Mens Swimming: Irish look to get back on track at ND Invite
By LISA REIJULA
Sports Writer
The Notre Dame mens swimming and diving team will have plenty of chances to show its talent in the pool this weekend.
The Irish host the Notre Dame Invitational starting today at Rolfs Aquatic Center. Five other teams will be in attendance at the three-day event — Virginia, Louisville, Wyoming, North Dakota and Saint Louis.
Junior Matt Obringer cited Big East rival West Virginia as a tough competitor. Freshman Tim Randolph said Wyoming and North Dakota also have swimmers with fast times.
Notre Dame will look to dominate the field after a close loss to a talented Purdue team. The three-day meet format is similar to the schedule of the Big East Championships in February.
"We feel really prepared for this meet," Obringer said. "It will be a good marker of where we are with our season right now."
The Irish will concentrate on qualifying swimmers for the Big East Championships, especially the freshmen.
"This will be the first opportunity for the freshmen to see what the championship format is like at the college level," Obringer said.
At the Invitational, look for the relays to be close races. Several teams from the competing schools have similar times, and winning the valuable double relay points could give a school the edge in winning the Invitational.
For the Irish, the 400-meter medley and 400-meter freestyle relay teams have been strong all season long. The team has been working on improving its relay times in practice in preparation for the meet.
Several of the participating teams have faced one another or common opponents already this season. Louisville lost to West Virginia and TCU — a team the Irish defeated Nov. 16. Wyoming beat North Dakota in a dual meet earlier.
The three-day format will be a test of the swimmers' endurance and focus. Team unity and support is crucial in keeping the athletes motivated all weekend.
"Having a good team atmosphere while we're out there has a bigger effect than other people think," Randolph said. "Just staying motivated and cheering for each other is really huge."
The Notre Dame Invitational will be a great opportunity for the Irish (4-3) to make a statement in the pool and prepare themselves for important upcoming meets.
The Invitational will take place all day today, Friday and Saturday.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, December 5, 2002
