Notre Dame officially ended its season Saturday, closing out one of the best years in school history. The Irish finished 6-4 in dual meets, won their fifth Big East conference title and added individual accomplishments across the board.
Most exciting was the naming of the first Irish All-American for the program, when sophomore Frank Dyer finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle Friday at the NCAA championships.
"I just rode the momentum we had coming out and eventually got into the [200-yard freestyle] final," Dyer said. "Being named All-American is great and to have that next to my name for life is really special, especially when I can represent Notre Dame."
His time of 1:34.00 earned him fourth place and 15 points for the Irish, the first points on the board for the team in its history.
"Obviously the team's support has been crucial getting here. After my morning swim on Friday, I received texts and tweets from my teammates showing their support and that's really what encouraged me," Dyer said. "I had [junior] Bill [Bass], my family and my coaches here but the guys back home pushed to me perform at my best level."
The Irish sent Dyer and Bass to the NCAAs at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash. This marked the first year in program history multiple Irish swimmers competed in the event.
Bass swam in the 100-yard butterfly Friday, finishing in 48.33 to earn 38th place.
Both swimmers also competed Saturday, the final day of competition. Dyer took 39th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 44.04 and Bass placed 30th in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:46.64.
"I am extremely happy with my performance," Dyer said. "It's exciting to surprise yourself and now I can build on the confidence I've gained going into next year."
Their combined efforts seated the Irish in 28th place at the end of the weekend. This season's success has only added motivation to the squad.
"This team put in a lot of hard work all year," Dyer said. "Next year, our team is going to be the best this program has even seen and we'll be ready to perform at the national level."
Contact Megan Finneran at mfinnera@nd.edu
