Oct. 14, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – On the strength of seven swimming and two diving relay victories, the Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team won the 47th Dennis Stark Relays title in front of a boisterous crowd at the Rolfs Aquatic Center on Friday night.
“The team had great energy and attitude and had a commitment to getting better tonight,” said head coach Brian Barnes. “They are a very cohesive group and they are really fun to be around. At the same time, we will have to improve meet by meet throughout the year to work towards our goals.”
Two meet records fell on Friday night, as the Irish lowered the 200 free relay time to 1:35.01, .18 lower than last year’s mark. TCU also dropped the 400 free relay to 3:28.36, down from 3:30.28 set by Michigan in 2009.
The Irish return to action on Saturday morning at 11 a.m., when they battle Oakland and TCU.
Meet Results
200 Yard Freestyle Relay
2. Notre Dame: The team of Kelly Ryan, Hannah Bowen, Suzanne Bessire and Amy Prestinario claimed second behind TCU in 1:35.38. The Irish led at the halfway point, but the Horned Frogs battled back to take first.
400 Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Notre Dame: Ryan, Lauren Stauder, Emma Reaney and Prestinario took first by more than three seconds over TCU. The Irish took a strong lead from Ryan’s lead leg and cruised to the victory in 3:50.69.
800 Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Notre Dame: A young Notre Dame squad took first in the 800 free relay as Bessie, Bridget Casey, Erin Foley and Jaime Malandra edged TCU by under a second. TCU held a one second edge going into the final turn, but Malandra stormed from behind to secure the title.
400 Yard Individual Medley Relay
1. Notre Dame: The team of Lauren Scott, Gracie Fredlake, Reaney and Bessire dominated from the get go, besting second-place TCU by five seconds, finishing in 4:00.52.
300 Yard Butterfly Relay
1. Notre Dame: Prestinario, Casey and Sarah Dotzel took first in a little under two seconds over second-place TCU, winning in 2:51.63. The Irish took the lead for good on Casey’s first leg as she made up a small gap of under a second.
300 Yard Backstroke Relay
1. Notre Dame: Ryan, Dotzel and Fredlake took the 300 back relay by just under two seconds in 2:52.26. Ryan’s strong first leg gave the Irish the early lead.
300 Yard Breaststroke Relay
1. Notre Dame: Stauder, Christen McDonough and Reaney held off TCU to claim the 300 breaststroke title in 3:17.26. Stauder opened up over a second lead in her leg of the relay.
1,000 Yard Freestyle Relay
2. Notre Dame: Casey and Foley led for the first couple of laps, but Oakland’s team of Vanessa Balogh and JulieAnne Stears took over and claimed the victory in 10:08.11. The Irish duo finished in 10:09.35.
200 Yard Medley Relay
1. Notre Dame: Ryan, Stauder, Prestinario and Bowen claimed first in the 200 medley relay, besting TCU by more than two seconds, winning in 1:47.05.
400 Yard Freestyle Relay
2. Mikelle Masciantonio, Bessire, Reaney and Fredlake finished second, six seconds behind TCU, who put together a complete race from start to finish. The lead leg opened up almost a four second advantage and the Horned Frogs cruised from there.
1-Meter Diving Relay
1. Notre Dame: The team of Jenny Chiang and Allison Casareto dominated the 1-meter dive, putting together a total score of 516.55 to win by more than 67 points.
3-Meter Diving Relay
1. Notre Dame: Allison Casareto and Jordan Russell took first in the 3-meter dive with a total score of 278.45, besting second-place Oakland by under three points.
–ND–