. ET: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=a393a63a-fdbc-4a1d-85f0-2bb947f6ff9e
- Friday, Feb. 19, 11 a.m. ET – 10 p.m. ET: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=9e79ce29-e125-4e62-93e9-5b7d2ecc7b9a
- Saturday, Feb. 20: 11 a.m. ET – 10 p.m. ET: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=3fe705ee-8c57-466d-a9f7-12a93f58d909
Litzinger’s Scout
“Especially in this short year, every performance counts, so we just have to compete. If we compete and you make a big final, have a good finish at the ACC Championships, chances are, you’re moving on to the next meet.
“We’ve put ourselves in a great spot; I think we’re in as good a shape as we possibly can be right now, and they’re swimming fast. I know the divers are really excelling, and they’re dialing in their craft with Coach [Mark] Bradshaw. We’re just looking forward to an opportunity to compete against our peers, enjoy each other. Once we get to Greensboro, we’ll be happy and we’ll be excited, and that’ll translate into good performance.”
Follow @NDSwimDive on Twitter for updates.
The men’s swim team will compete in the ACC Championships next week from Feb. 24 to 27.