Swimming: Irish and Belles start season as opponents
Special to The Observer
The Notre Dame mens and womens and Saint Mary's swim teams start their seasons this weekend at the Notre Dame Relays.
After finishing 19th at the NCAA meet last year, the womens team is deeper than they have ever been and are striving to capture their seventh consecutive Big East Conference title. The team also wants to qualify more than the record nine athletes they brought a year ago to the 2002 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
The Irish graduated freestyle/butterfly specialist Carrie Nixon, backstroker and freestyler Kelly Hecking, breaststroker Allison Lloyd and diver Heather Mattingly. However, the team returns 23 swimmers and divers to the team and five NCAA Championships qualifiers.
Last season, junior butterfliers Lisa Garcia and Lisa D'Olier qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 100 and 200 events after placing second and third, respectively, in the 100 at the BIG EAST Championships.
Sophomore Brooke Taylor will add depth to the event, and perhaps the biggest addition to the roster is Singapore Olympian Christel Bouvron. Bouvron participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in the 100 and 200 fly. She enters her Notre Dame career with the fastest incoming time ever posted by a freshman and could challenge Nixon's record of 54.07 before the end of the season.
Led by All-American Marie Labosky, as well as Garcia, D'Olier, senior Amy Deger and sophomore Kelli Barton, the Irish look to be extremely competitive and deep in both the 200 and 400 individual medley races.
Senior Heidi Hendrick, Danielle Hulick and sophomore Katie Eckholt look to replace Nixon in the 50-yard freestyle.
A weakness the past few seasons, the Irish addressed the middle distances this season. Sophomore Sarah Alwen will move from backstroke to the 200 and 500 freestyle, while freshmen Bouvron, Courtney Campbell, Mary Steffan and Kalei Walker make the Irish even deeper.
Notre Dame will have to make up for the loss of Mattingly, who became the first diving All-American in Irish history and qualified for the NCAA meet three times in her career. Junior Meghan Perry-Eaton has returned to full strength after missing the 2001 season with an injury.
In the distance races, NCAA qualifier Barton will lead the Irish. She will be helped by seniors Nicole Kohrt, Christina Jackson, Katie Cavadini and Sara Cerreta. Also, Deger, Cavadini and Hendrick will provide leadership as they were all voted captains by their teammates for the 2002-03 season.
The mens team lost eight from the 2001-02 roster including Notre Dame recordholders David Horak and Johnathan Pierce, but Welsh welcomes back 20 men from last year, as well as nine talented freshmen.
Even with the loss of Horak, Notre Dame's strongest stroke this season could be the butterfly.The 200 race looks extremely deep as junior J.R. Teddy returns with the fastest time on the Irish roster at 1:52.13. Juniors Lucas Wymore and Brian Coughlan and sophomore Frank Krakowski also strengthen this event.
Three of the incoming freshmen - Bryan Guarnier, Patrick Heffernan and Partick O'Berry - also boast the 200 as their strongest event and their development will be critical in Notre Dame's success in butterfly.
Teddy is the fastest returning 1,000 freestyler on the roster and has the third-fastest 500 time on the team. Freshmen Patrick Davis, Heffernan and O'Berry should also contribute immediately in the distance races, as well as senior Michael Flanagan, sophomore Matt Bertke, who has the fastest returning time in the 1,650, and junior Matt Obringer, who has the quickest returning 500 free time.
In the sprint freestyle events, the Irish should be improved, but will be very young. Krakowski returns with the fastest times from last season swimming a 21.05 in the 50 free and a 46.14 in the 100. Drew Pittman, Adam Cahill, Travis Kline and Obringer will also be back, but freshmen Tim Randolph, Doug Bauman, Chris Barnes could see a lot of early season action.
In the 200, Notre Dame will be deeper this year with juniors Coughlan, Obringer and Wymore and sophomore Dave Moisan helping develop the freshmen in this event.
All Sports Stories for Friday, October 4, 2002
