Feb. 26, 2014
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Notre Dame men’s swimming team did not waste any time acclimating itself in its first Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Swimming Championship appearance on Wednesday night at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. The Irish qualified a total of seven athletes for the upcoming NCAA Championship with a pair of record swims in the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays, and stand in third place in the swimming competition with 104 team points after day one of the conference championship meet.
In the very first event of the night, the 200 medley relay, Notre Dame’s Bogac Ayhan, Cameron Miller, Frank Dyer and Zach Stephens touched the wall in 1:25.46, breaking the program record in the distance to take fifth place overall. The swim earned the Irish quartet the first Notre Dame NCAA A-cut of the season, and automatically qualified the group for the NCAA Championship on March 27-29 at the Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.
The foursome had previously broken its own program record in the event earlier this season at the Iowa Hawkeye Invitational, swimming an NCAA provisional time of 1:26.11 on Dec. 7. Ayhan, Miller, Dyer and Stephens first set the Irish mark (1:26.33) at last season’s BIG EAST Championship (Feb. 27) at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.
Notre Dame was not done with the record performances for the evening, as the 800 freestyle relay entry of co-captain Colin Babcock, Dyer, Kevin Hughes and Tom Anderson shaved nearly six seconds off the team’s qualifying time in the distance. The Irish competitors scored the team’s second NCAA A-cut of the evening with a school record time of 6:21.74 to finish the race in third place.
Dyer and Hughes both remain holders of the 800 record they helped set along with John McGinley and Bill Bass (6:23.40) at last season’s BIG EAST Championship. Anderson becomes the second straight Notre Dame freshman to qualify for the NCAA Championship following Ayhan, who competed in both the 200 and 400 medley relay events at the 2013 NCAA meet.
Dyer also made Notre Dame history by qualifying with both relay squads, ensuring his place as the first Irish men’s swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championship in each of his four collegiate seasons. Dyer is a two-time All-American, earning a fourth place finish in the 200 freestyle at the 2012 NCAA Championship and a 16th place result to claim honorable mention status with last season’s 800 freestyle relay entry.
The 2014 ACC Championship is scheduled to resume Thursday, with the preliminary heats for the 500 freestyle, the 200 IM and 50 freestyle set to begin at 11 a.m. All championship information, including a full event schedule and live results, can be found at the official championship website, http://theacc.co/SwimDiveChamps. Fans can also get updates by following along on Twitter, @NDSwimming and @ACCSwimDive.
2014 ACC Men’s Swimming Championship – Day One Scores
North Carolina State -128 points
Virginia Tech – 110 points
Notre Dame – 104 points
Florida State – 102 points
Virginia – 102 points
North Carolina – 96 points
Georgia Tech – 92 points
Pittsburgh – 90 points
Duke – 84 points
Boston College – 68 points
Notre Dame Program Records
200 Medley Relay – Bogac Ayhan, Cameron Miller, Frank Dyer, Zach Stephens – 1:25.46.
800 Freestyle Relay – Colin Babcock, Frank Dyer, Kevin Hughes, Tom Anderson – 6:21.74.
Notre Dame NCAA `A’ Time Standards
200 Medley Relay – Bogac Ayhan, Cameron Miller, Frank Dyer, Zach Stephens – 1:25.46.
800 Freestyle Relay – Colin Babcock, Frank Dyer, Kevin Hughes, Tom Anderson – 6:21.74.
–ND–