Nov. 29, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team returns to action at the Ohio State Invitational this Friday through Sunday (Dec. 1-3). The Fighting Irish will be wrapping up an already successful first semester. Notre Dame is off to its first 4-0 dual meet start since the 1992-93 season and the Irish are ranked 17th in the latest College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) dual meet poll, the highest-ever ranking for the program.
No. 12 Ohio State will welcome 12 swimming and diving teams during the three-day competition, including six men’s swimming teams. Five more universities only will compete in the diving portion of the meet. Three of the attending teams are ranked in the CSCAA poll. Minnesota enters the meet at the No. 7 spot, while the Fighting Irish are 17th. The Boilermaker divers come into the meet at No. 18. Other swimming teams competing in the meet include South Carolina, Denver, Utah, and Iowa. Divers at Miami (Fla.) also will participate in the Invitational.
Friday’s preliminary session will begin at 11 a.m., with the Top 18 swimmers returning to compete at 6 p.m. Diving preliminaries will be held between swimming sessions at 2 p.m. On Saturday, swimmers will begin competition at 10 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m., while diving action starts at 1 p.m. The Invitational concludes Sunday, with racing at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The qualifying round for divers kicks off at noon.
Final competition will consist of three eight-person heats. Team relays also will be swum in the evening. The Top 16 finishers in both individual and relay events will score points. For live scoring, a full schedule of events and directions to the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion please visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Admission to every session is free. Heat sheets are available at each session for $2.
The Invitational will not affect Notre Dame’s perfect 4-0 dual-meet record this season. Notre Dame has downed Texas A&M, Purdue, Michigan State and Pittsburgh.
Fighting Irish senior Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western) will look to add to his team-leading individual win total this weekend. Brown has notched seven solo wins on the season. He has three wins in the 200-yard free, along with wins in the 200 IM, 200 fly, 500 free and 1,000 free. Fellow senior Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb) also has seven wins, with five coming in relays. Kegelman claimed wins in the 100 fly against Texas A&M and Pittsburgh.
Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley) has tallied five wins this season. The senior has individual wins in the 50 free against Michigan State and in the 100 free versus Pittsburgh along with teaming up on three victorious relay teams.
Jay Vanden Berg (Holland, Mich./Southfield Christian School) is also off to a solid start for the 2006-07 campaign. The junior has notched two wins apiece in the 500 and 1,000 freestyle events.
Newcomers to the Fighting Irish squad have also played a key role to date. Sophomore transfer Jeff Wood (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport/Indiana) has been a member of five winning relay units along with posting a win in the 200-yard back against Texas A&M and a victory in the 100 back against Purdue. Freshman John Lytle (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield Area) is also a five-time winner in relay events so far this season. Individually, he has clocked wins in the 100 free against both the Aggies and Boilermakers in addition to a victory in the 200 free against Pittsburgh.
Irish divers have combined to post three wins. Sophomore Michael Bulfin (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas), an NCAA qualifier last season, won the three-meter competition against Purdue and Michigan State. Junior Sam Stoner (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) captured a victory off the one-meter board versus Michigan State.
The Fighting Irish will travel to Boca Raton, Fla. for a their annual Holiday Break training trip where they will take on North Carolina State. Notre Dame commences second-semester competition on Jan. 12 at Oakland University.
Ohio State Invitational Order of Events (all distances in yards):
200 Free Relay, 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free, 400 Medley Relay, 200 Medley Relay, 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free, 100 Breast, 100 Back, 800 Free Relay, 1650 Free, 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast, 200 Fly, 400 Free Relay, 1-Meter Diving, 3-Meter Diving,
* – There will be prelims for each event except relays and the 1650 free