Irish junior Frank Dyer made history for Notre Dame's men's swimming and diving team last season, becoming the program's first swimmer to earn All-American honors.
Dyer's fourth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA Championships on March 23 earned him the honor.
In addition to his All-American status, Dyer solidified his status as one of the most decorated swimmers in school history by setting a multitude of records in his sophomore year.
"I've always said that there has to be someone who has to be first, but in the end I think it is more important how many people come after you," Dyer said in an interview with UND.com. "I think last year was the turning point. I think we will always have someone at the NCAA Championships from now on, and our team is only getting better and faster."
Dyer is currently the holder of seven school records, including individual records in the 50-, 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events.
Although his name is written in the record books, Dyer is quick to place emphasis on his hard work rather than his success.
"I really don't try to think about how much success that I have had, but more about all of the work that I have done in the water to get me to where I've been," Dyer said. "By no means do I think that I am the hardest worker on the team, but I do believe that my work ethic is strong, and I think that other people see that."
Dyer said one of the biggest moments of his career came while helping the Irish take home the Big East championship last season.
"We went into that meet, and we really had to be positive at every moment," Dyer said. "I get chills about it now because that whole last hour and a half of the meet was just such an awesome wexperience to know that everything we had done all year was about to pay off. That's probably the best moment that I have had at Notre Dame."
The Irish are going to lean heavily on Dyer's experience this year to succeed. The team is setting their sights high this year, Dyer said.
"We have set the bar even higher this year," Dyer said. "There are people who think that we are on the rise but that it is going to take more time. I just want to get out there and prove them wrong and do the best that we can this year."
Dyer and the Irish host Purdue on Friday.
Contact Nick Boyle at nboyle1@nd.edu
