Feb. 18, 2004
The 20th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team (8-2) will take aim at an eighth consecutive title, when it takes part in the BIG EAST Championships this Thursday-Saturday in the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow, N.Y. After taking third place in their initial year in the conference, the Irish have won each of the last seven BIG EAST meets, with every victory coming by at least 113.5 points. In 2003, Notre Dame won seven of 20 events in a 150-point win over second-place Rutgers.
LAST TIME IN THE POOL: Notre Dame concluded its regular season on Feb. 7 with a 176-117 home victory over Oakland, highlighted by 12 first-place finishes. Three Irish competitors – seniors Meghan Perry-Eaton (Brandon, Fla./Bloomingdale H.S.) and Marie Labosky (Churchville, Pa./Germantown Academy) and junior Kelli Barton (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral H.S.) – were double winners. Perry-Eaton, an honorable mention All-American and the BIG EAST Diver of the Year in 2003, concluded the regular season with an undefeated record off the three-meter board with 318.60 points. She also won the one-meter competition with 291.98 points, heading into the postseason with just one blemish on her record this season. Labosky was first in the 200 back (2:05.18) and the 400 individual medley (4:25.92), an event she won at last year’s BIG EAST Championships. Barton took first in back-to-back events, winning the 200 breast (2:21.12) and 500 free (5:06.92). Senior Lisa Garcia (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.), a 2003 honorable mention All-American, won the 200 fly in 2:02.97, while sophomore Courtney Choura (Bridgeville, Pa./Oakland Catholic H.S.) took first in the 100 breast in 1:06.21. Three freshmen – Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy), Ellen Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy), and Abby Strang (St. Simons Island, Ga./The Bolles School) – also posted individual triumphs. Carroll was first in the 200 free in 1:51.44, while Johnson led a 1-2 finish in the 100 back (57.79) and Strang won the 1650 free in 1:58.33. The Irish also started the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:48.33.
The night before the Oakland meet, three Irish swimmers earned invitations to the BIG EAST Championships by taking part in time trials held during a men’s meet in the Rolfs Aquatic Center between Notre Dame and Cleveland State. Freshman Krissy Archer (Chesapeake, Va./Hickory H.S.) posted an “A” time of 24.36 in the 50 freestyle, while her classmate, Meghan Linnelli (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield H.S.), qualified in the 100 free with a time of 52.69. Senior Lisa D’Olier (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek H.S.), a 2002 honorable mention All-American and six-time BIG EAST champion, posted an “A” time (57.65) in the 100 butterfly, a race she won in the ’01 conference meet.
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS: Notre Dame will compete in the BIG EAST Championships for the ninth consecutive season since joining the league in 1995-96. The Irish finished a close third in their first appearance in the meet, just 59 points behind champion Villanova. In 1997, Notre Dame snapped the Wildcats’ five-year stranglehold on the title with a 113.5-point victory over runner-up Miami. Since then, the Irish have won each BIG EAST meet.
The 2003 event was the closest since Notre Dame’s initial victory, with the Irish securing a seventh consecutive title via a 150-point triumph, 730-580 over second-place Rutgers. Notre Dame won seven of 20 events, highlighted by a pair from Lisa Garcia (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.). She won the 200 butterfly in 2:01.02 and set a BIG EAST Championships record of 2:01.00 in taking first in the 200 IM.
Meghan Perry-Eaton (Brandon, Fla./Bloomingdale H.S.) became the first non-Miami diver to win an event in the BIG EAST meet since 1996, taking first in the one-meter competition with a score of 309.20. She also was second off the three-meter board in becoming the first Notre Dame student-athlete ever to be named BIG EAST Diver of the Year.
Notre Dame had two other champions in individual events – Danielle Hulick (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg H.S.) and Marie Labosky (Churchville, Pa./Germantown Academy). Hulick took first in the 50 free in 22.93, while Labosky won the 400 IM in 4:16.24.
