Irish make big splash at Big East championship
By NOREEN GILLESPIE
Saint Mary's editor
UNIONDALE, N.Y.
A fourth Big East conference championship title is a near-certainty in the Notre Dame women's swimming and diving team's future after ending day one of competition over 100 points ahead of the closest competitor.
Advancing 15 swimmers to finals and breaking three conference records in the process, the Notre Dame squad emerged the undisputed favorite in the meet. Perennial conference strengths Pittsburgh, Villanova and Miami struggled to put points on the board throughout the day.
"This is probably more than we expected in terms of position," said head coach Bailey Weathers. "A lot of teams did not have as good of a day as we did. But we still have a lot to improve on."
Seeking status as the first Notre Dame team to win four consecutive conference championships, a major falter by the team would be necessary to narrow the lead. Regardless, Weathers will not guarantee a victory this early in the competition.
"[To say I am confident in our victory] is a foolish thing to do," Weathers said. "We have to stay focused and make sure we don't let down. Maintaining intensity is always a challenge going into the second day of the meet."
Citing inconsistency in morning races, difficulty with technical aspects in races, and a struggle to retain focus, Weathers wants to see the squad step up to their optimal level of performance in the next two days.
"We were not as good as we could have been in the morning," he said. "We had a lot of kids end up in consolation heats that should have been in the finals. There were a lot of things we could have done better. Overall, we're pleased with where we are, but we can improve."
While the possibility of the four-peat looms in the distance, the potential win is not the only motivating factor for the team.
Seeking to increase the number of swimmers qualifying for the NCAA Championship, the Irish's goals reach beyond the Big East.
"The girls would like to win, but it's not as much of an issue as performance," Weathers said. "We were relaxed this morning. We have to keep our intensity."
Intensity is expected from frontrunner Carrie Nixon, who added to her list of Big East titles Thursday by resetting her 50 freestyle conference record in preliminaries, then lowering the mark again in finals.
Nixon's mark of 22.58 seconds earned the junior sprinter another Big East title and an automatic NCAA qualification time.
Nixon was also a member of two Big East record setting relay teams Thursday, where the Irish continued to establish their place in the conference record books.
The 200 freestyle relay of Brooke Davey, Nixon, Kelly Hecking and Laura Shepard undercut the 1999 record set by the Irish, re-establishing the mark at 1 minute, 32.64 seconds.
Hecking, Elizabeth Barger, Shannon Suddarth and Nixon answered at the end of the meet, resetting the 400 medley relay record at 3:42.69. Other top performances included a 1-2 finish in the 500 freestyle from the duo of Kirsten Van Saun and Alison Newell. Van Saun, who entered the final in second place behind Newell, pulled ahead of the pack during the last six lengths to win the title in 4:51.97.
The duo's finish set the pace for Thursday's finals, establishing Irish dominance early on.
"The 500 was really critical for us," Weathers said. "It was the first individual event, and it was important to score there because we've scored well in the past."
Continuing the trend, Notre Dame placed four swimmers in the final heat of the 50 freestyle, showing off a depth of a talented corps of sprinters.
Following Nixon's first place finish, Shepard added a fourth place finish, Davey fell into sixth, and Hecking rounded out the heat in seventh.
The Irish also saw strong 200 individual medley performances, with Allison Lloyd and Suddarth placing seventh and eighth.
Diving competitors Heather Mattingly and Gina Ketelehohn earned fourth and seventh place honors for Notre Dame in the 3-meter competition, respectively.
Placing multiple swimmers and divers in the final heats will continue to be a priority, as the team looks to capitalize on both standouts and depth.
While stroke specialists will get a chance to shine on Friday and Saturday, there are holes that leave Weathers wary.
"We only have one swimmer in the 400 individual medley tomorrow, and that will hurt us," Weathers said. "But we can score well in the stroke events."
Nixon will return as the favorite in Saturday's 100 freestyle, where she will seek to defend her conference title and record.
"Because I won last year, that has really given me the confidence to know that I can do it again," she said. "I don't look at this as pressure, but as another opportunity to do something great. The more pressure you put on yourself, the harder it is," she said.
Like Nixon, the team's focus will remain not on the imminent four-peat, but on NCAA qualifications.
"It is our largest team goal to win [Big East]," Nixon said. "But honestly, that's going to be easier than it has been in the past because we've stepped to a new level. This is a side goal — something we think about when we're done."
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 18, 2000
