The No. 22 men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swept the competition this weekend at the Shamrock Invitational, beating out Ohio State, Iowa, Missouri State, Akron and Wisconsin.
Saturday also marked senior day for 11 Notre Dame seniors. Head Coach Mike Litzinger used the Invitational as a way to honor all his seniors.
“While the Shamrock was not our final home meet, it was a chance for our seniors to shine in front of parents and fans in a great meet format,” he said.“They are a special group, and it was a great weekend for all.”
Four new records were set during the invitational by Irish athletes.
Litzinger said he was very proud of his team’s performance this weekend and hopeful that their recent success evolves into champion-like performances.
“This weekend’s meet was full of high level competition and it brought out the best in our athletes,” he said. “This is another step for us on the road to championship performance. We are zoning in on perfecting race strategy and racing skills.”
The women’s team were invitational champions with a score of 1,023.5 that beat No. 11 Ohio State (735.5), Akron (842), No. 19 Wisconsin (650.5) and Iowa (195.5).
Invitation champions for the women’s team included sophomores Abbie Dolan and Erin Isola, freshman Lindsey Stone and the women’s 400-yard relay team.
Dolan won the women’s 100-yard freestyle with a time of 49.12. Isola captured the win in the one-meter diving with a score of 301.80, a season high.
Stone broke a Rolf’s Aquatic Center record in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:12.78, and the women’s 300-yard relay consisting of Dolan, junior Sofia Revilak, and freshmen Carly Quast and Skylar Fore, broke the Rolf’s record with a time of 3:17.05.
The men’s team completed the Irish sweep with a total score of 988.5 that defeated No. 16 Ohio State (933.5), Iowa (691), Wisconsin (601) and Missouri State (409).
Individual champions on the men’s side included senior captains Rob Whitacre and Justin Plaschka, junior Tabahn Afrik, senior Joe Coumos and the 400-yard freestyle relay team.
Afrik won the 100-yard freestyle and Justin Plaschka won the 200-yard butterfly.
Whitacre set a Rolf’s record with the time of 1:42.90 in the 200-yard back stroke.
The men’s 400-yard freestyle relay consisting of Afrik, Plaschka, sophomore Aaron Schultz and junior Daniel Speers, set a Rolf’s record of 2:54.59.
Coumos set a Rolf’s center and a program record when he recorded a total score of 419.80 while sweeping both the one-meter and three-meter diving events.
Before the seniors compete in their final meet at Rolf’s, Litzinger wanted to thank his seniors for their commitment to the program and to congratulate the seniors on their success.
“We have a special group here,” he said. “They have seen a lot of change in our program from their first year, and for them at the end of their journey to accomplish this level of success is a tribute to them.”
Although it was senior day, the Shamrock Invitational didn’t mark the last home competition for the Irish as they are set to compete against Ball State and Wisconsin–Green Bay on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 1 p.m. in Rolf’s Aquatic Center.
