Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Sophomore Natalie Stitt has the top Irish 3-meter dive of the season with 289.40 points.

Notre Dame sits in third after first session, less than 10 points off Michigan.

Jan. 11, 2008

Results

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Notre Dame women's swimming and diving team kicked off the Notre Dame Invitational Friday afternoon at the Rolfs Aquatic Center, finishing the first session in third place with 288.50 points. No. 22 Indiana leads the competition with 379.50 points, 13th-ranked Michigan sits in second with 293 points and Illinois is in the four spot with 131 points. The Irish sit in great position to move in on Michigan in the second and third sessions on Saturday.

The Irish started the meet off strong with a third-place finish in the 200-freestyle relay. The relay squad consisting of Christa Riggins, Delia Cronin, Sam Maxwell and Amywren Miller clocked in with a time of 1:35.46. The effort is the second-best this season for the Notre Dame women.

Teammates Casey Wagner, Lauren Sylvester and Claire Hutchinson swam similar times in the 500 freestyle as they had respective finishes of fifth (4:58.03), sixth (4:59.01) and seventh (4:59.16).

Leading the Irish in diving was Natalie Stitt, finishing in third with teammate Laura Rings following up in fifth. Stitt finished the 3-meter diving competition with a score of 289.40, while Rings finished with a score of 278.20. Stitt's score is not only a season best, but also a season best for the Irish.

"When coming off a training trip like we had, the girls are obviously very tired," assistant coach Joel White said. "We've been doing doubles everyday, lifting, dry land training - they've gotten to the point now where they can do anything we throw at them. They're dog-tired, but they're still being challenged to show up and swim fast. They did an awesome job of stepping up to the plate and doing what needed to be done. 


The Notre Dame Invitational will wrap up tomorrow with two sessions at the Rolfs Aquatic Center. The first session is set to begin at 9 a.m. while the second will begin at 5 p.m.