2013-14 Swimming and Diving Roster

Bertie Nel 2012-13 Swimming and Diving Roster

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Weight 169 lbs.
Class Senior
Hometown Tzaneen, South Africa
High School Ben Vorster
Bertie Nel - Swimming and Diving - Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Bio

AS A SENIOR: Primarily swam in backstroke events throughout the year, specializing in the 50 back as lead swimmer in the 200 IM relay … also swam the 100 and 200 back and dabbled in the 200 IM … relay team finished first against Cleveland State (24.19 split) … fastest split as a member of the relay was at Hawkeye Invitational, where team finished sixth (23.24) … helped lead relay team to third place finish against Michigan State (24.34 split) … clocked his fastest time in the 100 back at Hawkeye Invitational (49.11) … was fourth in dual meet against Wisconsin in 100 back event (51.31) … finished in top three in 100 back event at back-to-back meets with 51.73 and 52.08 times … was fifth at Hawkeye Invitational in 200 back (1:46.20) after touching in at 1:46.12 in prelim race … broke into the top 10 at dual meet with Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech in 200 back (1:52.83) … finished second against Michigan State in 200 back (1:53.09) … was sixth in 200 back (1:53.93) in tri-meet against Northwestern and Michigan … touched the wall in 1:54.22 against Cleveland State in 200 back … finished second in same meet in the 100 breast (58.70) … in 200 IM was sixth at Hawkeye Invitational (1:48.53) … touched the wall in 4:11.43 at Shamrock Invitational in 400 IM … at ACC Championships was 19th in 100 back (49.66), 21st in 200 back (1:47.51) and 35th in 200 IM (1:48.48) … earned College Swimming Coaches Association (CSCA) Honorable Mention Scholar-All-American accolades … monogram winner.

AS A JUNIOR: Competed in a number of events throughout the course of the year, specializing in the 100 and 200 back and the 200 IM … earned a pair of sixth-place finishes at the BIG EAST Championships in the 200 back (1:47.27) and the 100 back (49.33) … was the third swimmer to reach the wall in the 200 back (1:52.41) at the Shamrock Invitational … also took sixth place in the 100 back (51.58), and helped the 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay team to fourth-place finishes in the same meet … against Cleveland State in a dual meet, placed third in the 200 medley relay (1:36.31), 200 IM (1:56.32), and the 100 back (52.27) … swam the second-fastest 100 back time in program history (48.61) at the Iowa Hawkeye Invitational … in other dual meets, brought home gold in the 100 back (50.42) against Louisville along with a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay, a fifth-place finish in the 200 back, and an eighth-place finish in the 200 IM … against Pittsburgh, racked up two runner-up finishes in the 200 medley relay (1:32.09) and the 100 back (51.00) … BIG EAST Academic All-Star … monogram winner.

AS A SOPHOMORE: Recorded two top-eight finishes individually at the BIG EAST Championships … earned fourth place in the 200 back (1:46.48) in a lifetime best, NCAA B-cut-earning swim that also vaulted him into fourth all-time for the Irish in the event … posted a seventh-place finish in the 100 back (49.35), another lifetime best and fast enough to make him the third-best performer in Irish history in the event … garnered all-BIG EAST honors as part of both the silver-winning 400 medley relay and the bronze-earning 200 medley relay … had a pair of top-eight finishes at the Hawkeye Invitational, swimming the 200 back (1:48.08, sixth) and the 100 back (49.54, seventh) … recorded his season-best time in the 400 IM at the same meet, touching the wall at 4:00.99 … registered third-place points for the Irish in the dual meet against Louisville in the 100 back and a fourth-place showing in the 200 back … monogram winner.

AS A FRESHMAN: Registered a top-eight finish at the BIG EAST Championships with a 1:48.27 performance in the 200 back … also recorded personal- best times of 3:59.22 in the 400 IM and 1:50.64 in the 200 IM at the league championship … top 100 back time came at the Hawkeye Invitational with a 50.59 showing … swam to another personal-best against Cleveland State, touching the pad in 1:42.62 in the 200 free.,/p>

PREP AND PERSONAL: Won the bronze medal at the 2010 South African National Short Course Championships in the 200 individual medley … swam for Ben Vorster High School in Tzaneen, South Africa … team captain as a senior … also played rugby … holds a number of provincial, school and club records … competed in two FINA World Cup meets and the 2008 South African Olympic Trials … high school class president … full name is Albertus Jacobus Nel … son of Corne and Joce Nel … graduated from the Mendoza College of Business in May 2014 with a degree in accounting.

Nel[apos]s Career Bests

Event Time Meet
100 Free 48.04 Oakland / Michigan (2010)
200 Free 1:42.62 Cleveland State (2011)
100 Back 48.61 Hawkeye Invite (2012)
200 Back 1:45.99 Hawkeye Invite (2012)
200 IM 1:48.48 ACC Championships (2014)
400 IM 3:56.15 Hawkeye Invite (2012)