Feb. 27, 2015
ATLANTA, Ga. – The University of Notre Dame men’s swim team entered day three of the ACC Championships looking to make up ground from their eighth-place standing from the day before. The Irish were ready and willing, finishing the night in fifth place with 479 points.
“Today we made a great push in the team race; it was what we needed to see,” Irish head coach Matt Tallman says. “We saw a bit of a spark, and we’ll need to see more of the same or better tomorrow to keep where we’re at.”
First up for the Irish was the day’s longest event, the 400 IM. In the prelims, sophomore Tom Anderson had the top time with his 3:48.67 mark, followed by John Nappi (3:51.43), Matthew DeBlasio (3:51.79) and Kevin Bradley (3:53.88). In the evening finals, Anderson placed seventh (3:47.45), with Nappi (14th, 3:50.39), DeBlasio (16th, 3:54.38) and Bradley (17th, 3:46.52) following suit.
In the 100 fly, Justin Plaschka swam a 47.51 in the prelims, earning a spot in the evening B final. Jonathan Williamson (47.48) and Bogac Ayhan (50.04) also made appearances in the C final. Plaschka’s final time of 46.98 was a mere .06 of a second off of Frank Dyer’s school record time of 46.92, making the 100 fly quite an exciting race.
In the 200 free it was an almost all-sophomore affair, with Trent Jackson (1:36.54), Reed Fujan (1:37.00) and Joe Petrone (1:38.92) all vying for a spot in the finals as well as freshman Benjamin Jany (1:38.36). Jackson and Fujan advanced into the B final, with Jackson winning the heat and finishing ninth overall (1:36.24). Fujan came in 16th, 1:38.10.
In the 100 breast, the usual Irish rotation of Zachary Stephens, Cameron Miller, Patrick Olson and Andrew Jensen all swam in the morning, with Stephens, Miller and Olson advancing to the finals. Stephens placed 10th (53.80), with Miller (13th, 54.50) and Olson (19th, 54.43) not far behind.
In the 100 back, Ayhan – swimming his second event of the day – touched the wall in 47.72 in the morning, advancing to the evening B final where he placed 12th (47.59). Robert Whitacre touched in at 48.13 in the morning, earning a spot in the C final, where he finished 19th (48.42). In the last event of the evening, the Irish lineup of Ayhan, Miller, Plaschka and Stephens came in eighth in the 400 medley relay (3:11.31), earning the team 44 points.
Day four of the ACC Championships begins Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, with results available via live stats.The team Twitter account will also post event-by-event results throughout the day as well.
2015 ACC Men’s Swimming Championship – Day Three Scores
North Carolina State – 896 points
Virginia Tech – 850 points
North Carolina – 821.5 points
Louisville – 771.5 points
Notre Dame – 479 points
Florida State – 467 points
Virginia – 463 points
Georgia Tech – 437 points
Duke – 313 points
Pittsburgh – 282 points
Boston College – 144 points
Miami – 105 points
Notre Dame NCAA `B’ Time Standards
400 IM
Tom Anderson – 3:48.67 (Prelims)
John Nappi – 3:51.43 (Prelims)
Matt DeBlasio – 3:51.79 (Prelims)
Kevin Bradley – 3:53.88 (Prelims)
Tom Anderson 0 3:47.45 (Finals)
John Nappi – 3:50.39 (Finals)
Matt DeBlasio – 3:54.38 (Finals)
Kevin Bradley – 3:46.52 (Finals)
100 Fly
Justin Plaschka – 47.51 (Prelims)
Jonathan Williamson – 47.61 (Prelims)
Bogac Ayhan – 47.93 (Prelims)
Justin Plaschka – 46.98 (Finals)
Jonathan Williamson – 47.48 (Finals)
200 Free
Trent Jackson – 1:36.54 (Prelims)
Reed Fujan – 1:37.00 (Prelims)
Trent Jackson – 1:36.24 (Finals)
100 Breast
Zachary Stephens – 53.79 (Prelims)
Cameron Miller – 53.85 (Prelims)
Patrick Olson – 55.14 (Prelims)
Andrew Jensen – 55.26 (Prelims)
Zachary Stephens – 53.80 (Finals)
Cameron Miller – 54.50 (Finals)
Patrick Olson – 54.43 (Finals)
100 Back
Bogac Ayhan – 47.72 (Prelims)
Rob Whitacre – 48.13 (Prelims)
Bogac Ayhan – 47.59 (Finals)
Rob Whitacre – 48.42 (Finals)
Lizzie Mikes,
Media Services Coordinator
–ND–