The Irish won multiple relay events in the BIG EAST Championships for the seventh consecutive year, taking first in the 200 free and 400 free. Katie Eckholt (Omaha, Neb./Marian H.S.), Hulick, Heidi Hendrick, and Kristen Peterson (Wichita, Kan./Bishop Carroll H.S.) won the former in 1:33.21, while Eckholt, Sarah Alwen (Cairo, Egypt/Cairo American College), Hendrick, and Hulick were first in the longer race with a time of 3:21.81.
In addition to the seven victories, Notre Dame had four runner-up finishes in ’03. Perry-Eaton’s score of 501.75 off the one-meter board was just 6.71 points behind the top mark, while the 400 medley relay team of Hulick, Laurie Musgrave (Littleton, Colo./Arapaho H.S.), Garcia, and Hendrick were outtouched by .08 seconds by Rutgers, snapping a seven-year Irish winning streak in the race. Christel Bouvron (Singapore, Singapore/Raffles Girls Secondary) was second in the 100 fly in 54.57, while Courtney Choura (Bridgeville, Pa./Oakland Catholic H.S.) finished as the runner-up in the 200 breast in 2:18.23.
Other Irish performers who posted top-three finishes and, thus, gained all-BIG EAST recognition, were Hulick in the 100 back (55.56); Choura in the 100 breast (1:03.48); Garcia in the 100 fly (54.90); Brooke Taylor (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Preparatory School) in the 200 fly (2:01.37); the 800 free relay team of Bouvron, Garcia, Hendrick, and Alwen (7:25.26); and the 200 medley relay team of Hulick, Choura, Bouvron, and Eckholt (1:43.78).
Villanova’s Becky Koch was named the league’s Swimmer of the Year, while Chuck Warner of Rutgers earned coach-of-the-year honors and Miami’s Randy Ableman was named BIG EAST Diving Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive time. Notre Dame head coach Bailey Weathers has been named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year in five of the last seven years, gaining the distinction in 1997, ’98, ’99, 2001, and ’02.
The Irish were in action against five BIG EAST Conference foes this season. Notre Dame beat Pittsburgh 184-116 in a home dual meet in November and then took first place in the Second Annual Puerto Rico Winter Training Meet, which featured Syracuse (8th in ’03 BIG EAST Championships), St. John’s (11th), Seton Hall (12th), and Georgetown (did not qualify for ’03 BIG EAST meet) among the teams in the field.
In eight years of competition, Notre Dame has 63 first-place finishes, an average of just under eight per meet (out of 20 events). The Irish have won at least seven races in each of the last six years and have not won fewer than six in any of their title-winning performances. In 2000, Notre Dame was first in 14 events, after winning 10 in ’98.
Two former Irish swimmers took titles in all three of their individual events in one BIG EAST meet. Linda Gallo (’98) won the 200 free, 500 free, and 1650 free in her final season en route to being named the league’s Swimmer of the Year, while Carrie Nixon (’02) won the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly in 2000, also being tabbed the BIG EAST’s top swimmer. Kelly Hecking (’02) is the only Notre Dame student-athlete ever to go undefeated in the BIG EAST meet in a four-year career in an event, having won the 100 backstroke in 1999, 2000, ’01, and ’02. She also is the only competitor in conference history to four-peat in a backstroke race. Nixon and Elizabeth Barger (’00) each posted three victories in a race in their careers. The former won the 50 free in 1999, 2000, and ’02, while Barger dominated the 100 fly from 1997-99. Four times an Irish swimmer collected multiple titles in one event. Hecking won the 200 back in 2000 and ’01, while Nixon took the 100 free in 1999 and 2000, Suddarth was first in the 200 breast in 1998 and ’99, and Erin Brooks (’97) won both the 100 and 200 backstroke in 1996 and ’97, her only two years competing in the BIG EAST Championships. Hecking’s seven individual BIG EAST titles are ninth-most by a conference competitor, while Nixon’s six are tied for 10th on that list.
