Feb. 17, 2006
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – The Notre Dame men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each posted the top two qualifiers in the 400-yard IM prelims at the BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday morning in the Nassau County Aquatic Center. Another highlight of the morning was Tim Randolph eclipsing his own school record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 54.86, which was an NCAA `B’ cut and made him the second-fastest qualifier in that event. Several Fighting Irish student-athletes posted career and season-best times during the fourth session of the meet on Friday.
The Notre Dame men, who are trying to defend the program’s first-ever BIG EAST title, enter Friday’s finals in first place by 77 points over Pittsburgh (293-216). The Irish women are in second as they trail Rutgers by just six points, 268-262, as they go after their 10th straight BIG EAST title. The meet will wrap up on Saturday with the final two sessions. The BIG EAST field boasts 11 teams for both the men and women.
FRIDAY MORNING SESSION RECAP (all races are prelims):
Women’s 400-Yard IM: Junior standout Katie Carroll claimed the top spot in prelims as she touched the wall in 4:16.57 (NCAA `B’), while her freshman teammate Claire Hutchinson was second with a career-best and NCAA `B’ cut mark of 4:23.40. Carroll will look to repeat as BIG EAST champion in the event tonight.
Men’s 400-Yard IM: Senior co-captain Jamie Lutkus and sophomore Jay Vanden Berg qualified 1-2 for the Irish. Lutkus, the 2004 BIG EAST champion in the event, posted a season-best time of 3:55.57. Vanden Berg’s time of 3:56.48 was a career-best mark. Junior Justin Barber also swam a career-best mark of 3:57.43 to make it to the final by placing fifth in prelims.
Patrick Heffernan, a senior co-captain, and freshman Daniel Rave also notched career-best times of 4:01.75 and 4:02.07, respectively, to place 13th and 14th. They will compete in tonight’s consolation final.
Women’s 100-Yard Butterfly: Notre Dame junior Ann Barton clocked a career-best time of 55.65 to place third in prelims, which places her in the final.
Men’s 100-Yard Butterfly: Tim Kegelman, the 2005 BIG EAST champion in the event, swam a season-best mark of 48.80 to place third. Junior Louis Cavadini swam 49.36 to qualify sixth and his senior teammate Steve Shomberger was right behind him in seventh with a career-top time of 49.57.
Freshman David Cavadini placed 16th overall with a time of 50.56 and will swim in the consolation final.
Women’s 200-Yard Freestyle: Junior Ellen Johnson swam an NCAA `B’ cut time of 1:50.23 to place third in qualifying. She was runner-up in last year’s 200-free at the BIG EAST meet. A pair of freshman posted career-best marks and will join Johnson in tonight’s final. Casey Wagner placed fourth in 1:50.40 and Christa Riggins was sixth in 1:50.54.
Sophomore Kayla Graham also swam a career-best time of 1:52.74 to place 10th overall, which places her in the consolation final.
Men’s 200-Yard Freestyle: Ted Brown notched a season-best performance with a time of 1:38.94, which placed him second overall in qualifying. The junior was third in the event at last year’s BIG EAST Championship. Notre Dame’s Rob Seery and Brian Freeman registered career-best marks of 1:40.10 and 1:40.12, respectively, to qualify in spots six and seven.
Freshman Daniel Lutkus just missed out on making it to the final as he swam a career-best time of 1:40.34, which placed him ninth overall. He will swim in tonight’s consolation final with senior Patrick O’Berry, who was 10th in a career-best time of 1:40.53.
Women’s 100-Yard Breaststroke: Junior Julia Quinn was the second-fastest qualifier in a career-best and NCAA `B’ cut time of 1:03.26. Two more Fighting Irish athletes made it into the top five of qualifying as Jessica Stephens was fourth in 1:03.97 and senior Courtney Choura, the 2004 BIG EAST runner-up in the event, was fifth in a season-best time of 1:04.05.
Men’s 100-Yard Breaststroke: Senior Tim Randolph snapped his own school record as he touched the wall in an NCAA consideration time of 54.86 to place second. He placed second in the event at last season’s BIG EAST meet.
Swimming in tonight’s consolation final will be sophomore Eric Swenson and junior Nick Fanslau. Swenson just missed out on making the final as he swam a season-best time of 56.65. Fanslau also posted a season-best mark of 57.46 to place 14th.
Women’s 100-Yard Backstroke: The Irish placed two competitors in tonight’s final as Caroline Johnson qualified sixth in 56.61 and junior Rebecca Grove was seventh in a career-best time of 56.66.
Men’s 100-Yard Backstroke: Senior’s Doug Bauman and Steve Shomberger will take to the pool for the Fighting Irish in the final tonight. Bauman was the third-fastest qualifier in a season-best time of 50.47, while Shomberger also posted a season-best mark of 50.53 to qualify fourth.
Alan Carter was yet another Irish swimmer that just missed out on making the final as he placed ninth with a season-best time of 50.95. Andrew MacKay was 11th overall in a season-top time of 51.35.
Friday night’s competition will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will feature the finals of all the events above along with the 400-yard medley relay for both the men and women. Women’s three-meter diving prelims will take place Friday afternoon with the finals to occur in the evening.
For more information on the 2006 BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships, including results from each day’s action, please log onto bigeast.org.
Stay up-to-date on the Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams by logging on to und.com or by calling the Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000.
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