Brunemann Returns to Competition as Michigan Sweeps Stark Relays

The University of Michgan swept the Dennis Stark Relays at Notre Dame’s Rolfs Aquatic Center.  On the men’s side, Michigan won each of the swimming events while the Irish swept the diving portion of the evening.   On the women’s side, Michigan set seven meet records while the Notre Dame took three events.

The meet also marked the return of Michigan miler Emily Brunemann.  Brunemann received a six-month suspension after testing positive for hydrocholorothiazide and triamterene.  After redshirting last season, the 2008 NCAA Champion in the 1650 freestyle is back to lead the Wolverines.

“We swam tough tonight but I would have liked to have been on the winning side of a few more races,” Irish women's coach Brian Barnes said. “This team needs a little more grit, but the team is making positive strides in terms of culture, attitude and toughness. We’re moving in the right direction.

“Racing today will help us going into tomorrow’s dual meet with Michigan. Many of the girls haven’t competed in a while and you could tell we were a bit race-rusty. Competing tonight will make for a good meet in the morning for both Notre Dame and Michigan. We treated tonight as a training challenge. And it’s October so we should be tired.”

“This was a solid start for us as we wanted to see where we were as a team,” Irish men’s coach Tim Welsh said. “We were competitive in the way we raced and we can see how our training has helped us. But we were a bit off our game and this meet gave us the opportunity to compete. Now we’re already looking ahead to racing yet again.”

Women’s Final Team Scores: 1. Michigan 211, 2. Notre Dame – 186, 3. Illinois State – 141, 4. Valparaiso – 90, 5. Cleveland State – 78

Men’s Final Team Scores: 1. Michigan 194, 2. Notre Dame 162, 3. Oakland 136, 4. Valparaiso 92, 5. Cleveland State 82