Despite six first place finishes by Irish swimmers, Notre Dame fell to Louisville 171 to 129 in a dual meet at Louisville on Saturday.
The Irish put up a good showing against the Cardinals, with junior breaststroker Emma Reaney winning three events and breaking a pool record in the 200 yard breaststroke—an event where she currently stands top in the country. Despite the loss, Reaney was impressed with Notre Dame’s strong performance.
Reaney said setting the pool record in a rival house is an especially satisfying accomplishment.
“It feels pretty good, knowing my name will be up in a pool that doesn’t exactly love Notre Dame,” Reaney said.
The Irish swept the diving events, with sophomore diver Lindsey Streepey taking the victory in the 1-meter dive and sophomore diver Emma Gaboury snatching her first collegiate gold in the 3-meter dive.
Other impressive swims for the Irish included a first place finish in the 200-yard backstroke by senior Kelly Ryan, and a second place finish in the 200-yard butterfly by junior Bridget Casey, a finish which meets the NCAA B Cut standard. Ryan also placed second in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing just .01 seconds behind her opponent.
Reaney also met the NCAA B Cut standard in all three of her events.
Despite these victories, the Irish couldn’t gain the momentum to come up with the victory.
“We were so exhausted,” Reaney said. “I think we put up a good fight and it wasn’t a blowout, which was good.”
Coming off the loss gives the Irish extra motivation for their next home meet of the season, the Shamrock Invitational on Jan. 31. The meet also serves as senior day for the Irish, who will be honoring five seniors.
Reaney said the team is excited to perform in front of a large home crowd at the Invitational.
“It’s our biggest meet of the year in Rolf’s,” Reaney said. “We definitely want to defend our turf and give our families a good job.”
Notre Dame hits the pool again on Jan. 31 at the Shamrock Invitational at Rolfs Aquatic Center.