Notre Dame’s relays have traditionally been a strength in the BIG EAST Championships, finishing first on 21 occasions. The Irish have been particularly dominant in the medley relays, winning both the 200 and 400 on all but two occasions. Last year, Notre Dame did not finish first in either, and the Irish lost the 200 in ’96 and the 400 in ’97. In the freestyle races, the Irish have four victories in the last five years in the 200 (all but 2001) and have won the 800 three times (1997, ’98, 2000) and the 400 twice (2000 and ’03)
Six of the current BIG EAST Championships records were set by Notre Dame. In addition to Garcia’s 200 IM mark, Shannon Suddarth (’00) remains the fastest swimmer in conference history in both breaststroke events, setting the current marks in 1998 – 1:02.07 in the 100 and 2:13.99 in the 200. Those are the oldest BIG EAST records still on the books. Nixon set the meet record in the 50 free in 2000 (22.58). A pair of 2002 Irish relays have records to their credit. Kelly Hecking, Allison Lloyd, Lisa D’Olier (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek H.S.), and Nixon went 3:40.98 in the 400 medley, while Eckholt, Nixon, Hulick, and Hecking set the mark of 1:32.01 in the 200 free.
Notre Dame brings 27 of its 31 student-athletes to the BIG EAST Championships. In order to gain entrance to the conference meet, one must achieve an “A” qualifying time in at least one event. Once in the field, a student-athlete may participate in up to two additional events in which she has achieved a “B” qualifying time. In relay competition, each team with at least four qualifiers is eligible to enter one team in every race that can consist of any quartet.
On the current BIG EAST top times list, Notre Dame has multiple student-athletes among the top eight in the conference in nine of 13 individual swimming events. The Irish have at least four of the top 16 in seven races. Notre Dame is among the top five in all five relays, highlighted by a 7:28.82 in the 800 free, which is second-best in the league this season.
Freshman Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) has the fastest times in the conference in both the 200 IM (2:02.04, converted from short-course meters) and 400 IM (4:17.86, converted) this season. She also ranks second in the 100 free with a converted time of 51.13, just .12 behind Pittsburgh’s Carolyne Savini. Hulick, the conference champion in the event last year, ranks second in the 50 free with a time of 23.65 that ranks behind only Virginia Tech freshman Mason Walsh’s 23.15. Garcia’s converted time of 2:02.22 in the 200 fly, which she won in ’03, is second only to Syracuse’s Elyse McDonough’s 2:00.15. Labosky is second to Carroll in the 400 IM with a time of 4:19.24.
Irish swimmers rank third on three other lists. Junior Kelli Barton (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral H.S.) is third in the 200 breast with a converted time of 2:19.77, while Carroll is third in the 100 fly at 55.67, sophomore Christel Bouvron (Singapore, Singapore/Raffles Girls’ Secondary School) is third in the 200 fly in 2:02.90.
Notre Dame’s depth allows it to have at least three of the top eight swimmers in six different events: the 200 back, 200 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. Additionally, the Irish boast three of the top four swimmers in the conference in the 200 fly, four of the top seven in the 400 IM, and five of the top 15 in the 200 breast. Garcia and Bouvron are followed by Carroll (4th, 2:03.23) in the former event. The 400 IM is headlined by Carroll and Labosky, while Kelli Barton is sixth (4:26.23, converted) and Ann Barton is right behind her sister (4:27.31, converted). In the 200 breast, Kelli Barton leads the way, with Choura fifth (2:20.50, converted), freshman Jessica Stephens (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg H.S.) sixth (2:20.65), junior Georgia Healey (New York, N.Y./Trinity School) ninth (2:21.64), Musgrave 13th (2:22.51), and Labosky 15th (2:23.19).
IRISH BIG EAST LINEUP: Listed below are the events in which each of the 27 Notre Dame student-athletes are eligible to compete in the BIG EAST Championships. Each competitor can swim in only three individual races and will be scratched down to that number. The Irish also will field relay teams in the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 200 medley, and 400 medley, though the combinations for those are as yet undetermined.
