Nixon: I'm loving swimming again
By NOREEN GILLESPIE
Sports Writer
Hitting the wall with one hand, Carrie Nixon finished the 100-yard freestyle, took off her goggles and turned around cautiously to look at the scoreboard.
Illuminated by yellow glowing numbers, the board delivered good news: 51.11 seconds, good enough for first place.
It was her third win of the weekend, as she powered the Irish women's swimming and diving team to wins Saturday against both Illinois and Iowa in the Dual Meet Invitational held at Rolfs Aquatics Center.
It's the fastest Nixon has been at this point in the season since she began her swimming career at Notre Dame. A fifth-year senior, Nixon returned to the pool this year after sitting out last year because of a shoulder injury — but has realized her injury might have been more of a blessing than she'd ever thought.
"I'm loving swimming for the first time in awhile," Nixon said Saturday, after logging wins in the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard freestyle and as a member of the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams. "I love training, love going to meets. I'm loving the process of it more and more."
Nixon underwent surgery last fall when her labrum — the soft tissue that connects the shoulder near the rotator cuff — tore. She sat on the sidelines while her teammates won their fifth Big East title and traveled to compete at NCAAs.
Nixon has been an integral member of the women's team since arriving at Notre Dame. As a junior, Nixon earned the Big East Swimmer of the Year award and placed fourth at NCAA Championships, the highest finish of any Notre Dame swimmer.
She and Irish head coach Bailey Weathers have approached this season cautiously — and the results have shown. Nixon has placed consistently at the top of both the sprint freestyle and sprint butterfly events all season, posting times that don't evidence she ever left the pool.
"We're trying to be a little more careful with her," said Weathers, noting that Nixon came through the critical period of winter training without a problem. "She's been prepared well, and she's a little more focused."
But that wasn't the case during October break training in Florida, when she had to spend a lot of time on the kick board, resting the shoulder that wasn't quite healed.
"In Florida it was a lot of stop and go," Nixon said. "But doing so well down in Honolulu was a big part of building my confidence."
Doctors have given her a clean bill of health, even though she cites "some flexibility issues" as lingering evidence of last year's injury. But looking towards post-season, Nixon focuses not on the past, but on the future.
"In general, I'm 100 percent healed at this point," she said. "Any pain is minimal compared to that."
Notes
uSeveral Irish swimmers walked away with big wins on the weekend. Sophomore Marie Labosky claimed wins in the 400- and 200-yard individual medley. Senior Kelly Hecking won the 100-yard backstroke, and freshman Kelly Barton won the 1,650 freestyle. Sophomore Laurie Musgrave won the 100-yard breastroke, and sophomore Lisa D'Olier won the 200-yard butterfly.
uSenior Heather Mattingly broke her own school record for 11 dives on the 3-meter board, finishing the event with a score of 531.80. She also won the 1-meter event with 291 points.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, January 22, 2002
