Preview: Notre Dame Men

Already an established force in the BIG EAST Conference
by virtue of four team titles and a pair of runner-up finishes over the last
six seasons, the Notre Dame men¹s swimming and diving program looks ahead to
the 2009-10 campaign with an even loftier goal ­ the NCAA Championships.

Entering his 25th season at the helm of the Irish program, head coach Tim
Welsh and his veteran staff have constructed a program laced with
exceptional talent across the board that should put Notre Dame on the
doorstep ­ and likely into ­ the national meet hosted by Ohio State this
spring.

³This is an exciting year ahead. We are big, we¹re young, we¹re looking at a
very exciting schedule and we hope to be fast,² Welsh said. ³We love the
energy that a large freshmen class brings to the program, and we have our
fingers crossed that we learn all the right things at the right time.

³This is certainly the deepest team we have ever had and we need this group
to take a giant step. If the group takes a giant step, then the season we
anticipate having gets a little closer to actually happening.  Last year we
started with a couple of big holes due to injuries. But at this point we are
healthy, excited and ready to go.²

Senior captain John Lytle, who has a hand in seven school records, is one of
seven seniors without an appearance in the NCAA Championships. The Irish
return a combined 14 BIG EAST title holders, with Lytle¹s program-best 16
all-league accolades leading the way into a repeat effort in 2010.

³As far as defending the BIG EAST title goes, we don¹t think in terms of
defending it but we do think in terms of winning it,² Welsh said. ³We
definitely want to be in a position where we are not swimming to prevent a
loss, but swimming to create a victory. The way we focus on it this goal is
swimming fast enough for the points to take care of themselves. So in the
simplest of terms, it is all about improving, and I am sure that every team
at the meet would say that. But if we improve the way we want to improve,
and if we go fast at the right time, we will be pleased with the results.²

Lytle¹s efforts on the freestyle end will be flanked by seniors Andrew
Hoffman, Patrick Lloyd, David Anderson and Andrew Deters, with each having
extensive championship experience.

On the distance side it will be Deters, the 2009 BIG EAST 1,650 Free
champion, leading the charge. Deters will be joined in distance events by
Ryan Belecanech, who placed third in the 1,650 Free at last year¹s league
meet. Steven Brus, the 500 Free champion at the BIG EAST meet, also returns
to swim in a number of events.

Fellow captain MacKenzie LeBlanc will bring his versatility and five all-BIG
EAST accolades to the table along with diver Caleb Dunnichay¹s know-how
after earning a national championship with Auburn in 2007.

³If you look at some of our returning student-athletes, we return quite a
few university record holders,² said Welsh. ³John Lytle is back, MacKenzie
LeBlanc is back, Steven Brus is back, Andrew Deters is back, Andrew Hoffman
is back, Michael Sullivan is back. Three of four members of last year¹s 200,
400 and 800 Free Relay teams return.²

Add an incoming freshmen class tabbed as the nation¹s 14th best by
CollegeSwimming.com to an already championship program, and the Irish may
have just the right recipe for success in 2009-10.

³It is a big, fast, exciting freshmen class,² Welsh said. ³They are all USA
Junior National level or above and they cover some of the gaps we had last
year, particularly in the 200 IM and the 100 Breast. Many of them have
already notched times that were competitive with everything that we did last
year. We think they are a class that will make a big contribution to our
program. On paper they are as fast of a class as we have ever had enter
Notre Dame. Paper doesn¹t make you one second faster in the pool, so it all
counts on what happens when we get in the water.²

Kevin Overholt, the nation¹s 24th-ranked recruit, was one of the country¹s
top sprinters last year and should add speed to the Irish relays. Chris
Johnson and Mason Weber have already recorded times faster than any current
Irish breastroker. Tack on the likes of John McGinley, Bill Bass, Jordan
Berry and New Orleans transfer Petar Petrovic, Serbia¹s national champion in
the 50 Back in 2006, and Notre Dame has the speed and depth to make a
late-season run to the NCAAs.