* Sarah Alwen – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 100 back, 200 back
* Krissy Archer – 50 free, 100 free
* Ann Barton – 200 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
* Kelli Barton – 500 free, 1650 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM, 400 IM
* Christel Bouvron – 200 free, 500 free, 1650 free, 100 fly, 200 fly
* Katie Carroll – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
* Courtney Choura – 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM
* Lisa D’Olier – 100 fly, 200 fly, 400 IM
* Katie Eckholt – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free
* Lisa Garcia – 200 free, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
* Kiley Gooch – 100 back, 200 back, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
* Rebecca Grove – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, 100 back, 200 back
* Georgia Healey – 50 free, 200 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM
* Danielle Hulick – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 100 back, 200 back
* Ellen Johnson – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, 100 back, 200 back
* Marie Labosky – 200 free, 500 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM, 400 IM
* Meghan Linnelli – 50 free, 100 free, 200 free
* Annie Mantey – 100 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM
* Laurie Musgrave – 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM
* Meghan Perry-Eaton – 1-meter diving, 3-meter diving
* Kristen Peterson – 50 free, 100 back, 200 back
* Samantha Raneri – 1-meter diving, 3-meter diving
* Jessica Stephens – 100 fly, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM
* Abby Strang – 200 free, 500 free, 1650 free, 100 breast, 400 IM
* Annie Sweeney – 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM
* Brooke Taylor – 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
CSCAA RANKINGS: Notre Dame moved up one spot to 20th in the Jan. 29 edition of the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association (CSCAA) Dual-Meet Rankings. The Irish swam against six teams currently among the top 20 in that poll, as well as a pair that are just outside the top 25. Notre Dame faced Indiana (13th; L, 124-176), Michigan (15th; L, 134-166), and Illinois (third team receiving votes; W, 197-173) in dual meets and competed against #9 UCLA (1st, 2077 points), #11 SMU (3rd, 1450), #14 Texas A&M (2nd, 1570.5), #17 Florida State (4th, 1337.5), and Purdue (5th, 1233), who is the first team receiving votes, in the Texas A&M Invitational. Notre Dame was seventh with 599 points, competing with a limited roster.
IRISH MOVING UP THE CHARTS IN BIG EAST HISTORY: The Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team has won seven consecutive conference titles (1997-current) and could become the first team in any sport to win eight BIG EAST championships since 1995-96, the year the Irish joined the league. In addition, Notre Dame is inching closer to the all-time conference mark for consecutive titles. The Pittsburgh men’s swimming and diving program holds the record at 10, winning from 1983-92, while the Panther women won nine straight titles from 1983-91. Here is the list for most consecutive BIG EAST titles:
10 – Pittsburgh men’s swimming and diving (’83-’92)
9 – Pittsburgh women’s swimming and diving (’83-’91)
9 – Connecticut women’s basketball (’94-’02)
8 – Boston College men’s tennis (’81-’88)
7 – Pittsburgh volleyball (’88-’94)
7 – Notre Dame women’s soccer (’95-’01)
7 – Notre Dame women’s swimming (’97-active)
DUAL-MEET DOMINANCE: Notre Dame finished the regular season with an 8-2 record in dual meets, losing only to #13 Indiana and #16 Michigan. Over the past five seasons, the Irish hold an amazing 47-4 (.922) dual-meet record, including 10-0 campaigns in 1999-2000 and 2001-02. In eight years as the Irish head coach, Bailey Weathers holds an 80-17 (.825) record in dual meets.
