GREENSBORO, N.C. — The No. 21 women’s swim and dive team was represented at the NCAA Championships March 17-20 by seven individuals, who totaled 12 points, the program’s highest point total of head coach Mike Litzinger’s tenure. The team placed 29th overall.
Freshman Megan Deuel, junior Sammie Eyolfson, sophomore Coleen Gillilan, junior Madeline LaPorte, junior Bayley Stewart and junior Luciana Thomas represented the Irish at the national meet on the swimming end, while senior Kelly Straub dove for Notre Dame.
Stewart (200 Back), Gillilan (100 Fly, 200 Fly) and Straub (3-meter) all earned honorable mention All-American status by making their respective events’ consolation finals.
“When you perform at the NCAA level, that gives you nationwide credibility, and so that was our goal,” Litzinger noted. “We’re starting to move the dial on our program.”
“It was the bulk of our team’s first time at this meet,” he continued. “To be able to put yourself in the position to become an honorable mention All-American, it’s something very special. When you can perform when the lights are shining the brightest, that’s the goal.”
View the meet preview here.
March 18
- LaPorte kicked it off for the Irish with a 4:48.16 in the 500 Free, placing 39th overall.
- Straub competed in her first event of the week, the 1-meter, placing 23rd overall with a 266.90.
March 19
- Thomas competed in her first event at this year’s championships, placing 24th in the 400 IM (4:12.22).
- Gillilan shone in the 100 Fly, setting a new program record in the event with a 51.60, good for ninth in prelims and the top seed in the consolation final heat. In finals, she posted a 52.14 for 14th place, and for the effort, earned Second Team All-America status.
- Stewart placed 32nd in the 100 Back, clocking a 53.18 and moving up to fifth all-time among Irish performers in the event.
- Straub scored a 333.15 on the 3-meter in the preliminary round, placing ninth heading into finals and also claiming the top seed in the consolation group. In finals, she placed 16th with a 274.70, earning her Second Team All-America honors.
March 20
- Stewart led off the Irish in the morning with a 1:53.35 in the 200 Back, good for 14th place in prelims and a spot in the consolation final. She also improves her time as the second-fastest performer in the event in program records. In finals, Stewart placed 14th with a 1:53.08, again improving her time in Irish records, still ranking second.
- Gillilan again claimed the No. 9 seed out of prelims, this time in the 200 Fly, clocking a 1:53.94, another program record. In the finals, she placed 12th with a 1:54.78.
- Also in the 200 Fly, Thomas posted a 1:56.13 for 20th overall, and Deuel touched the wall in 1:59.77 for 45th.
- On platform, Straub placed 31st with a 229.90.
- In the 1650 Free, LaPorte placed 28th with a 16:19.99, while Eyolfson placed 34th with a 16:26.16.