Nov. 19, 2004
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In their first-ever dual meet as a nationally-ranked team, 21st-ranked University of Notre Dame men’s swimming and diving (5-1) finished Friday tied 45-45 after the first session of three in a championship-style dual meet with Louisville (2-2) in Crawford Pool. The Irish, who have rotated their swimmers out of their normal events for the meet, won twice despite being without some of their top competitors, who were unable to miss class on Friday but will join the team on Saturday.
Junior Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) led the Irish in the opening session. Swimming the event for the first time this season, he won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:57.78 that was good enough for a BIG EAST “B” cut, meaning he will be eligible to swim more than just the two backstroke events (in which he is the University recordholder) at the conference meet for the first time. He led a strong Irish finish in the event, as sophomore Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.) was second in 1:58.82 and freshman Graham Parker (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill H.S. East) took fourth in his first time swimming the event as a collegian, with a time of 1:59.13.
Bauman also took part in the first-place 200 freestyle relay, which posted a time of 1:27.34 in the first race of the meet. Junior Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) led off that quartet, with Bauman, sophomore Nick Fanslau (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn H.S.), and senior Drew Pittman (Williamsburg, Va./Lafayette H.S.) following.
Freeman had a pair of top-three finishes. He swam the 500 free – which came immediately before the 200 IM – for the first time this season, taking third with a career-best time of 4:43.95. Senior captain Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.) led the Irish in the event, finishing as the runner-up with a season-best time of 4:39.66.
Randolph was busy on Friday, finishing second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.09 before taking part in another relay, the 400 medley. In that, the last event of the day, the Irish were second in a time of 3:32.41. Bauman covered the backstroke portion, while Randolph was next, junior Patrick Heffernan (Norcross, Ga./Norcross H.S.) took the butterfly leg, and Fanslau anchored it.
The Irish and Cardinals will conclude the meet with sessions on Saturday that begin at 9 a.m. (EST) and 3 p.m.