Jan. 28, 2011
Throughout her four years at Notre Dame, senior Delia Cronin has been an integral part of the success of the women’s swimming and diving team. The senior from Phoenix, Ariz., swims in the freestyle events – the 50 free, the 100 free and the 200 free. As a junior, Cronin was a two-time all-BIG EAST honoree as a member of the 200 and 400-meter free relay teams that finished second and third respectively last March. Cronin and the Irish have a busy weekend in store for them this week as they play host to the Shamrock Invitational on Jan. 28-29 at the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The Notre Dame women will face four teams – Iowa, Denver, Northwestern and Ohio State – in the two-day event. Friday’s action starts at 6:00 p.m. with Saturday having two sessions at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Earlier this week, und.com’s Sean Kaveney caught up with Cronin to find out more about the senior swimmer.
Why did you decide to come to Notre Dame? Since my dad is a huge Notre Dame fan, Notre Dame was it really the only place I could ever imagine myself attending school.
Do you have a favorite professional swimmer/athlete? My favorite professional athlete is Arnold Palmer, for creating such a delicious drink.
Who were your role models growing up? My main role model was my older sister, Michaela. She is ten years older than me and I just copied everything she did.
What is the most difficult part of swimming for Notre Dame? The most difficult part of swimming for Notre Dame is jumping in the pool at 6:00 a.m. in the middle of winter every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
What made you get into swimming initially? What got me into swimming initially was my wanting to do whatever my older brother, Cal, did. When he joined club swimming, I was desperate to do it too. Did you grow up as a Fighting Irish fan? I did grow up a Fighting Irish fan since my grandfather and my father were “domers.” So I have always been a huge fan.
North Dining Hall or South? Why? I prefer South Dining Hall because I used to live in Walsh Hall, so it was close. Plus, I am a major Harry Potter enthusiast and appreciate its Potter-esque look.
What is your major and why did you pick it? I am an American Studies major and I picked it because I love America. Rock, Flag, Eagle!
Where is your favorite place to study on campus? My favorite place to study on campus would be in the fishbowl room of the library because I can people watch, but I feel studious.
Do you feel as though you have changed as a swimmer since coming in as a freshman? The way I look at it, the sport has definitely changed since I got here. I used to be really worried about my individual success, but now I am way more concerned with how my teammates are doing.
What do you miss most about your hometown? The one thing that I miss most about my hometown is the sunshine. This gloom and doom is reeking havoc on my tan.
Do you have any pre-game/pre-meet rituals? I like to dance it out with my teammates to Celine Dion’s masterpiece, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.”
If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be? The one word that would best describe me is saucy.
If you could give on piece of advice to an aspiring swimmer, what would it be? The one piece of advice that I would give would be to not take anything or any competition too seriously. Just enjoy what you are doing.
Who do you have winning the Superbowl? Packers, Steelers, or are you Indifferent? I think Peyton Manning will show up and win it all.
If you hadn’t chosen to swim, is there another sport you would have liked to play? I think I would have enjoyed playing lacrosse but unfortunately it wasn’t very popular in Arizona when I was growing up.
What has been your favorite facility to compete in outside of Notre Dame? My favorite facility to compete in outside of Notre Dame has been The Natatorium at IUPUI.
What has been your favorite memory of Notre Dame so far? My favorite Notre Dame memory would be having a slip n’ slide on South Quad during Easter break last year.
Do any specific meets or competitions that you have swam in during your career here stand out in your memory? The competition that stands out most to me is the Big East Championship during my sophomore year (2009). That was one of the best meets I have ever attended. Our team had an outstanding meet and the men’s team won on the very last relay.
What is the one thing that you are going to miss about Notre Dame? The one thing that I am going to miss most is just sitting around and wasting time with my best friends everyday.