Irish again have hard schedule
Special to The Observer
The Notre Dame men's swimming team (5-2) will compete in two meets within 24 hours for the second weekend in a row when the Irish face Cleveland State on the road Friday, Feb. 2 (3 p.m.), then move on to St. Bonaventure Saturday, Feb. 3 (1 p.m.).
The Irish defeated Cleveland State 143-89 last year and hold a 16-10 advantage in the series. Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure have met 33 times, with the Irish holding a 24-9 edge in the series.
Two meets in 24 hours is a tough task, but the Irish handled the challenge last weekend. In two victories over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Ball State, Notre Dame posted a number of notable performances.
Senior Ryan Verlin won four events last weekend, including two individual and one relay victory at Ball State. Verlin won the 200 butterfly at home against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then won the same event at Ball State in 1:56.55. He also won the 200 butterfly (1:52.52) versus the Cardinals and helped the team get off to a quick start in the meet as a member of the second-place 400 medley relay team.
Junior Jonathan Pierce continued to excel in the freestyle events. Pierce won the 200 freestyle vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, then stepped up to take first in the 1,000 and 500 freestyle at Ball State. Pierce, the defending Big East champion in the 1,650 freestyle looks to be in top form heading into the championship stretch of the season.
One of the most important developments this season has been the performance of freshman Matt Obringer. Obringer won the 200 freestyle at Ball State and also finished second in the 100 freestyle. Obringer currently holds the best times on the team in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle.
The men's diving contingent has been spectacular this season, providing many important points throughtout the dual meet campaign. Last weekend, senior Herb Huesman (Cincinnati, Ohio) won the one-meter diving competition at Ball State with 305.03 points, just ahead of teammate Andy Maggio (Cincinnati, Ohio). Maggio would eventually win the three-meter competition later in the meet.
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Notre Dame senior All-American Michelle Dasso won three-set matches in singles and doubles to reach the second round of singles and the doubles quarterfinals on the first day of the Rolex National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at the Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas. The third-ranked and third-seeded Dasso held off Stanford's 21st-ranked Keiko Tokuda 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 to reach the second round of singles at the third leg of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association grand slam. She next will meet Arkansas' 30th-ranked Chin Bee Khoo, a 6-4, 6-0 winner over Ohio State's Kristy Dascoli.
The eighth-ranked but unseeded Irish doubles team of Dasso and junior Becky Varnum rallied to beat another Stanford opponent, defeating 13th-ranked Lauren Barnikow and Lauren Kalvaria 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Dasso and Varnum, who used a break of serve at 5-4 in the second set to force a third set, were scheduled to play a late quarterfinal match vs. Texas' seventh-ranked and fourth-seeded team of Vladka Ulhirova and Janet Walker.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 2, 2001
