Jan. 11, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format, including 2000-01 schedule and most recent SPEEDO AMERICA Top 25 poll.
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WHO:The Notre Dame Women’s Swimming and Diving team.
WHAT:Quad Meet
WHERE:Ann Arbor, Mich.
WHEN:Jan. 12-13, 2001
Irish Return To Dual Meet Schedule:
The 16th-ranked Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team (7-1), has returned from its holiday break poised to face the second half of the 2001 dual meet schedule. The Irish are coming off a first-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational (Nov. 30-Dec. 2) and also defeated Iowa (163-72, Jan. 6) in a dual meet that took place while both teams were in Hawaii over the holidays.
The Irish will face Michigan, Illinois and Oakland this weekend in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines enter the meet ranked 13th in the country. Notre Dame trails Michigan 1-4 in the five-meet series, the lone Irish win coming last season.
The Illini and the Irish have met five times, with Notre Dame holding a 3-2 advantage in the series. Oakland University is making its first appearance on the Notre Dame dual meet schedule.
Mid-Season Highlights:
As Notre Dame looks forward to a tough month of competition (the Irish will face #13 Michigan twice and #20 Northwestern in Jan.), it can count two swimmers that have posted some outstanding performances so far in 2000-01.
Junior Kelly Hecking (Rutherford, NJ), an honorable mention All-American in 1999 and 2000, has established herself as one of the best backstrokers in the nation this year. After competing at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, Hecking returned to competition at Notre Dame in impressive fashion. Out of the 12 backstroke final races in which she has competed (two each vs. Miami, FL, in the Miami (OH) quad meet, vs. Iowa, at the Purdue tri meet and in the Notre Dame and Indiana Invitationals) she has won 10, finishing second in the other two. Hecking swept the 100 and 200 backstroke vs. Miami (FL), at the Miami (OH) quad meet, vs. Iowa and in the Notre Dame Invitational.
Hecking also swims the first leg of the 400 medley relay for the top Irish relay team that took first place in the Notre Dame Invitational.
Continuing the dominating trend that Hecking began, freshman Marie Labosky (Churchville, Pa.) has been one of the most consistent swimmers on the Irish roster this year. Equally adept at distance freestyle and the individual medleys, Labosky has won 11 races this season. Ranging from the 500 to 1,650 freestyle, she has five freestyle wins and six individual medley victories (in the 200 or 400 IM).
Labosky had a great performance at the Indiana University Invitational (Nov. 17-19) when she won the 1,650 freestyle (16:59.01), the 200 IM (2:05.21), the 400 IM (4:19.81) and finished third in the 500 freestyle (4:57.21).
Iowa Dual Meet Recap:
The Irish faced Iowa in a dual meet during their training trip in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Jan. 6. The Irish dominated the meet, winning 12 out of the 14 events.
Sophomore Amy Deger (Pittsburgh, Pa.) took first place in three events versus the Hawkeyes, displaying the best dual meet performance of her Notre Dame career. Deger claimed first in the 50 and 100 butterfly (26.18 and 58.79, respectively) and also won the 200 IM. Deger and freshman Danielle Hulick (Galesburg, Ill.) also had the distinction of winning back-to-back events in the meet. Hulick finished first in the 50 freestyle (24.11), then came right back to win the 100 freestyle (52.70). Deger accomplished the feat with her 100 fly and 200 IM victories.
Other event winners for the Irish were Marie Labosky (200 freestyle), Kelly Hecking (50 and 100 backstroke) Allison Lloyd (Fort Wayne, Ind.) in the 100 breaststroke and Lindsay Moorhead (Carefree, Ariz.) in the 500 freestyle.