PERRY-EATON STILL UNDEFEATED IN THRE-METER DIVING THIS SEASON: Senior Meghan Perry-Eaton (Brandon, Fla./Bloomingdale H.S.) was first against Oakland in three-meter diving to conclude the regular season undefeated in the event. In dual-meet competition, she defeated 11 teams — — North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Bowling Green, Wyoming, Northeastern, Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Oakland. Additionally, she finished first in the Texas A&M Invitational and Notre Dame Invitational. Perry-Eaton broke her own school record in the event with a score of 335.85 in the Michigan Invitational. She has lost just once off the one-meter board this season, finishing second to Michigan’s Tealin Keleman by 8.10 points in the Michigan Invitational. Perry-Eaton gained revenge by beating Keleman in dual-meet action last month.
The 2003 BIG EAST Diver of the Year, Perry-Eaton finished 20th in the NCAA Championships in three-meter diving a year ago, but earned honorable mention All-America accolades for a ninth-place finish off the one-meter board. She was the first non-Miami diver since 1996 to win an event at the BIG EAST Championships, taking first off the one-meter board to go along with a second-place finish in the three-meter event. Perry-Eaton also holds the Irish records for 11 dives off the three-meter board (586.43) and for six dives in one-meter competition (331.58), as well as the Rolfs Aquatic Center records for six dives off both boards (322.64 in 1m, 333.82 in 3m).
CARROLL CAN DO IT ALL: Freshman Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) has excelled in a number of different events this season, ranking among the top 10 in the BIG EAST Conference in eight different races, including being among the top five in six of them. She is the team’s quickest swimmer in the 200 IM (2:02.04, 1st in BIG EAST), 400 IM (4:17.86, 1st), 100 free (51.13, 2nd), 100 fly (55.67, 3rd), and 500 free (4:58.10, 7th), while coming in second in the 200 free (1:51.44, 5th) and 50 free (23.86, 9th), and third in the 200 fly (2:03.23, 4th).
Carroll appears on the College Quick 50 in three individual events and all five of Notre Dame’s relays. She is 20th in the 400 IM, 22nd in the 200 IM, and 48th in the 100 fly, while the 800 free relay is 23rd, the 400 free is 34th, the 400 medley is 37th, the 200 free is 48th, and the 200 medley is 50th.
Carroll has NCAA “B” times in the two individual medleys and the 100 freestyle.
NOTRE DAME (ACADEMY) POWER: Former swimmers from Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, Ohio, hold the top times for the University of Notre Dame in seven of 13 individual swimming events. Freshman Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) leads the team in the 100 free (51.13), 500 free (4:58.10), 100 fly (55.67), 200 IM (2:02.04), and 400 IM (4:17.86), while another 2003 graduate of Notre Dame Academy, Ellen Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy), is tops on the Irish in the 200 free (1:50.38, Carroll is second at 1:51.44) and 200 back (2:01.29). Another freshman, Rebecca Grove (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown H.S.), has the best Notre Dame time in the 100 back (56.94), meaning that eight of the 13 individual swimming events are headlined by rookies.
PERRY-EATON BREAKS OWN SCHOOL RECORD: Senior Meghan Perry-Eaton (Brandon, Fla./Bloomingdale H.S.) broke her own Notre Dame record in three-meter diving (six dives) on Jan. 17 in the Michigan Invitational. Her score of 335.85 bettered her previous career-best of 333.82. Perry-Eaton is undefeated this season off the three-meter board, and has lost just once in competition on the lower board this season.
The 2003 BIG EAST Diver of the Year, Perry-Eaton finished 20th in the NCAA Championships in three-meter diving a year ago, but earned honorable mention All-America accolades for a ninth-place finish off the one-meter board. She was the first non-Miami diver since 1996 to win an event at the BIG EAST Championships, taking first off the one-meter board to go along with a second-place finish in the three-meter event. Perry-Eaton also holds the Irish records for 11 dives off the three-meter board (586.43) and for six dives in one-meter competition (331.58), as well as the Rolfs Aquatic Center records for six dives off both boards (322.64 in 1m, 333.82 in 3m).
