Jan. 27, 2005
#21 Notre Dame (6-2) vs. Cleveland State (7-2) and Canisius (0-8)
Friday, January 28, 4:30 p.m. • Busbey Natatorium
#21 Notre Dame vs. St. Bonaventure (6-3)
Saturday, January 29, Noon • Reilly Center Pool
The 21st-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving team (6-2), which had a four-meet winning streak snapped last weekend against #14 Northwestern, will be on the road this weekend for a pair of dual meets, first taking on both host Cleveland State (7-2) and Canisius (0-8) in Busbey Natatorium on Friday at 4:30 p.m. (swimming begins at 5 p.m.). The Irish will then head to St. Bonaventure (6-3) for a Noon (EST) meet on Saturday in Reilly Center Pool.
LAST TIME IN THE POOL: Sophomores Scott Coyle (Indianapolis, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern H.S.) and Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) were double winners, but the depth of Notre Dame could not overcome the power boasted by #14 Northwestern (4-4) last Saturday in a 163.5-134.5 decision in the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The Wildcats set four pool records, but could not clinch victory until just before the final event, due to depth that saw the Irish take at least two of the top three places in 10 of 14 individual events. Notre Dame outscored Northwestern 28-8 in the two diving events, thanks in large part to the performance of Coyle, who swept the springboard competitions to bring his season victory total to seven. He outdueled Northwestern junior Mike Oxman off both boards to give the Irish valuable points that kept the meet close. Coyle registered his first win of the season in one-meter action with a score of 293.77 that was just his second time above 270 in 2004-05. Coyle notched a score of 292.35 off the higher board, the third-highest sum of his career. The lone two swimming victories for the Irish came from Kegelman in the butterfly events. He led a 1-2-3-4 performance for Notre Dame in the 200-yard race, finishing with a time of 1:52.28. In the 100 fly, Kegelman – who ranks fifth in Division I this season and now has 11 first-place finishes – led the way with a time of 49.28.
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings enter the weekend on a six-meet winning streak that has improved their season record to 7-2. Cleveland State’s defeats came in early November against St. Bonaventure (140-103) and Eastern Michigan (179-64). CSU has registered victories against UW-Green Bay, Baldwin-Wallace, Gannon, John Carroll, Xavier, Duquesne, and Miami (Ohio). The Vikings participated in the season-opening Dennis Stark Relays in the Rolfs Aquatic Center and took fourth place with 106 points (Notre Dame won with 220 points). Cleveland State was the only team other than the Irish to score victories in the meet, taking first in both the 400 butterfly and 200 medley relays (Notre Dame had its relay disqualified in both races), while also being the runner-up in the 200 free, 400 free, and 400 medley. The Vikings concluded the first semester by taking third in the Miami University Invitational and then won the Florida International Invitational earlier this month. This weekend begins a four-meet homestand for CSU that leads up to the Horizon League Championships (Feb. 23-26 in Milwaukee, Wis.). The Vikings finished 11-3 last season and took third in the conference championships. Cleveland State is led by senior diver Thatcher Carr and butterflyer Luke Wilkens and junior backstroker Pieter Pelser. Carr, an NCAA Championships qualifier in 2001 and ’02 while at Navy, broke the one-meter dual school record in his first meet with the Vikings, posting a score of 349.40 against Duquesne and Xavier earlier this month. He registered a score of 344.90 off the three-meter board. Wilkens is ranked among the top 100 in Division I in both butterfly events, coming in 50th in the 100 (49.33) and 89th in the longer race (1:51.18). Pelser, the Horizon League champion in both backstroke races last year after also winning the 200 as a rookie, has set Cleveland State records in both events this year, ranking tied for 38th in the nation in the 100 (49.71) and 44th in the 200 (1:47.84). CSU also ranks among the top 40 in two relays: 34th in the 400 medley (3:22.33) and 39th in the 800 free (6:49.92). Wally Morton is in his 25th season as CSU head coach, having compiled a 205-120-1 (.630) dual-meet record and won 11 league championships (nine in the Penn-Ohio Conference, two in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference).
