The Irish opened their season in convincing fashion against Olivet Nazarene on Friday. Notre Dame did not lose a single event, and finished in first place at the 50th annual Dennis Stark Relay at Rolfs Aquatic Center.
The 240-140 win marks the first victory for Irish coach Matt Tallman, who took over for Tim Welsh when the former Irish head coach retired at the conclusion of last season.
The Irish started off the night strong in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Seniors Zachary Stevens and Patrick Olson combined with freshmen Gabe Ostler and Joseph Krause to finish in first. Krause was the anchor of the four-man relay, touching the wall with a 20.99 split.
Krause enters the Irish program with a strong pedigree, having won the Michigan state championship in the 50-yard freestyle with his high school, Brother Rice.
The Irish dominated the diving portion of the program, sweeping the top three spots in the 3-meter synchronized dive. In first place was the Irish team of senior Ted Wagner and freshman Peter Myers, who scored 314.05 points. Sophomores Joe Cuomos and John Lichtenstein placed second with a score of 283.80, followed by the senior duo of Nick Nemetz and Michael Kreft.
The Irish also excelled in the 400-yard medley relay. The all-senior team of Bogac Ayhan, Cameron Miller, Jonathan Williamson and Kevin Hughes combined for a time of 3:22.93. Ayhan was involved in the 300-yard stroke relays as well, finishing first in the butterfly heat along with Willamson and sophomore Kevin Bradley with a combined time of 2:32.35.
The whole team dives back into the pool Nov. 1 when they Notre Dame hosts Purdue. The Irish divers will travel to Atlanta on Oct. 17 for a dual diving meet against Georgia Tech and Auburn.