IRISH IN THE COLLEGE QUICK 50: Notre Dame is represented 11 times in the College Quick 50, the list of the top times in the nation this season in each event. The Irish have two of the quickest 30 swimmers in the 400 individual medley, as freshman Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) is 20th with a time of 4:17.86 (converted from short-course meters) and senior Marie Labosky (Churchville, Pa./Germantown Academy) is 30th in 4:19.24. Carroll also ranks 22nd in the nation in the 200 IM (2:02.04, converted) and 48th in the 100 butterfly (55.67), while Labosky appears at 45th in the 1,000 free (10:02.01). Freshman Ellen Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) is listed 43rd in the 200 back (2:01.29).
All five Irish relays are also ranked, with Labosky, freshman Ann Barton (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain H.S.), Johnson, and Carroll posting a converted time of 7:28.82 in the 800 free. The 400 free relay team of senior Danielle Hulick (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg H.S.), Carroll, Johnson, and freshman Rebecca Grove (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown H.S.) are 34th with a converted time of 3:27.69. Hulick, freshman Jessica Stephens (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg H.S.), senior Lisa Garcia (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.), and Carroll are 37th in the 400 medley with a converted time of 3:50.47. In the 200 free, the quartet of Hulick, Carroll, Garcia, and Johnson have a converted time of 1:36.56, which ranks 48th. Notre Dame is the last team in the Quick 50 in the 200 medley, with a 1:46.70 by Hulick, sophomore Courtney Choura (Bridgeville, Pa./Oakland Catholic H.S.), sophomore Christel Bouvron (Singapore, Singapore/Raffles Girls’ Secondary School), and Carroll.
CONVERT ME: Because it is an Olympic year and all Olympic swimming events are in meters, the 2004 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships will be contested in meters, as opposed to yards. In order to prepare for that, Notre Dame swam a number of meets this season in meters, rather than yards. The Michigan Invitational, as well as the dual meet against Michigan, and the finals of the Texas A&M Invitational were contested in short-course meters, while the Second Annual Puerto Rico Winter Training Trip Meet featured long-course meters. The meters times recorded by Irish competitors are valid for gaining entry into the BIG EAST and NCAA meets (using a conversion factor), but they are not eligible to challenge any school records, which are kept in yards.
The BIG EAST Conference is one of the few in the nation that are not using meters for their league championships, as they will be contested in yards.
SIDETRACKED BY ILLNESS: Notre Dame had a viral infection affect a number of its student-athletes in the fall semester, causing a majority of the team to miss over two weeks of training and 11 athletes to skip the Texas A&M Invitational, the most competitive meet on the Irish schedule. A number of season bests were established at that meet, which featured five teams currently ranked among the nation’s top 20 — #9 UCLA, #11 SMU, #14 Texas A&M, #17 Florida State, and #20 Notre Dame – as well as Purdue, which is the first team outside the top 25 receiving votes in the CSCAA poll. Because of the viral infection, the Notre Dame Invitational, traditionally a good venue for establishing fast times, was an optional event for the Irish.
NCAA UPDATE: The 2004 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships will take place March 18-20 in College Station, Texas. Heading into the BIG EAST meet, three Irish swimmers have posted a total of seven NCAA “B” times, but none have hit an “A” time, which assures a student-athlete of a spot in the meet. It is still possible to get an invitation to the NCAAs without an “A” time, but it depends on other “B” times posted across the country.
Freshman Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) has three “B” times, all achieved in short-course meters: 57.07 (converts to 51.13 in yards) in the 100 free, 2:16.20 (converts to 2:02.04) in the 200 IM, and 4:47.79 (converts to 4:17.86) in the 400 IM. In order to be an automatic qualifier, she would need times of 49.78 in the 100 free, 2:00.67 in the 200 IM, or 4:15.93 in the 400 IM.
Senior Marie Labosky (Churchfield, Pa./Germantown Academy), a three-time NCAA qualifier, has a pair of “B” times: 2:01.78 in the 200 back and 4:19.24 in the 400 IM. She would need 1:58.24 in the former or 4:15.93 in the latter to become Notre Dame’s sixth four-time NCAA qualifier, joining Tanya Williams (’93), Shannon Suddarth (’00), Carrie Nixon (’02), Kelly Hecking (’02), and diver Heather Mattingly (’02).
