ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Notre Dame started off the new year with three wins, going 3-1 against Navy and Princeton this weekend. The 23rd-ranked men topped Princeton 234-145 and Navy 208-119. They move to 4-1 on the season. The Irish women handily beat the Midshipmen 279-74 and fell to the Tigers in a close one, 188-165. They are now 3-2.
In total, Notre Dame posted 13 individual wins.
On Friday, Notre Dame standout Jack Hoagland earned the 400 IM win by more than 3 seconds (3:43.06) and the 1650 freestyle victory by more than 14 (14:55.28). Hoagland holds the Notre Dame record in the 400 IM (3:40.73).
The Irish went 1-2 in the 100 backstroke, as Tommy Janton went 46.50 and Kaden Smesko posted a time of 47.63. Janton’s performance moves him to No. 4 all-time in the event in program history.
The Gillilan sisters combined for a successful first day. Senior Coleen won the 100 breaststroke (1:00.59), while freshman Renee took silver in the 200 butterfly (1:59.50). The event was won by Irish junior Megan Deuel (1:58.30). Maggie Graves added a win for the Notre Dame women with a 16:20.40 swim in the 1650 freestyle.
In the diving well, Notre Dame freshmen Daniel Knapp and Ben Nugyen took 1-2 in the men’s 3-meter, posting scores of 408.00 and 358.15, respectively.
Both the men and the women earned relay victories on Day 1. Chris Giuliano, Colton Paulson, Cason Wilburn and Stephen Lukashev took gold in the 200 freestyle relay (1:19.83); and Jess Geriane, Ellie Jew, Coleen Gillilan and Madelyn Christman won the 400 medley relay (3:35.45). Jew nearly broke 1:00 on the breaststroke leg with a 1:00.01 split. Her best time at Notre Dame is 1:00.68, which ranks sixth in school history.
Notre Dame got Day 2 off to a fast start, winning both 200 medley relays. Geriane, Jew, Coleen Gillilan and Grace Brenneman out touched Princeton with a 1:38.97 performance, while Janton, Sean Faikish, Wilburn and Giuliano posted a 1:25.80.
Individually, a couple of men added to their Friday victories. After winning the 50 freestyle on Friday, Guiliano also took home the gold in the 100 (42.75). Janton added a 200 backstroke (1:43.32) win as well and now ranks seventh all-time in program history in the 200.
Mary Cate Pruitt won the 500 freestyle with a 4:47.30, and Hoagland won it on the men’s side with a time of 4:16.78. The Gillilan sisters added to their accolades, as Coleen won the 100 butterfly (52.41) and Renee took second in the 200 IM (2:01.78).
The final swimming event came down to a photo finish, as the Irish men’s team held off Princeton by .14 seconds in the 400 freestyle relay (2:55.22). Giuliano, Hoagland, Thacher Scannell and Tate Bacon composed the group.
The meet concluded with diving, and freshman Grace Courtney posted her highest finish of the year: a second-place performance in the 3-meter (284.85). In the 1-meter, Knapp and Nguyen went 1-2 again (330.75 and 293.30).
Next up, Notre Dame hosts the Tim Welsh Classic at the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The two-day meet begins on Jan. 27.