Matthew Grauslys took first in the 200 fly Friday night against Virginia.

Women's Diving claims top spots on Day 1

Jan. 8, 2016

Day 1 Results Get Acrobat Reader

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Notre Dame is second to the Virginia Cavaliers after the first day of racing, with the women’s team scoring 49 points and the men’s team 79.5.

“Our women are racing hard against the defending ACC Champions,” head coach Mike Litzinger says. “Coming off a training trip and heading right to Charlottesville is a tall order for any team, but we are handling it well. Lindsey Streepey and Emma Gaboury won the diving events, and Kyra Sarazen and Sofia Revilak had some season-best swims. We need to focus on what we can control, and point to the ACC Championship meet; but tomorrow, we will have another opportunity to race and we need to take advantage of it.”

The day started off with diving events, as Streepey won first place in the women’s three-meter event (322.95) and took second in the one-meter event (273.60). Gaboury won the one-meter competition (282.07) and took fifth in the three-meter event (269.40). Fellow divers Christine Stitcher and Deidre Worth also competed, with Stitcher taking ninth in three meter (247.05) and eighth in one meter (239.40), and Worth finishing seventh in three meter (257.25) and sixth in one meter (240.00).

In the first event of the night, the A-team lineup of Catherine Mulquin, Catherine Galletti, Ella Moynihan and Revilak finished third in the 200 free relay (1:34.77), while the B team of Danielle Margheret, Nicole Smith, Meaghan O’Donnell and Genevieve Bradford took fourth (1:38.88) and the C lineup of Genevieve Heidkamp, Rebecca Walton, Mary Hinton and Alyssa Storino took fifth (1:42.51).

Individually, Moynihan took fifth in the 500 free and was followed by Sarazen touching the wall fifth in the 200 IM race (2:07.47). Margheret had one of the highest finishes for the Irish with her third place time of 1:04.39 in the 100 breast, while Alice Treuth claimed third in the 200 back (2:00.40). Treuth was followed in quick succession by Sarazen (fourth, 2:00.90), Katie Miller (fifth, 2:07.89) and Hinton (sixth, 2:12.07).

The women finished the first day of competition with a third place finish in the 400 medley relay, with Mulquin, Margheret, Galletti and Revilak touching in at 3:48.94.

On the men’s team, divers James Lichtenstein and Zane Parker both competed, with Lichtenstein taking fourth in one meter (264.82) and third in the three meter (303.53) and Parker finishing fifth in both the one meter (257.03) and three meter (288.22) competitions.

“We had some excellent swims right out of the gate!” Litzinger states. “The Irish relays were outstanding, and our speed was solid. Justin Plaschka, Matt Grauslys, and Tabahn Afrik had some very nice swims, along with Kevin Bradley, Andrew Jensen, Bogac Ayhan, Rob Whitacre, and Richard Mannix. We won the last three events tonight, and are building great momentum heading into tomorrow’s races.”

In swimming, the A team lineups took first in both the 200 free relay (Plaschka, Afrik, Reed Fujan, Daniel Speers) with a time of 1:21.19 and in the 400 medley relay (Ayhan, Jensen, Plaschka, Afrik) with their 3:18.08 showing. In 500 free, Mannix tied for third (4:32.98), while Connor Brown took sixth (4:38.72), Joseph Petrone, seventh (4:41.19), and Trent Jackson, eighth (4:45.27). In the 200 IM, Bradley came in second (1:49.85), while Reed Fujan finished fourth (1:52.87) and Whitacre touched in fifth (1:53.31). Whitacre also came in second in the 200 back (1:48.35), followed by Ayhan in third (1:48.62). Afrik and Plaschka finished first and second in 100 free with their 44.69 and 44.74 times, respectively. Grauslys also won the 200 fly (1:47.39) in the second-to-last race of the night.

The Irish are back in the water tomorrow at noon, with Virginia briefly honoring their graduating seniors before the meet begins. Results will be available here, with social media accounts updated periodically.

— ND —

Lizzie Mikes serves as Media Services Coordinator at the University of Notre Dame. A 2013 graduate of Johnson & Wales University, she oversees credential management and is the athletic communications director for Fighting Irish men’s and women’s swimming and diving. She has assisted with numerous NCAA postseason events hosted by Notre Dame, and is heavily involved in the day-to-day tasks of the athletic communications office.