IRISH-VIKINGS SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Cleveland State will meet for the 29th consecutive season – the longest current streak in any Irish series – and 31st time overall, with the Irish holding a 20-10 advantage in the all-time series. Notre Dame has won 17 of the last 18 meets, including nine in a row, dating back to a 138-105 CSU home win in 1994-95. The Vikings are the third-most-common opponent in Notre Dame history, behind only Western Ontario (40 meets) and St. Bonaventure (37 meets). The Irish hold a 9-6 record at Cleveland State, including four consecutive victories. The first meeting between the schools came in 1968-69, with Notre Dame prevailing 72-31. The following season saw another Irish victory, but the teams did not meet again in dual-meet action until 1976-77, when the current stretch of meets began with CSU’s first win in the series, a 71-42 triumph at home. Under current head coach Tim Welsh, Notre Dame holds a 17-2 record against Cleveland State after being just 3-8 prior to that. During the most-recent stretch of domination, the closest meet came in 1996-97, when the Irish won 121-120 on the road. Since then, the closest meet was a 22-point affair (128-106) in 2001-02 at Notre Dame. Last season, the Irish won eight of 13 events and went 1-2-3 in four of the first eight en route to a 145-96 triumph on Feb. 6 in the Rolfs Aquatic Center. Notre Dame’s Jamie Lutkus was a double winner in the meet, taking first in the 200 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke. Notre Dame holds a 55-12 (.821) all-time record vs. current members of the Horizon League, including a 45-3 (.938) mark under Welsh.
SCOUTING CANISIUS: The Golden Griffins enter the weekend looking for their first victory in more than two seasons, standing 0-8 in 2004-05. Canisius’ closest meet came against Iona in December, a 128-70 home defeat. After Friday’s meet, the Golden Griffins will conclude their dual-meet slate on Saturday at home against Saint Peter’s College. They will then return to action for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships, slated for Feb. 17-19 in Baltimore, Md. The Griffins returned 11 letterwinners from last year’s squad that was 0-8 and finished eighth at the MAAC meet. Laura Trzybinski is in her first season as head coach for Canisius.
IRISH-GOLDEN GRIFFINS SERIES NOTES: This will be the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Canisius in men’s swimming and diving. The Irish have previously faced one other member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, winning all three meetings against Niagara (the most recent coming in 1999-2000). It will be the only first-time opponent for Notre Dame this season after taking on six schools for the first time in 2003-04. The Irish went 4-2 against first-time foes last season, losing to North Carolina and Iowa before beating Louisville, UC Santa Barbara, Wyoming, and Maryland.
SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE: The Bonnies stand 6-3 on the season and will have their final home meet of 2004-05 on Saturday. St. Bonaventure has competed against a number of teams familiar to the Irish, losing to Pittsburgh (185-58) and West Virginia (142-99) and defeating Cleveland State (140-103) and Canisius (198-76). SBU’s other defeat was a 155-104 decision against Penn State. The Bonnies also took part in the Giant Eagle Zips Invitational in Akron, Ohio, at the end of the first semester, finishing first, 7.5 points ahead of Ball State. St. Bonaventure has one more dual meet (Feb. 5 at Buffalo) before heading to Buffalo for the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships from Feb. 16-19. The Bonnies were 6-6 last season and finished second at the league meet. St. Bonaventure is led by junior Adrian Blaszczak of Poland, who ranks 71st in Division I in the 100 breaststroke (57.24) and 72nd in the 200 breast (2:04.72), while senior Matt Cormier is 98th in the 200 breast (2:05.77). The Bonnies are in the top 50 nationally (and first in the conference) in each of the three longest relays: 44th in the 400 free (3:04.29), 45th in the 800 free (6:51.45), and 48th in the 400 medley (3:25.10). Sean McNamee is in his 13th year as head coach of St. Bonaventure, having led the Bonnies to a pair of A-10 titles.
