Irish women conclude season at NCAAs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Peterson Family Head Coach Chris Lindauer has concluded one half of his first season at Notre Dame, as two swimmers and two divers from the women’s team participated in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Championships at the University of Tennessee this week.

“Really proud and incredibly honored by the way Ellie [Jew] and Coleen [Gillilan] competed and represented Notre Dame this weekend,” Lindauer said of the experience. “It was a great learning opportunity and an amazing accomplishment for both of them to qualify for NCAAs.”

The divers got the Irish started on Thursday, and they wrapped up on Friday. Calie Brady and Allie Klein both competed in the women’s 1-meter and 3-meter. They tied for the No. 33 spot in the 1-meter (243.35). Brady took 23rd in the 3-meter (295.80), while Klein finished 31st (271.90). The meet capped off a five-year stint in the States for Klein, who hails from Australia. She spent her first four years of college at Michigan. 

“I thought they both competed really well,” head dive coach Mark Bradshaw said. “For Allie, she’s done her final competitive dives. She was very consistent on the 3-meter, although her scores were a little lower. She didn’t miss anything. She competed very well. 

“Calie was spot on in five of six dives on 3-meter. She was scraping to get into the top 16, but it was a huge improvement from freshman to sophomore year for her. I think that bodes well for her moving into her junior year.”

Jew and Gillilan made the trip to Knoxville for the swimmers, Gillilan for the third time and Jew for the first. Jew swam the 100 and 200 breaststroke, adding a bit of time from ACCs in both. She finished 40th in the former (1:00.30) and 51st in the latter (2:14.14). Jew’s time of 59.73 from ACCs ranks third in school history, and her 2:10.52 in the 200 is third as well. 

Gillilan, who holds the school record in both the 100 and 200 butterfly, swam those two events plus the 100 breaststroke. She finished 26th in the 100 fly (52.10), 28th in the 200 fly (1:56.15) and 37th in the 100 breast (1:00.15). 

While there were just four Irish present in Knoxville, the impact on Notre Dame’s women’s team is far greater than that.

“They are able to take some positive experiences from the meet, and in store, share that with our team to help shift and grow into the team that we are working toward every single day,” Lindauer said. 

The men’s team will conclude its season next weekend in Minneapolis, as seven swimmers and a diver head to the 2023 Men’s NCAA Championships.