WOMEN'S SWIMMING: Irish earn All-American honors
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Associate Sports Editor
It was an All-American weekend for the Notre Dame women's swim team.
At last weekend's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, Heather Mattingly, Kelly Hecking, and Marie Labosky each garnered Honorable Mention All-American honors.
Mattingly qualified for the national meet by placing high enough at the NCAA Zone Diving Meet on March 9 and 10. She took third on the three-meter springboard and finished eighth on the one-meter springboard.
At nationals, the junior diver began her weekend by placing 24th in the one-meter competition. Mattingly earned her All-American status by virtue of her 12th place finish on the three-meter springboard.
Junior Kelly Hecking concluded her season with a solid finish in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. Hecking started her weekend by taking 18th in the 100-yard backstroke. Her time, 55.37, was four-tenths of a second off her school record 54.98 set at last month's Big East Championships. A day later, Hecking swam a 1:58.02 in the 200-yard backstroke, earning her a 13th place finish.
In both backstroke races, the eventual champion, California freshman Natalie Coughlin, set an American record.
Marie Labosky wrapped up a sensational freshman season by turning in solid performances in her three events. Her weekend began with a 20th place finish in the 200-yard individual medley. Labosky earned her All-American honors with her performance in her best event, the 400-yard individual medley. The freshman placed 11th and swam 4:17.06 in the consolation final. Labosky entered the final ranked 15th, but moved up four places and chopped nearly eight-tenths of a second off her preliminary time.
The freshman wrapped up her weekend by finishing 31st in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Labosky swam 17:03, well off her school record of 16:32 set at last month's Big East Championships.
The NCAA Championships marks the conclusion of the season for the women's swimming and diving team. They finished 9-1 in the dual meet season and earned their fifth consecutive Big East title.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 20, 2001
