After notching the best ACC finish in program history, 10 Irish swimmers will keep the party going and head to the 2024 NCAA Championships in Indianapolis from March 27-30. The event will be hosted by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the Indiana Sports Corporation.
The crew is headlined by Chris Guiliano, the junior freestyler who swept the sprint free events at ACCs. Ahead of NCAAs, Guiliano is the No. 3 seed in the 50 (18.57), No. 1 seed in the 100 (40.62) and No. 3 seed in the 200 (1:31.16). He broke his own school records in all three of those events at ACCs, and he broke the conference’s 100 free record while tying it in the 200.
Fellow sprinter Abdelrahman Elaraby will be heading to NCAAs for the third time in his storied career, this time swimming the 50 freestyle (18.82), 100 freestyle (42.19) and 100 butterfly (45.03). He set the school record in the 100 fly at ACC Championships, but his best chance to make the A final, according to the psych sheet, is the 50; he is seeded 10th overall.
Tommy Janton made the field in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and he will also swim the 100 fly (46.36). His best chance at the A final is in the 200, an event that he won at ACC Championships with a time of 1:39.21. That mark broke his own school record. Janton is also seeded 21st in the 100 backstroke (45.17).
Fellow sophomore and backstroke specialist Marcus Gentry is seeded 20th in the 100 backstroke (45.12) and is making his first appearance at NCAA Championships after narrowly missing the cut last year. Gentry is also the 25th seed in the 200 back (1:40.35) and will swim the 100 fly (46.07).
Graduate transfer Tanner Filion has had a heck of a victory lap for Notre Dame, setting the program record and becoming the first ever Irish swimmer to break 45 seconds in the 100 backstroke (44.99). He is seeded 15th in the event at NCAAs and will also swim 200 backstroke (1:41.51) and 100 fly (45.47).
Finally, Tate Bacon will make his NCAA debut after making the field at 23rd in the 200 butterfly (1:41.76). That time is just 0.06 off the school record. Bacon will also swim the 100 butterfly (45.41) and 100 backstroke (47.16) after earning B cuts in both events.
In addition to those swimming individual events, Notre Dame will bring Tyler Christianson, Luka Cvetko, Dillion Edge and Cason Wilburn to Indianapolis as relay alternates. The Irish set four new relay records at ACCs in the 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.
Three Irish divers — Daniel Knapp, Carlo Lopez and Ben Nguyen — will compete at the Zone C Championships this week with a shot at joining the aforementioned crew in Indy. The meet begins at the University of Louisville on Thursday at 1pm.
Additional meet information for NCAAs, including the schedule, can be found here.