No. 18 Notre Dame kept its undefeated season going over the weekend, scoring a 176-124 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday evening before squeaking out a 155.5-145.5 victory over No. 23 Louisville at Rolfs Aquatic Center on Saturday.
"These two meets [against Pittsburgh and Louisville] have been in less than 24 hours, so it has been a great deal of racing," Irish coach Tim Welsh said in an interview with UND.com. "To finish with two wins is really exciting for these guys who have put in a lot of work."
Notre Dame (5-0, 2-0 Big East) took 10 of the 16 events against Pittsburgh (2-2, 1-1) on Friday, posting its eighth straight win over the visiting Panthers.
Junior swimmer Frank Dyer took home gold in both the 1000-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle for the Irish. Sophomore diver Nick Nemetz swept the diving events for the Irish, finishing first in both the one-yard and three-yard diving events.
Junior swimmer Colin Babcock was also doubled for the Irish, claiming first in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke events.
The Irish took a close contest over visiting rival Louisville (2-1, 0-1) on Saturday in one of the Big East's marquee matchups.
Dyer again led the way for the Irish, scoring victories in both the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races.
"This was probably the showdown race of the season in the Big East Conference," Welsh said. "Frank was phenomenal and he is just such a reliable performer for us."
Sophomore Zachary Stephens scored a record-setting victory in the 200-yard breaststroke for Notre Dame. Stephens completed the race in 1:59.53, becoming the first swimmer to break the two-minute barrier at Rolfs Aquatic Center.
Nemetz took gold again in the one-yard dive before sophomore Michael Kreft won gold in the three-yard dive for the home team.
"Today was a great job by the guys doing what they needed to all the way down the line," Welsh said.
With five wins under their belt to start the season, the Irish are off to their best start in six years.
"There is a lot of good stuff within this group, and we know there is a lot more ahead, and we will be back to work on Monday," Welsch said.
Notre Dame returns to the pool Nov. 30 when they travel to Iowa for the Hawkeye Classic.
Contact Nick Boyle at nboyle1@nd.edu
