Feb. 21, 2001
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Who:
The University of Notre Dame Women’s Swimming and Diving team
What:
The 2001 Shamrock Invitational
Where:
Rolfs Aquatic Center, Notre Dame, Ind.
When:
Feb. 24-25, 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Notre Dame finishes up the regular season, looking forward to the NCAA championship meet:
The Shamrock Invitational is set for this weekend, Feb. 24-25, at the Rolfs Aquatic Center on Notre Dame’s campus. A traditional late-season meet, it will be the last chance for some athletes to improve their NCAA qualification times or post new qualifying times.
Irish claim fifth consecutive BIG EAST title:
The University of Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team kept its winning streak alive at the 2001 BIG EAST Championship last weekend (Feb. 15-17), capturing its fifth-consecutive team title with 672.5 points. The team claimed six individual titles and two relay event victories to win their fifth BIG EAST meet in six years. Notre Dame finished third in its first year of competition in the league.
Head coach Bailey Weathers was named BIG EAST Swimming Coach-of-the-Year for the fourth time in the last six years. Weather has led the team to a 20-1 dual meet record over the last two years – the best stretch in the program’s history. Since he took over the reigns of the program in 1995, his teams have broken every mark in the Irish record books.
Junior Kelly Hecking (Rutherford, NJ) continued her outstanding year in the backstroke, winning the 100 (for the third straight year) and 200 backstroke events at the BIG EAST meet. Hecking also was a member of two championship relay teams, giving the All-American 14 total BIG EAST Championships in her career (the most in Notre Dame history). Her season should continue past this weekend’s Shamrock Invitational, as she has swam NCAA consideration times in both strokes and has a good chance at competing in this year’s NCAA championship meet. Her 54.98 time in the 100 back set a meet and school record.
Lisa D’Olier (Houston, Texas) made her rookie debut at the BIG EAST Championship a special one by capturing two individual titles and two relay victories. D’Olier won the 100 butterfly in 55.00 and the 200 butterfly in 2:01.17 – both NCAA consideration times.
D’Olier and teammates Lisa Garcia (Denver, Colo.) and Sarah Bowman (Cheshire, Conn.) contributed to Notre Dame’s freshman domination of the butterfly. Garcia and Bowman finished second and third in the 200 butterfly, following up fifth and 12th-place finishes in the 100 fly.
Notre Dame’s relay teams continued their storied history of success at the BIG EAST meet, sweeping both the 200 and 400 medley relays and finishing in the top five of the 200 freestyle (fifth), 400 freestyle (second) and 800 freestyle (fourth) relays. The 400 free relay team of of Brooke Davey (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), Danielle Hulick (Galesburg, Ill.), Liane Watkins (Austin, Texas) and Hecking (3:25.00) broke the school record set at last year’s BIG EAST Championships by Hecking, Davey, Brenda Reilly (White Plains, N.Y.), and Laura Shepard of 3:25.74.
Hecking and D’Olier combined with freshman Danielle Hulick (Galesburg, Ill.) and Laurie Musgrave (Littleton, Colo.) to win the 200 medley relay as well.
Freshman Marie Labosky (Churchville, Pa.) contributed some stellar performances in the individual medleys and the 1,650 freestyle. She won the 200 IM in 2:01.87 and finished second in the 400 IM in 4:16.94, setting new school records in the process. Her 200 time broke Tanya Williams 11-year old record (2:02.29) and her 400 time also broke a Williams record (nine years old, 4:19.88).