Feb. 27, 2014
VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH REANEY REGARDING SUMMER OPPORTUNITY
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame women’s swimmer Emma Reaney will head to Charlotte, N.C., this summer to train with some of the country’s elite at the SwimMAC Carolina facility, it was announced Thursday.
Swim MAC is an elite training center that is used year-round by some of the sports best swimmers. Currently training there are Olympic gold medalists Ryan Lochte and Cullen Jones, 2012 Olympics qualifier in the 200-meter breaststroke Micah Lawrence and multi-time NCAA Champion and Rolfs Aquatic Center record holder Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace among others. David Marsh, a 12-time national champion head coach at Auburn and 2012 Olympic assistant men’s coach, leads the group.
Throughout the summer Reaney will train and compete against these individuals before heading off to several big meets. On her docket for sure are the Mare Nostrum series in June and the U.S. Open in July.
“This opportunity is great for Emma,” said Notre Dame head coach Brian Barnes. “She will be coached by one of the all-time greats in David Marsh and will be around like-minded and highly-motivated people that have been to the Olympics and won gold medals. The whole goal is to put her in position to be as successful as she can be in 2016.”
Barnes went on to explain how this opportunity has been almost a year in the making.
“After Emma’s awesome performance at the U.S. Open last summer, I approached Coach Marsh about the possibility of her training in Charlotte this summer,” said the fifth-year Irish head coach. “Since Emma has also been highly successful in the classroom, she has put herself in a position to not need summer classes. I suggested to her that it would be good to get off campus, get out of the collegiate environment and get around people who swim for a living. When you are looking to take care of one of your athletes in the big picture, you want to guide them in a direction that will build their confidence. This opportunity will allow her to do international competition this summer. We are looking at the world stage with her. I also know that she’ll come back to Notre Dame for her senior year better than ever. We are excited for her and anxious to hear about all her experiences with SwimMAC.”
Reaney sat down with Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish Digital Media Thursday morning and answered some questions about her summer in the Queen City. The video is available through the link provided here and at the top of the article.
Even with her summer plans locked up, Reaney and her Irish teammates still have plenty of business to take care of this season, as at least six members of the Notre Dame squad will compete in Minneapolis, Minn., in three weeks at the NCAA Championships.
Irish standouts Catherine Mulquin, Kelly Ryan and Courtney Whyte will team with Reaney in the 200 medley relay, while Suzanne Bessire and Katie Miller will join forces with Reaney and Ryan to compete in the 800 free relay. Reaney has also automatically qualified in the 200 IM and 100 and 200 breaststroke.
A handful of Notre Dame swimmers are still hoping to compete in individual events at the NCAA Championships and will learn their fate in the coming week. Meanwhile, the Irish divers head to the NCAA Zone C qualifying meet in Columbus, Ohio in two weeks looking to punch their ticket to nationals.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving program be sure to follow the Irish on Facebook (/NDwSwimmingDiving) and on Twitter (@NDwSwimming).
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
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