SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Peterson Family Head Coach Chris Lindauer has the Irish swimming and diving programs on the rise, and he signed 11 new faces in the 2024 class to his team on Wednesday as part of 2023 National Signing Day. The group hails from eight states and three countries, and all of the swimmers have experience competing on a national stage.
“We are excited to officially welcome our 2024 class to our Irish family!” Lindauer said. “This class brings a tremendous level of talent and we can’t wait for its arrival to campus in the fall. Above and beyond the talent, this class will come in with a hunger and vision that will immediately impact our team as we focus on continuing to climb to the top of the NCAA.”
Carli Cronk — San Antonio, TX
Texas rank: 2; 2024 rank: 40
Cronk is a heavily decorated member of the USA Deaf Swimming National Team; she won 12 gold medals at the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil, making her the most-decorated athlete at a single Deaflympics Game. While there, she set Deaf world records in the 1500 free, 200 fly and 400 IM. In late 2022, USA Swimming awarded Cronk the Trischa L. Zorn Award, which is given to a disabled swimmer with the most outstanding performance of the year. The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf also named her the 2022 Sportswoman of the Year. Cronk swims for the Alamo Area Aquatic Association and attends Churchill High School.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 free: 1:47.82
- 500 free: 4:51.71
- 1000 free: 10:04.29
- 1650 free: 16:33.09
- 200 fly: 1:58.42
- 400 IM: 4:16.00
Emily Kitayama — San Antonio, TX
Texas rank: 10; 2024 rank: 132
Kitayama is a freestyler and butterflier who attends TMI Episcopal and, like Cronk, swims year-round with the Alamo Area Aquatic Association. The two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American recently won state titles in the 100 fly and 200 free at last year’s TAPPS Division 2 State Championship. She was also a C finalist in the 200-meter fly at Junior Nationals last summer.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 free: 1:50.09
- 100 fly: 54.26
- 200 fly: 1:58.98
Alyssa Street — Carmel, IN
Indiana rank: 5; 2024 rank: 208
The Carmel to South Bend pipeline continues, as Street joins an Irish squad with five Carmel natives currently on the roster. Street is a jack-of-all-trades, but her main contributions to Notre Dame will be in the freestyle and IM events. She attends Carmel High School and swims for the Carmel Swim Club.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 free: 1:50.84
- 500 free: 4:53.39
- 200 IM: 2:02.77
- 400 IM: 4:20.82
Hollie Widdows — Tavistock, GBR
2024 rank: 52
Widdows is bringing her talents across the pond. A native of the United Kingdom, Widdows is a member of the Swim England Junior Team and was the British Junior Champion in the 50-meter fly in 2022. She competed for her country at the European Junior Championships in Romania in the summer of 2022, and she finished ninth in both the 50 and 100-meter fly. She was a two-time bronze medalist at the meet in relays. Widdows attends the Mount Kelly School and trains with coaches Emma Collings-Barnes and Greg King-Limb.
Top LCM Times:
- 100 free: 56.04
- 200 free: 2:02.22
- 100 fly: 1:00.63
Patrick Branon — Lutherville Timonium, MD
Maryland rank: 6; 2024 rank: 179
Branon swims for the famed North Baltimore Aquatic Club and attends Loyola Blakefield. He holds a Junior National Championships cut in the 1650 free and will be a distance specialist once he arrives in South Bend. In February, Branon was the champion in the 200 and 500 free at the 2023 MIAA A Swimming Championships.
Top SCY Times:
- 500 free: 4:28.34
- 1000 free: 9:15.74
- 1650 free: 15.23.40
- 200 fly: 1:48.47
Shane Eckler — Delco, PA
Pennsylvania rank: 4; 2024 rank: 135
Notre Dame already has a number of Philadelphia natives on the team, including U.S. National Team member Chris Guiliano, and the Irish will add another in Eckler. A sprinter specializing in free and fly, Eckler swims year-round with the Ridley Area YMCA and attends Ridley High School. Between the two spring and summer YMCA National meets this year, Eckler has notched four top-eight finishes.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 free: 20.14
- 100 free: 44.21
- 100 fly: 48.80
- 100 back: 49.43
Charlie Heisig — Waxhaw, NC
North Carolina rank: 15; 2024 rank: 233
Heisig comes to Notre Dame from SwimMAC Carolina and Marvin Ridge High School. A do-it-all IMer, he specializes in 200 back and 200 fly as well. Heisig holds Winter Junior National cuts in those events and 200 and 400 IM. He placed in the top 30 in the 200 IM at this summer’s Junior National Championships.
Top SCY Times:
- 200 back: 1:48.24
- 200 fly: 1:49.30
- 200 IM: 1:49.34
- 400 IM: 3:53.98
Gus MacDonald — Beverly Hills, MI
Michigan rank: 2; 2024 rank: 177
The breaststroker and high school state champion has been steadily improving in recent years and hopes the Irish will take him to the next level. MacDonald, who hails from outside of Detroit, won the state title in the 100 breast last winter and took second in the 200 IM. His 100 breaststroke performance was a full two seconds faster than he went at the meet the previous year. MacDonald attends Wylie E. Groves High School and swims for the Birmingham Blue Dolphins.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 breast: 55.82
- 200 breast: 1:59.56
- 200 IM: 1:49.67
- 400 IM: 3:53.66
Jack Sullivan — Bayside, WI
Wisconsin rank: 4; 2024 rank: 229
A state record holder in the 200 free as of February 2023, Sullivan is the three-time reigning state champion in the event and won the 100 free last year as well. Sullivan began his high school career at Nicolet swimming primarily backstroke, and he will bring some of those skills to a stacked Notre Dame backstroke group. He swims year-round for the Central YMCA.
Top SCY Times:
- 100 free: 44.54
- 200 free: 1:38.13
- 100 back: 50.52
Hrvoje Tomic — Split, Croatia
2024 rank: 102
In Tomic, Notre Dame is getting a plethora of international experience. The Croatian sprint freestyler is fresh off of an impressive performance at the 2023 World Junior Championships. He finished in the top 16 in the 50, 100 and 200 free, and he posted best times in the 100 and 200. He is one of the four swimmers that holds the Croatian record in the 400 free relay, which was set at the 2022 European Junior Championships in Romania. He swims for the Croatian Swimming Federation.
Top LCM Times:
- 50 free: 23.00
- 100 free: 50.40
- 200 free: 1:50.42
Charlie Tracy — Chicago, IL
Illinois rank: 3; 2024 rank: 129
Tracy, who attends Saint Ignatius, is the younger sister of current Irish freshman swimmer Julieta Tracy. The distance specialist had an impressive Winter Juniors-West showing last season, earning a 16th-place finish in the 400 IM with a best time by more than 10 seconds. Tracy swims year-round for the Chicago Wolfpack Aquatic Club.
Top Times:
- 500 free — 4:29.43
- 1000 free — 9:23.73
- 1650 free — 15:36.56
- 400 IM — 3:52.24
*All top times and rankings listed are courtesy of SwimCloud.com*