IRISH-BONNIES SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure will meet for the 38th time in the last 39 seasons, with the Irish holding a 27-10 advantage in the all-time series. The Irish claimed a 67-28 road win in the first meeting, in 1966-67, and the schools have met every year since then except for 1990-91. Notre Dame holds an 11-7 record vs. SBU under head coach Tim Welsh and is 11-6 all-time at St. Bonaventure, though the Bonnies have won two of the last three. The Irish have won four of the last five overall, with the exception a 125-118 decision in St. Bonaventure in 2002-03. The Bonnies are the second-most-common opponent in Irish history, behind Western Ontario (40 meets vs. ND), and the 27 victories for Notre Dame against SBU also stands second behind 39 vs. Western Ontario. Last season, Notre Dame won 11 of 13 events and went 1-2-3 in six en route to a 159-75 victory over St. Bonaventure on Jan. 31 in the Rolfs Aquatic Center. Double winners for the Irish were Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.), who won the 200 IM and 500 free, and Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.), victorious in the 1,000 free and 200 free, which were swum back-to-back. Notre Dame holds a 39-11 (.780) all-time record against current members of the Atlantic 10, including a 19-8 (.704) mark under Welsh.
IRISH HEAD COACH: Tim Welsh is in his 20th season leading the Irish men’s swimming and diving program after helming both the men’s and women’s teams from 1985-94. Last season, he was named Co-BIG EAST Coach of the Year for helping the Irish to their highest-ever point total and a runner-up finish in the conference meet. It was the second time he was so honored in the last six years, also gaining the distinction in 1999. In his career, which spans 28 seasons, Welsh has compiled a 380-233 (.620) overall dual-meet mark, including a 230-128 (.642) record coaching men’s swimming and diving and a 258-142 (.645) mark at Notre Dame. A former Division III National Coach of the Year, Welsh has helped his teams to a pair of national titles, as well as 24 conference championships (15 Midwestern Collegiate, 9 Middle Atlantic, 1 North Star). Prior to coming to Notre Dame, he led the Johns Hopkins men’s and women’s programs for eight years, winning back-to-back men’s Division III national titles in 1978 and ’79, being named National Coach of the Year on the latter occasion. At Notre Dame, he has coached 11 athletes who have earned berths in the NCAA Championships. His impact on the evolution of the men’s program is evidenced by the fact that all but one current University record has been set since 1999. Welsh has been awarded an honorary monogram for his distinguished service to the swimming programs by Notre Dame’s Monogram Club. He currently has the second-longest tenure of any Irish coach at Notre Dame (track and field coach Joe Piane is first at 30 years). Welsh also is involved with the sport at the national and international levels, as he served on the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Swimming Committee from 1991-97 and was president of the group at one time. He also has served as the president of the BIG EAST swimming coaches and is a board member of the American Swimming Coaches Association, which recently honored him with the prestigious Ousley Award.
IRISH DIVING COACH: Caiming Xie is in his ninth season as the head diving coach at Notre Dame for both the men’s and women’s teams. Last year he was named the BIG EAST Women’s Diving Coach of the Year for the second time (also in 1999) after helping Meghan Perry-Eaton to conference titles in the one- and three-meter competitions and her second consecutive BIG EAST Most Outstanding Diver award. During his tenure, he has coached two All-Americans on the women’s side, as well as the top two men’s divers in school history: Herb Huesman and Andy Maggio, who barely missed a trip to the NCAA Championships in 2002. On the women’s side, Caiming was responsible for the development of Heather Mattingly and Perry-Eaton, the first two diving All-Americans in Notre Dame history. Caiming also has a great deal of international coaching experience, serving as diving coach for the Chinese Olympic and national team from 1977-90, being recognized as the Chinese National Diving Coach of the Year twice (1986 and ’87). His divers have won a number of medals in international events, including a gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain by Sun Shu-Wei.
NOTRE DAME REMAINS 21st in CSCAA NATIONAL RANKINGS: Despite a 29-point loss to #14 Northwestern last weekend, Notre Dame remained 21st in the latest College Swimming Coaches Association of America National Dual Meet Rankings, released on Thursday. The Irish had never been ranked prior to this season, but a 155-145 upset of eight-time defending BIG EAST champion and #17 Pittsburgh on Nov. 12 vaulted them into the rankings at 21st. Notre Dame has occupied that slot since then.
KEGELMAN SETS THREE MEET, POOL, AND UNIVERSITY RECORDS AT NOTRE DAME INVITATIONAL: Sophomore Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) is poised to become the first Notre Dame men’s swimmer to earn an invitation to the NCAA Championships (March 24-26 in Minneapolis, Minn.) after an outstanding performance at last month’s Notre Dame Invitational. He broke the meet, pool, and University records in all three of his individual events, going 47.66 in the 100 fly, 1:47.53 in the 200 fly, and 1:49.48 in the 200 IM. All three were NCAA “B” times, and the mark in the 100 butterfly has never not earned an NCAA berth.
