Hecking breaks barrier as team wins fifth straight title
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
UNIONDALE, N.Y.
They wore bright blue shirts with the words "Bring it" written in giant yellow letters on the back, daring any Big East team to try to beat them.
And when nobody stepped forward to challenge them, the Notre Dame women's swimming team earned the right to jump into the pool once again as they captured their fifth consecutive Big East Championship.
The Irish captured first place with 672.5 points. Virginia Tech took second with 482 points, and Rutgers was third with 450.5 points. Miami, which was in second place after the first day of competition, slipped all the way to fifth place.
"Where do you begin," said Irish coach Bailey Weathers, who was named the 2001 Big East Coach of the Year. "It's a new generation of kids. To be able to win again is really important, and to make that transition is pretty incredible for us."
Last season, Notre Dame won the championship with a very talented group of seniors. When the season started, Weathers expressed concern that he might not be able to fill the gap. As it would turn out, he had no reason to worry.
Weathers brought in arguably one of his best recruiting classes since he came to Notre Dame, and it was those freshmen who stepped up to lead the Irish to victory.
But while the Irish relied on their young talent to pick up crucial points, the performances of a pair of juniors sparked the enthusiasm among the dozens of Irish supporters who turned up in Long Island to watch the championship meet.
Junior Kelly Hecking had one of the best meets of her life. She set a school record in the 100-yard backstroke — an event she has won all three years — and took first in the 200-yard backstroke as well. Hecking also swam on two winning Notre Dame relays and swam a personal-best time in the 200-yard freestyle.
Hecking began her spectacular weekend by splitting a 55.16 in the 400-yard medley relay Thursday night. The next night, she swam a blistering 54.98 in the 100-yard backstroke, setting a new conference record and becoming the first backstroker in Notre Dame history to break the magical 55-second barrier.
"She was pretty excited about that — that's been a goal for her for a long time," Weathers said. "It's a big barrier for backstrokers."
Saturday night, Hecking continued her dominance in the backstroke events by taking first place in the 200-yard backstroke by more than a second and a half, swimming a personal-best 1:58.7.
"I thought I went two minutes, I touched the wall and I thought, `Oh, I'll be happy with a 59'," she said. "Then I realized I just went 58. It was amazing."
Just one event later, Hecking swam a 51.49 in the 100-yard freestyle, good enough for ninth place.
"Two lifetime bests in 10 minutes — I couldn't believe it," she laughed. Hecking also swam a leg on four relays. In all, the junior contributed 70.5 points for the Irish.
"It hasn't sunk in yet," she said. "It feels good to have the hard work pay off."
Allison Lloyd was the other junior to win an individual title. Following her contribution to the winning 400-yard medley relay Thursday night, Lloyd swam 1:02.85 in the 100-yard breastroke and a time fast enough to earn NCAA finals consideration. A night later, she took fourth in the 200-yard breastroke.
"This is awful nice for Allison," Weathers said. "She's a great breaststroker and deserves to win."
While Hecking and Lloyd shined individually, it was clear that Weathers found a top-notch group of swimmers with his 2004 recruiting class. While the freshmen didn't turn in many individual titles, they scored valuable places in events to help push the Irish away from any other competition.
"They're just amazing," Hecking said. "They're all so talented, and it's been so much fun to work with them and to train with them."
"Each one of them has contributed so much this year," added captain Kristen Van Saun.
Lisa D'Olier was one of many freshmen to shine during the weekend. She won both the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly events, and swam the butterfly leg on both medley relays. D'Olier's victories are remarkable considering the freshman broke her wrist earlier in the season and wasn't even sure how she'd perform.
"I broke my wrist earlier in the year, and I doubted I'd be where I am right now," she said. "This is my first year training fly, so I wasn't expecting too much. I was just really excited to win."
As she has all season, Marie Labosky turned out solid performances across the board. In addition to winning the 200-yard individual medley on Thursday, she took second in both the 400-yard individual medley and the 1,650-yard freestyle.
"Whatever you tell her to swim, she says, `Okay, I'll do it', and does it really well," said Van Saun.
D'Olier and Labosky were only two of the freshman to score for the Irish. In all, of the 15 swimmers who placed in the top eight for Notre Dame, six were freshmen.
The dominance of the freshmen was perfectly symbolized in the 200-yard butterfly. Halfway through the race, D'Olier, Lisa Garcia, and Sarah Bowman were fourth, fifth, and sixth. But the trio moved their way up through the field, and had the Irish supporters in the stands on their feet screaming for a first through third sweep. When the three swimmers touched the wall one after another, the Irish broke into a frenzy.
"I think [the freshmen] are going to do a lot for our program," said Weathers. "They've done a lot here this weekend, they're both young in the sports, and it's going to be exciting to see them swim the next three years."
Weathers' excitement is reflected throughout the rest of the team. Each swimmer speaks with confidence and enthusiasm. Everyone, from the freshmen to the captains, knows that this weekend's championship was just the first step on their road to national prominence.
All Sports Stories for Monday, February 19, 2001
