ND Swimming and Diving: Hulick leads relay team to Big East title
By: PAT LEONARD
Sports Writer
UNIONDALE, N.Y.
Danielle Hulick has won three Big East championships in her career.
All three championships have come on relay events alongside the likes of Notre Dame all-time record holders Carrie Nixon and Kelly Hecking, who have since graduated.
So when Hulick stepped to the pool Thursday at the Nassau County Aquatic Center, she recognized she was the experienced veteran. She had to lead now.
And lead she did.
Hulick helped the 200-meter freestyle relay team to another first place finish after last year's record breaking performance, won the 50-meter freestyle in 22.93 seconds and swam on a second place 400-meter medley relay team all in the first day of events in Uniondale.
"Everyone's being really supportive. We lost a few of the big girls last year like Carrie Nixon and Kelly Hecking," Hulick said. "We really relied on them, so this year it's really time for us to step up and still be dominating everything."
The determined junior came close to making the NCAA championship A-cut list with a couple of Thursday's times.
"I was pleasantly surprised," Hulick said. "I have never been that close to an A-cut before, so to almost have two in one day is amazing."
Hulick, a four-year All-American from Galesburg, Ill., set records in 10 different events at Galesburg High School. She came to Notre Dame and contributed immediately her freshman year, finishing second in the backstroke at Big East and winning the 200 medley relay and the 400 medley relay at the championships, the latter being a record-breaking event.
Notre Dame coach Bailey Weathers has nothing but praise for how the junior has matured in work ethic and attitude.
"She's done a great job and has continued to plug away at things," Weathers said. "She stays focused as much as she can on what she's doing and has been a lot of fun to have around the team."
Contributing to part of Notre Dame's team total leading 176 points, Hulick's 50 freestyle championship was her first individual title at Big East. Still, the junior does not seem concerned with her own efforts. The entire team, led by such examples as Hulick, is one large relay in which all individual efforts and goals point right back at the whole, the team.
"This year we've really pulled together as a team, just because we know we can't do this alone," Hulick said. "We can't rely on a single person to win every event just because they're awesome in it. We're going to have to each step up and do what we can."
Hulick is confident in her teammates to step up their efforts as well.
"Everyone's doing well," she said. "Lisa Garcia split awesome in the butterfly in the relay. She's having a great meet so far."
Garcia won the 200 individual medley, a title previously held by teammate Big East champion Marie Labosky, in 2:01.21. She also set a Big East record with her time in the preliminary heat of 2:01.00.
Despite her individual and the team's overall success, Hulick even acknowledges her own desperate concern at times.
"Through my head today I was behind the block praying, `Lord, I don't even want to swim fast for myself I just want to help my team beat those other girls,'" she said.
The earnest concern of a leader.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 21, 2003