KEGELMAN RANKED FIFTH IN DIVISION I IN 100 BUTTERFLY: Sophomore Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) ranks fifth among all Division I swimmers in the 100-yard butterfly this season, with his NCAA “B” time of 47.66 in prelims of the Notre Dame Invitational. That broke his own University record of 48.43, which he set in being the runner-up at the BIG EAST Championships last year. All four swimmers ahead of him reached the evening finals in last year’s NCAA Championships in the 100 fly. Only two student-athletes – Lyndon Ferns of Arizona (46.04 this year; 10th at ’04 NCAAs) and Daniel DiToro of Texas (46.74; 14th at NCAAs) – have posted NCAA “A” cuts in the event, earning them automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships, slated for March 24-26 in Minneapolis, Minn. Auburn’s Fred Bousquet (sixth at ’04 NCAAs) ranks third in the nation with a time of 47.49 converted from a short-course meters swim, while Daniel Cruz of Kentucky (13th at ’04 NCAAs) is fourth at 47.55. Kegelman also ranks 19th in the 200 fly and 23rd in the 200 IM.
BAUMAN BREAKS OWN UNIVERSITY RECORD IN 100 BACK: Despite not resting or shaving, junior Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) broke his own University record en route to winning the 100-yard backstroke at the Notre Dame Invitational with a time of 50.11. After being close in his first collegiate season, Bauman broke 2002 graduate David Horak’s mark of 50.23 when he went 50.16 at last year’s BIG EAST Championships (sixth-place finish). He ranks first in the conference and 57th in Division I in the event this season.
IRISH AMONG THE NATION’S BEST: The most recent set of CollegeSwimming.com Division I top times, released Jan. 25, has Irish swimmers all over it, with a total of 30 entries, including at least one in every event but two (100 and 200 free) and multiple student-athletes in nine races (three each in 1650 free, 200 back, 100 breast, 100 fly, and 200 IM). In all, 17 different Irish competitors are mentioned. Leading the way are three swimmers – senior David Moisan (Fisherville, Ky./Louisville Male H.S.) and sophomores Alan Carter (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park H.S.) and Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) – who are listed in all three of their primary events. The headliner of that group is Kegelman, who ranks fifth in the 100 butterfly (47.66), tied for 19th in the 200 fly (1:47.53), and 23rd in the 200 IM (1:49.48). Moisan ranks 49th in the 400 IM (3:58.47), 81st in the 200 IM (1:52.26), and 95th in the 200 breast (2:05.60), while Carter checked in at 70th in both the 100 back (50.29) and 200 back (1:49.64) and 74th in the 200 IM (1:52.03). Sophomore Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) is mentioned on both backstroke lists (57th in the 100 at 50.11; 69th in the 200 at 1:49.63), while senior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) is 54th in the 100 fly (49.47) and 80th in the 50 free (20.79). Junior Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.), at 80th (57.37), leads a trio in the 100 breaststroke, with freshman Eric Swenson (Scotch Plains, N.J./St. Joseph H.S.) at 81st (57.38), and sophomore Nick Fanslau (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn H.S.) tied for 84th (57.48). Sophomore Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) is 47th in the 500 (4:28.65), while the 1,650 freestyle is one of the team’s strongest events, with three in the top 100: sophomore Chris Zeches (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic H.S.) at 48th (15:42.65), freshman Jay Vanden Berg (Holland, Mich./Southfield Christian School) at 51st, and sophomore Patrick Davis (Clearwater, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) at 97th (15:58.08). Freshman Graham Parker (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill H.S. East) ranks 63rd in the 200 breast (2:04.42), while sophomore Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley H.S.) is 64th in the 100 fly (49.68). Defending BIG EAST champion junior Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) ranks 73rd in the 400 IM (4:00.32), while junior Steve Shomberger (Spotsylvania, Va./Courtland H.S.) is 95th in the 200 back (1:50.52). Senior captain Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.) – who did not even swim the event in last year’s BIG EAST meet – is 100th in the 200 butterfly (1:51.42).
