Feb. 24, 2001
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s and women’s swimming team won seven events between them Saturday during the first day of the Shamrock Invitational at the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The Shamrock Invitational is the last chance swimmers have to qualify for the 2001 NCAA Championships. The women’s NCAAs are Thursday-Saturday, March 15-17 in Long Island, N.Y., while the men’s championships are Thursday-Saturday, March 22-24 in College Station, Texas.
Irish sophomore Christina Jackson won two races Saturday claiming the 500 freestyle and the 400 individual medley. Jackson won the 500 freestyle in five minutes 25.38 seconds in defeating runner-up Melissa Kelley of Illinois (5:53.73). Jackson also won the 400 individual medley in 4:41.77.
Notre Dame freshman Jilen Siroky, who competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta in the breaststroke, won the 100 butterfly in 58.35, narrowly defeating teammate Sarah Bowman (58.47) and Jackson (1:03.40).
Irish sophomore Nicole Kohrt won the 200 freestyle in 1:54.49. Kohrt defeated Irish freshman Sara Cerreta (1:59.73) and Jackson (2:04.87).
Cerreta did win the 50 freestyle in 25.39. Illinois’ Kelly McGawran was second at 25.87, while Jackson took third in 26.27.
On the men’s side, Notre Dame’s Matt Hedden won the 200 individual medley in 1:56.88. Hedden defeated teammate Mike Koss (1:57.35) and Albion College’s Britt Johnson (1:57.78) in claiming the victory.
The Notre Dame men’s 200 medley relay team of freshmen Mark Hessler, Josh McDermott, Adam Cahill and T.J. DeFrank took first in a time of 1:39.84. Eastern Michigan’s team of Josh Blankenship, Mike VanRhee, Jon Rodgers and Kevin Garman was second in 1:41.59.
The Shamrock Invitational concludes Sunday, Feb. 25, with preliminaries at 10:30 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m.