³We were thin in the 100 Breast last year, but Joseph Raycroft had a
phenomenal summer and raced faster long-course than he has before, which
should help us this year. Chris Johnson and Mason Weber both bring
breaststroke speed. When you add Kevin Overholt and Bill Bass to our 200
Free mix, we can go six or seven deep in that event at times that were
faster than eighth place at last year¹s BIG EAST meet. Swimmers in the 200
Free are like baseball pitchers, you just can¹t have too many good ones.²

Petrovic certainly adds speed to the backstroke events with Marshall
Sherman, Thomas Van Volkenburg and Michael Sullivan also carrying the load
in those races.

³Michael Sullivan has been swimming lights out for us,² Welsh said. ³We¹ll
also count on him in the individual medleys, and those events are plugged
with depth for us.²

LeBlanc will try to better his 200 Fly record along with Berry, Bass, Wesley
Mullins and Stefan Prendergast

Notre Dame dominated the diving portion of last year¹s league meet and
returns everyone off the board except for All-American Michael Bulfin who
graduated last spring. Eric Lex, Wesley Villaflor and Dunnichay have each
earned all-league accolades throughout their careers.

³Everything we talked about since the end of last year is in terms of giant
steps,² Welsh said. ³We have taken baby steps. We need a giant step. We
think we have underclassmen and upperclassmen with giant step capability.
Not just in the pool, but out of the pool. Our spring grade-point average
ranked fifth in the nation, and we want to improve on that. We¹ve won the
last two BIG EAST titles, and we¹re shooting for a third.

³We¹ve also been much more active in community service. I think those types
of things ­ like academics and service ­ help characterize this program.
What we are trying to do this year is redefine what we consider normal for
this program and to do it in a giant step forward way.²

Notre Dame begins the season Oct. 9 by hosting the Dennis Stark Relays. The
Irish will host seven meets throughout the year, including four in a
three-week stretch in January, before zeroing in on the program's fifth
conference crown in six years.

"The 2009-10 schedule looks good for the team this season. It's very
challenging and there are a lot of home meets, which we like," Welsh said.
"It is a very powerful schedule with some of the top finishers from last
year's BIG EAST Conference Championships as well as Purdue, Northwestern and
Michigan State on the slate, all of which are much improved."

Notre Dame plays host to Oakland (Oct. 23) two weeks into the season and
concludes the home portion of the fall schedule with visits from Cleveland
State and Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 31.

Notre Dame then travels to West Lafayette for a showdown with Big Ten
powerhouse Purdue (Nov. 6), before taking on BIG EAST foe Pittsburgh on the
road. The Irish have defeated Pittsburgh in five straight dual meets,
including a win over the 17th-ranked Panthers in 2004.

The Irish conclude the fall portion of the schedule with a trip to Columbus
for the Ohio State Invitational for the fourth consecutive season. Notre
Dame finished fourth in last year's 12-team field.

Northwestern (Jan. 9), Michigan State (Jan. 15) and Louisville (Jan. 16)
come to town to begin the second half of the season with the Shamrock
Invitational to follow on Jan. 29-30.

"The last two weeks of the schedule are extremely important because we want
to finish our season strong, and it will be challenging with the strength of
the schedule at that time of the year," Welsh said. "From the middle of
January to the middle of February we better be fast."

The 2010 BIG EAST Conference Diving Championships will take place Feb. 12-14
in Pittsburgh, Pa., followed by the swimming events on Feb. 17-20.

The Irish will take part in the Austin Grand Prix (March 4-6), hosted by the
University of Texas, and the Boiler-Make-It Invitational in West Lafayette
(March 7) before the NCAA Championships. Purdue will host the NCAA Zone
Diving Championships (March 12-13), and the NCAA Swimming and Diving
Championships will take place in Columbus from March 25-27.

Notre Dame finished with a 7-6 dual meet record last season before notching
a thrilling win in the final race of the 2009 BIG EAST Championships to edge
Louisville, 782.5-773, for the title. The Irish 400 Free Relay team of
Lytle, Nosal, Hoffman and Danny Lutkus knocked off the Louisville squad - a
seven-second favorite - to capture the team crown.