Notre Dame Men’s Swimming & Diving Tops St. Bonaventure 159-75

SOUTH BEND, Ind., February 1. THE University of Notre Dame men's swimming and diving team (6-7) won the first 10 events en route to a 159-75 victory over St. Bonaventure Saturday afternoon in the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The Irish won 11 of 13 events and took each of the top three positions in six races. Notre Dame will complete its regular-season slate next weekend, playing host to Cleveland State Friday at 7 p.m. (EST) and Oakland Saturday at 1 p.m.

Sophomore Jamie Lutkus (Granger, Ind./Penn H.S.) and freshman Ted Brown (Kokomo, Ind./Western H.S.) won two events apiece to lead the Irish. Notre Dame's quick start, which featured the Irish taking each of the top three spots in the opening five events, was keyed by Brown, who finished first in back-to-back races. He beat the field by nearly 13 seconds in winning the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:30.95) before jumping right back in the pool for a first-place result in the 200 freestyle in 1:44.09, his 18th dual-meet victory of the season. Right behind Brown in the 1,000 were junior David Moisan (Fisherville, Ky./Louisville Male H.S.) and freshman Justin Barber (Carson City, Nev./Carson H.S.). Moisan posted a 9:43.41 in his first time swimming the event this season, while Barber had a season-best 9:45.11.

Sophomore Patrick Davis (Clearwater, Fla./Jesuit H.S.) was just behind Brown with 1:44.36 in the 200, a race in which he was competing for the first time in his career. Freshman Louis Cavadini (South Bend, Ind./Riley H.S.) was third in 1:44.66. Sophomore Chris Barnes (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier H.S.) would have given Notre Dame the top four finishes with his time of 1:44.6, but he swam as an exhibition competitor.

Lutkus led the most dominating performance of the day, heading a 1-2-3-4 finish in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:54.51 that was nearly four seconds ahead of second place and almost 10 seconds better than the top St. Bonaventure swimmer. Second was sophomore Patrick Heffernan (Norcross, Ga./Norcross H.S.) in 1:58.15, while senior co-captain Josh Dermott (El Dorado Hills, Calif./Rio Americano H.S.) followed him in 1:58.68. Freshman Brian Freeman (Sanger, Calif./Immanuel H.S.) finished fourth in 1:59.00, while freshman Nick Fanslau's (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn H.S.) exhibition time of 1:56.53 would have placed him second.

Lutkus' other victory came in his first time swimming the 500 freestyle in collegiate competition. His time of 4:44.95 was just ahead of a 4:45.20 by Freeman, also competing in the race for the first time this season. Sophomore Patrick O'Berry (Alpharetta, Ga./Milton H.S.) was third in 4:50.35, while Davis' exhibition mark of 4:37.97 was the tops in the event.

Notre Dame started the meet strong, taking each of the top three spots in the 400 medley relay. Sophomores Doug Bauman (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) and Tim Randolph (Crown Point, Ind./Merrillville H.S.) and junior Frank Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Preparatory School) and senior co-captain Matt Obringer (Jacksonville, Fla./The Bolles School) finished first in 3:25.79. In second with a time of 3:29.85 were freshman Alan Carter (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park H.S.), sophomore Tyler Grenda (Hockessin, Del./Salesianum H.S.), freshman Tim Kegelman (Yorktown, Va./Tabb H.S.), and junior Matt Bertke (Edgewood, Ky./Covington Catholic H.S.). The top St. Bonaventure team would have been third, but it was disqualified, allowing Notre Dame's quartet of Freeman, Dermott, sophomore Steve Shomberger (Spotsylvania, Va./Courtland H.S.), and junior Drew Pittman (Williamsburg, Va./Lafayette H.S.) to take that spot with a time of 3:39.19.

Kegelman posted his 14th dual-meet victory of the season by winning the 50 freestyle in 21.40. Krakowski was just behind in 21.46, while Pittman finished third in 21.83.

Freshman Scott Coyle (Indianapolis, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern H.S.), Notre Dame's lone diver, posted his best six-dive point total of the season with a score of 298.13 off the one-meter board to take first place. It was his second victory in as many weeks in that event after having not finished first at all prior to last Saturday's meet at #15 Northwestern. Coyle also had a season-best score in the three-meter competition, taking second with 284.70 points.

Senior J.R. Teddy (Spring, Texas/Klein H.S.) delivered his first victory of the season by winning the 200 butterfly with a season-best 1:55.13. Heffernan was second in 1:55.31. Senior Brian Coughlan (Moraga, Calif./Campolindo H.S.) posted a career-best time of 1:54.11 to earn an "A" mark and become the 25th Irish competitor to gain an invitation to the Feb. 19-21 BIG EAST Championships. Brown's exhibition time of 1:54.73 would have been second to Coughlan in the race.

Randolph took first place in the 100 freestyle with a time of 47.31, while Bertke was fourth in 48.45. Obringer would have won the race, but his 46.67 was an exhibition mark. Cavadini, also swimming exhibition, had a time of 47.76.

Freshman Chris Zeches (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic H.S.) had his first collegiate race victory, finishing in 1:57.43 in the 200 backstroke. Rookie David Hochstetler (Bremen, Ind./Bremen Senior H.S.) was third in 2:03.05. Bauman's time of 1:52.20 and Shomberger's 1:54.00 would have taken the top two spots, but they swam as exhibition competitors.

The Irish ended the meet with a victory in the 400 free relay from Coughlan, Teddy, Heffernan, and Shomberger, who finished in 3:18.07. Kegelman, Krakowski, Randolph, and Obringer finished in 3:09.68 in exhibition action, while Fanslau, Carter, Bertke, and Cavadini posted a 3:13.07.

The only swimming event the Irish did not win was the 200 breaststroke, though a pair of Notre Dame student-athletes would have taken the top spots if they had not been exhibition competitors. Grenda's time of 2:08.08 and Moisan's 2:09.02 were the best posted, but Dermott was the highest Notre Dame finisher, taking third in 2:15.30. Freshman Brendan Whalen (Longwood, Fla./Trinity Preparatory School) was fifth in 2:23.46.

Notre Dame beat St. Bonaventure at home for the fifth consecutive time. The teams have met 37 times in the last 38 seasons. The Bonnies are the second most common dual meet opponent in Irish varsity history, behind only Western Ontario (40 meets vs. ND). Notre Dame's 27 dual-meet wins over St. Bonaventure are second only to the 39 against Western Ontario.

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