Zach Stephens 2012-13 Swimming and Diving Roster

AS A SENIOR:Rounded out their career with the Irish with an extremely strong season… swam in two events at the NCAA Championships… swam to 12th place in 100 breast finals (52.55)… earned 16th place in 200 breast finals (1:54.69)… has six top-ten finishes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships… secured seventh place as both the fourth leg of the 200 medley team (1:26.35) and second leg of the 400 free relay (2:56.03)… swam to eighth place as the fourth leg of 400 medley relay team (3:11.31)… was the second leg of the 200 free relay team that clinched ninth (1:19.25)… swam to tenth place in both 200 IM finals (1:45.62) and 100 breast finals (52.80)… also earned 17th place in 200 breast finals (1:57.31)… had career best in 100 fly against Michigan State, swimming to fourth place (50.39)… clinched first place twice as part of the 200 free relay team… had seven top-three wins as part of the 200 medley relay team… fastest time of the season was at the Hawkeye Invitational where the team swam to second place (1:28.73)… touched the wall in first place twice in 50 free… swam to first three times in 200 breast… best regular season time was at Hawkeye Invitational (1:55.49)… also had season best in 100 breast at the Hawkeye Invitational, clinching first place (52.54)… earned a monogram.

AS A JUNIOR: Had arguably his best season with the Irish, resetting several records and finishing in the top five in almost every swim … set three school records at Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships … claimed first ACC title in the 100 breast with his 52.59 mark before setting a new school record in the 200 breast (1:53.34) and earning a second title … finished second at conference meet in the 200 IM (1:44.01) and set yet another school record … went on to swim at NCAA Championships in all three events … best finish at national meet was in 100 breast (53.47) where he finished 25th … touched the wall in 1:55.74 in 200 breast, good for 26th place … in 200 IM, swam a 1:45.52 in prelims, settling in at 34th overall … occasionally swam the 50 and 100 free … came in first on sole outing in 100 back (50.91) in tri-meet with Michigan State and Virginia … earned a monogram.

AS A SOPHOMORE: Had a strong sophomore season, and was selected as the team’s Notre Dame National Monogram Club Most Valuable Player … one of two Notre Dame individual point scorers for the Irish after a 16th-place finish in the 200 breast (1:56.43) at the NCAA Championships … set an Irish record with a 1:55.21 performance in the 200 breast at the BIG EAST Championships … also set an Irish record with the 200 medley relay `A’ team with a first-place finish and time of 1:26.33 … was the first swimmer to the wall in the 200 IM for a season-best time of 1:45.41 at the BIG EAST meet … recorded a season-best time of 53.17 in the 100 breast in the same meet … brought home a runner-up finish in the 200 IM (1:50.11) to go along with a pair of third-place finishes in the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay … showed dominance in the 200 breast at the Shamrock Invitational being the first swimmer to reach the pad … gathered a duo of second-place finishes during the Hawkeye Invitational, one as a member of the 200 free relay team (1:19.56) and one in the 200 breast (1:58.26) … against Louisville won gold and set the pool record in the 200 breast (1:59.53) … earned a first-place finish in the 200 free against Pittsburgh, turning in a time of 1:41.79 … BIG EAST Academic All-Star … monogram winner.

AS A FRESHMAN: Enjoyed a historic season competing in the 200 breast, shattering both the school record and the pool record in the event at the Rolfs Aquatic Center … facility-best time was .02 seconds faster than the previous best time at the Rolfs Aquatic Center set by Dan Szilier in 1998 … shattered the school mark by more than two seconds in the event, swimming a preliminary 1:57.06 at the BIG EAST Championships … earned a third-place finish in the 200 breast with a time of 1:57.44 in the finals of the meet … logged the seventh-best 100 breast swim of all-time, touching the wall in 54.66 at the BIG EAST Championships … recorded the second-fastest 200 IM time in school history in a fourth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championships … monogram winner.

PREP AND PERSONAL: All-American as a sophomore and junior in the 100 and 200 breaststroke … 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier … two-time PIAA state champion record holder in the 100 breast … Pennsylvania District IV record holder and state champion in the 200 IM (1:52.53) … also set district record in the 100 breast (57.04) … four-time letterwinner and two-time captain for Mark Barnes at Bloomsburg Area (Pa.) … qualified for short court nationals … currently holds six school records and each pool record … went undefeated in his freshman, sophomore and junior years, while being a regional champion over that same period … also lettered in tennis and track … member of the National Honor Society … full name is Zachary John Stephens … son of Ann and John Stephens … youngest of four children … sister, Jessica, swam for Notre Dame … brother, Matthew, ran cross country at Princeton … brother, Justin, swam at Villanova … graduated from the Mendoza College of Business as a double major in marketing and economics.

Stephens’s Career Bests