After a brief hiatus, the Irish kick off their full dual meet schedule this weekend against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday at Rolfs Aquatic Center. The meet will be the first for Notre Dame since Oct. 10, when the team won the Dennis Stark Relay by a comfortable 240-140 margin over Olivet Nazarene.
Zach Llorens | The Observer
Zach Llorens | The Observer
The Boilermakers have started off the season on a strong note, taking first place at the annual Indiana Intercollegiates meet on Oct. 18. During that meet, junior Stephen Seliskar led the way for Purdue, grabbing wins in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke.
Sophomores Josh Brooks and Josh Ehrman also won the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard freestyle respectively, while junior Danny Conway was victorious in the 500-yard freestyle. Senior Lyam Dias recorded a time of 54.92 in the 100-yard breaststroke, placing first in that event.
The Irish had several strong showings in the Dennis Stark Relays, including freshman Joseph Krause anchoring the 200-yard freestyle relay to victory with a time of 20.99. Krause is the high-school record holder for the 50-yard freestyle, and made an early impact for the Irish as part of the 100-yard freestyle relay team that also edged the Tigers.
Elsewhere, the 400-yard medley relay featured an all-senior lineup of Zachary Stevens, Patrick Olson, Matthew DeBlasio and Cameron Miller, and finished first with a combined time of 3:28.92.
Notre Dame will also rely on strong performances from its divers. The Irish, led by sophomore Joe Coumos, put on strong showings in Atlanta and Auburn, Alabama, on Oct. 17 and 18, respectively. Coumos placed second against Auburn in both the one-meter and the three-meter springboard.
The Irish return to action against the Boilermakers at Rolfs Aquatic Center on Saturday. The meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