Freshman Ellen Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) also boasts a pair of “B” times, both achieved in meters: 1:52.23 (converts to 1:50.38 in yards) in the 200 free and 2:15.37 (converts to 2:01.29) in the 200 back. The “A” marks for those events are 1:47.61 and 1:58.24, respectively.
Notre Dame has had 21 different swimmers garner 45 invitations to the NCAA Championships since 1990. In 2003, four Irish juniors qualified. Meghan Perry-Eaton (Brandon, Fla./Bloomingdale H.S.) was ninth in one-meter diving and 20th off the three-meter board, earning honorable mention All-America accolades. Lisa Garcia (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) duplicated the feat with a 14th-place finish in the 200 fly, while also finishing 22nd in the 200 IM and 28th in the 100 fly. Labosky was 19th in the 400 IM, 28th in the 200 back, and 39th in the 200 IM, while Danielle Hulick (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg H.S.) was 24th in the 100 back, 29th in the 200 back, and 40th in the 50 free. Other current Irish competitors who have been to the NCAAs are senior Lisa D’Olier (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek H.S.), who was an honorable mention All-American in 2002 for a 13th place in the 400 medley relay; junior Kelli Barton (Scottsdale, Ariz./Chaparral H.S.), who was 25th in the 1650 free in 2002; and junior Kristen Peterson (Wichita, Kan./Bishop Carroll H.S.), who was honorable mention All-America in ’02 as a part of the 15th-place 400 free relay.
BOUVRON WINS SIX MEDALS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA GAMES: Sophomore Christel Bouvron (Singapore, Singapore/Raffles Girls’ Secondary School) won six medals, including three golds, two silvers and a bronze at the 2003 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in early December in Hanoi, Vietnam. She won an individual gold in the 200 butterfly and was a member of the gold-medal winning 400 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay, while winning silver in the 800 freestyle relay. Bouvron, who competed for her native Singapore in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, also won a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle and a bronze in the 100 butterfly.
In the 400 medley relay, the Singapore team of Bernardette Lee Jing Fei, Nicolette Teo Wei Min, Bouvron and Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling finished first in 4:20.49, while Bouvron swam the second leg of the winning 400 freestyle team posting a winning time of 3:54.47. In the 800 freestyle relay, Bouvron swam the leadoff leg as Singapore finished second in a time of 8:38.78.
Individually, Bouvron finished first in the 200 butterfly in 2:17.72, while she also earned a silver medal in the finals of the 400 freestyle with a time of 4:24.23. Bouvron also claimed third in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:04.50.
IT TAKES TWO: In returning to a Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving tradition, the Irish are led by a pair of co-captains in 2003-04 — seniors Lisa Garcia (Denver, Colo./Cherry Creek H.S.) and Laurie Musgrave (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe H.S.). Last season, Notre Dame had tri-captains for just the fourth time in the 23-year history of the program.
HEAD COACH Bailey Weathers: Head swimming coach Bailey Weathers is in his ninth year at the helm of the Irish program. During his tenure, Notre Dame has won seven straight BIG EAST Conference crowns, posted an 80-17 (.825) record in dual meets, and he has been named conference coach of the year five times. Weathers has coached 16 different swimmers to All-America honors while at Notre Dame and over 30 swimmers to 63 BIG EAST titles. He also has coached 17 swimmers to 17 BIG EAST Championship records and every school record has been broken under his tenure. He has coached seven College Swimming Coaches Association of America All-Academic selections and 12 honorable mention academic All-Americans.
Before coming to Notre Dame, Weathers coached at South Carolina, where he was three-time Metro Conference Coach of the Year and had two top-12 NCAA finishes. Before South Carolina, he was at Southern Illinois where he was named the 1986 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year after placing fifth at the NCAA meet. He also has been an assistant coach at the University of Texas and Indiana University, and coaching the Mission Aurora Swim Club in Colorado from 1990-95.