Notre Dame’s relays are well-represented in the leaders, with all of them ranking among the top 40 and four listed in the top 25. The top ranking is 16th by the 200 free relay team of Randolph, Krakowski, Cavadini, and Kegelman (the top 12 relays at the end of the year earn automatic entrance to the NCAA meet) with a time of 1:21.85, while the same quartet is 22nd in the 400 free (3:01.75). The 800 free relay team of Brown, Bertke, junior Patrick O’Berry (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton H.S.), and sophomore Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.) are 23rd with a time of 6:44.52, while the 400 medley relay group of Bauman, Randolph, Kegelman, and Krakowski is 24th in 3:20.98. That quartet ranks 39th in the 200 medley with a mark of 1:31.92.
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST LEADERS: Notre Dame is very well represented in the most recent set of BIG EAST Conference top times, released Jan. 17. The Irish are particularly prolific in the relays, where they rank first in four of the five events (all but the 800 free). In individual action, sophomore Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) is tops in the league in the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 IM, while sophomore Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) is first in the 500 free, and junior Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) holds the top spot in the 100 back.
BIG YEAR FOR ROLFS AQUATIC CENTER: The 2004-05 season was a historic one for the Rolfs Aquatic Center, as it saw eight of its pool records fall. The onslaught began on Nov. 12 in the triangular meet between Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Michigan State, when the Spartans led off with a pool record in the 200 medley relay by .01 seconds. The all-junior team of Rudolf Wagenaar, Ian Clutten, Nicholas Harley, and Matthew Wisniewski posted a time of 1:31.56, besting the time set by Iowa in 2003-04. The Notre Dame Invitational saw four more records. Notre Dame sophomore Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.) broke the Rolfs record in all three of his individual events, first besting the 200 individual medley mark held by Indianapolis’ Orel Oral with a time of 1:49.48. On day two, Kegelman went 47.66 to break the 100 fly record held by Aaron Cole of Denison, while West Virginia’s Pablo Marmolejo won the 400 individual medley in a time of 3:57.08 that was faster than the pool record set by Notre Dame’s David Moisan (Fisherville, Ky./Louisville Male H.S.) in the 2003 event. The final day saw Kegelman beat the 200 fly mark of Jerram Chudleigh (Wyoming) with a time of 1:47.53. On Jan. 22, Northwestern sophomore Matt Grevers knocked off four more pool records, bettering Kicker Vencill’s (Western Kentucky) mark in the 50 free with a time of 20.02 before going 48.01 in the 100 back to take another Hilltopper, Gord Veldman, off the record board. Grevers then shattered Chudleigh’s 200 back record by nearly three seconds with a time of 1:43.96. The Wildcats led off the meet by breaking MSU’s 200 medley mark, as Kyle Bubolz, Louis Torres, Grevers, and Matt Wever went 1:30.05.
BIG EAST QUALIFYING UPDATE: With less than a month until the meet, Notre Dame has 25 (of 30) swimmers and five (of five) divers who have hit qualifying marks for the BIG EAST Championships, set for Feb. 17-19 in East Meadow, N.Y. Not all of them will compete there, however, due to a new conference rule that limits schools to 23 entries (with divers counting as one-half entry each since they are eligible to compete in just two events). Thus far, Notre Dame is the only team that has exceeded the maximum number of qualifiers.
COYLE, STONER QUALIFY FOR NCAA ZONE C DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Sophomore Scott Coyle (Indianapolis, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern H.S.) and freshman Sam Stoner (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso H.S.) have already qualified for the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, to be held March 11-12 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Coyle has NCAA qualifying marks off both boards, with season bests of 300.00 in one-meter action and 321.45 and 489.00 off the higher board. Stoner qualified in one-meter action, with a score of 307.65 against Iowa.
KEEPING UP WITH NOTRE DAME SWIMMING & DIVING: For the fastest results of Notre Dame swimming and diving meets, call the Notre Dame Sports Hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #7. The hotline provides schedule and results information for all 26 varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the meet previews and recaps provided on the official athletic website, www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with the results of each Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving meet. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu. He also can provide any needed information about the Irish swimming and diving program.