The Irish celebrated Senior Day at home Saturday, defeating Denver 250-118 but falling to Iowa 194-174 in the Shamrock Invitational, allowing Notre Dame (6-4) to split the dual meet competition.
The weekend's biggest highlight was senior diver Eric Lex's record-setting performance from the 3-meter board. In the final home event of his career, Lex dove to a score of 405.5, setting a new Irish record while eclipsing the 400-point mark for the first time in program history.
Lex and his classmates were excited not only at Lex's new record but also to swim in the comforts of their home pool a final time.
"It's always nice to compete at our home pool, especially after a lot of traveling in the recent weeks," senior swimmer Joseph Raycroft said. "We're definitely more comfortable here and it's great to sleep in our own beds."
Notre Dame added six victories to Lex's first place finish. Freshman Frank Dyer continued a successful rookie season, winning both the 200-yard and the 100-yard freestyles.
Seniors Michael Sullivan and Raycroft also recorded first-place times in the 400-yard individual medley and 200-yard breaststroke, respectively. Junior Petar Petrovic took first in the 100-yard backstroke, as did Christopher Johnson in the 100-yard breaststroke.
While all of Notre Dame's victories for the weekend came from individual performances, the team's relays performed well in a series of close calls and season-best times.
"I thought all of our relays did exceptionally well this weekend," Raycroft said. "I think all five relays had either season best or close to season best times, which is great for this time of year."
The Irish team, following the lead of Irish coach Tim Welsh, has downplayed the importance of winning individual events and meets and placed an emphasis instead on improving for the post season, especially the upcoming Big East tournament.
"I think this meet put us in a great position for Big Easts," Raycroft said. "We had a lot of solid swims this weekend, and everything seems to be pointing in the right direction for the championship season."
