March 24, 2017
By Sinhue Mendoza
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The No. 19 University of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team had a strong third day at the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the IU Natatorium.
He’s Top-20
A day after placing 20th in the one-meter, Joe Coumos concluded his participation at the NCAA Championships by finishing 19th out of a field of 50 divers in the three-meter. He recorded a score of 344.00.
Top-25 in the 100 Breast
Trent Jackson came in 25th with a time of 52.80. The time was the fourth-fastest in program history. He owns the Notre Dame record at 52.25.
Top-30
Robby Whitacre tapped the wall at 46.83 in the 100 back and finished 28th. He swam the third-fastest race in school history and already owns the school record (set at the 2017 ACC Championships, 46.53).
#IrishRelays
The 200 medley relay quartet of Justin Plaschka, Daniel Speers, Robby Whitacre and Trent Jackson finished 24th with a time of 1:24.88.
The Irish Relays are back in action tomorrow competing in the 400 free relay.
Flying in Top-40
Justin Plaschka finished 37th in the 100 fly with a time of 46.84. The swim was the fourth-fastest in program history. He also owns the record in the event at 46.05.
COACH LITZINGER’S THOUGHTS
“We had a pretty good day today with some top-25 finishes and of course we were hoping for more. Trent Jackson and Robby Whitacre have been solid all year long and this is their first NCAA Championship meet as individual qualifiers and I believe they will take advantage of their opportunities tomorrow. Joe had a solid contest. It is a tough field and the margin for error is slim. Tomorrow we have more swims highlighted by our 400 free relay squad and the men need to be ready.”
WHEN AND HOW TO WATCH THE IRISH
ESPN3.com will stream the finals sessions live on Saturday. Additionally, ESPNU will air a broadcast via tape delay at 5 p.m. ET, Wednesday, April 5. Live results for the championships will be available on NCAA.com.
Notre Dame fans can also follow live results of the week’s action on the team’s Twitter account, @NDMensswimdive, with a complete recap posted to und.com at the conclusion of the meet.
Saturday, March 25
10:00 a.m. Day 4 Swimming Trials
200 Back (Robby Whitacre)
200 Breast (Trent Jackson)
400 Free Relay (Justin Plaschka, Daniel Speers, Tabahn Afrik, Reed Fujan)
6:00 p.m. Day 4 Finals
200 Back Consolation/Final
100 Free Consolation/Final
200 Breast Consolation/Final
Platform Diving Finals
400 Free Relay Consolation/Final