Nov. 6, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame women’s swimming team, led by three-time event winner sophomore Kelly Hecking, defeated TCU, 154.5-99.5, today at the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The men’s team, despite three victories by junior Ryan Verlin, lost to TCU, 143-119, in dual-meet action. The Irish women improve to 3-0 on the season, while the men fall to 0-3 on the year.
The Irish women won every event before exhibitioning its swimmers starting with the 10th event. Hecking swam the leadoff leg of the winning 400 medley relay team before placing first in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke races. Senior Shannon Suddarth was first in two events, the 400 medley relay and the 200 breaststroke, while senior Elizabeth Barger and junior Carrie Nixon were also double-event winners for the Irish. Barger won the 100 butterfly with a time of 58.31, while Nixon won the 100 freestyle in a time of 52.27. Both Barger and Nixon swam on the winning 400 medley relay team that won in a time of 3:53.87. Other individual event winners for the Irish were freshman Lindsay Moorhead, junior Kristen Van Saun, sophomore Allison Lloyd, senior Alison Newell and sophomore Brooke Davey.
In the men’s meet, Notre Dame won five events with Verlin leading the way with individual victories in the 100 and 200 butterfly events. Verlin also teamed with sophomore David Horak, junior Dan Szilier and senior Ray Fitzpatrick to win the 400 medley relay. Other individual winners for the Irish were sophomore Jonathan Pierce in the 1000 freestyle and Szilier in the 200 breaststroke.
The turning point of the meet was in the eighth event, the 100 freestyle, as TCU’s Adrian Velasquez touched out Notre Dame’s Fitzpatrick by .01 of a second earning the victory and putting the Horned Frogs ahead by 10 points at 90-80. Velasquez won three events on the day including the 50 freestyle and the 400 freestyle relay.
The Notre Dame women compete next Friday, Nov. 12, as they travel to Oxford, Ohio, for a triangular meet against Miami (OH) and Pittsburgh. The men travel to Pittsburgh, Pa., Saturday, Nov. 13, for a dual meet against the University of Pittsburgh.