HEAD DIVING COACH Caiming Xie: Caiming Xie is in his ninth season as the head diving coach at Notre Dame for both the and women’s and men’s teams. During his tenure, he has coached two All-Americans — Heather Mattingly and Meghan Perry-Eaton. Caiming was responsible for the development of Mattingly, as she became the first Notre Dame diver to earn All-America honors after placing eighth in the three-meter competition at the 2002 NCAA meet. The next season, Perry-Eaton became the first Notre Dame diver in history to win a BIG EAST Conference title when she defeated Miami’s Katie Beth Bryant to win the one-meter competition. She also was named the 2003 BIG EAST Diver of the Year after placing second in the three-meter event. The then-junior went on to place ninth at the 2003 NCAA meet on the one-meter board. This season, she is undefeated off the three-meter board and has just one loss in one-meter competition. On the men’s side, Caiming has coached the top two divers in Notre Dame history: Herb Huesman and Andy Maggio. He has been named his conference’s top diving coach on three occasions, most recently in the BIG EAST in 1999. Caiming also has a great deal of international coaching experience, serving as diving coach for the Chinese Olympic and national team from 1977-90, being recognized as the Chinese National Diving Coach of the Year twice (1986 and ’87). His divers have won a number of medals in international events, including a gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain by Sun Shu-Wei.
IRISH SIGN FOUR SWIMMERS IN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD: Notre Dame signed four athletes to national letters of intent during the early signing period: Caroline Johnson, Katie Hopkins, Raine Paulson-Andrews and Laura Rings.
Hopkins, from Ellicott City, Md., was named all-Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland in 2001, and was a National Catholic Champion at Notre Dame Preparatory School. For her efforts, Hopkins was named the Baltimore Sun Athlete of the Year last season. Swimming the 100 and 200 breaststroke and the 200 butterfly, Hopkins has a best-time of 2:17.33 in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Johnson, from Springfield, Mo., is an eight-time high school All-American in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams at Glendale High School. Swimming the butterfly, backstroke and freestyle events, Johnson is the Missouri state recordholder in the 50- and 100-freestyle events and is a four-time Missouri state champion while swimming for Springfield Aquatics. In 2002, she earned Missouri Swimmer of the Year accolades and was the National Club Swimming Association’s Junior National Champion in the 50-meter backstroke. She also qualified for the US Open Championships in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.
Paulson-Andrews is from Montego Bay, Jamaica, and attends Gulliver Preparatory in Miami, Fla., where she swims the sprint freestyle and individual medley events. A member of the Jamaican National Team since the age of 11 where she trained at Doctors Cave Beach, Paulson-Andrews has won many gold and silver medals at the Carifta Games, the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships (CISC) and the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Confederation Games (CCCAN). In 2003, she won the gold in the 50 freestyle at the CCCAN. She also competed in the US Open and the Pan American Games in 2003.
From Gahanna, Ohio, Rings is an all-state diver from The Columbus School for Girls. A member of the U.S. Elite Diving Academy, she is a three-time all-state honoree and won All-America honors in2003. She earned most valuable player honors and set the school record in diving last season. As a junior, Rings was fifth at the Ohio state diving meet, after placing seventh as a freshman and sixth as a sophomore. A two-time captain, Rings also competed at the 2003 US Senior Nationals where she placed 13th in the synchronized three-meter diving event. She also was ninth on the three-meter board at the Zone A Summer Championships in 2003.
KEEPING UP WITH NOTRE DAME SWIMMING & DIVING: For the fastest results of Notre Dame swimming and diving meets, call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #7. The hotline provides schedule and results information for all 26 varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the meet previews and recaps provided on the official athletic website, www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with the results of each Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving meet. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu. He also can provide any needed information about the Irish swimming and diving program.