Notre Dame upsets No. 17-ranked men’s swimming and diving team

The No. 17-ranked Pitt men’s swimming and diving team fell just short of continuing its streak… The No. 17-ranked Pitt men’s swimming and diving team fell just short of continuing its streak of 26 straight victories against Big East opponents with a 155-145 loss to Notre Dame on Friday.

It came in a triangular meet that featured the men’s and women’s teams from Notre Dame, Michigan State and Pitt. Both teams managed wins against the Spartans. The women won convincingly, 191.5-108.5, and the men topped Michigan State, 185-115.

Notre Dame’s upset of the Panthers marked its first ever win against a ranked opponent.

The victory, however, did not come easy for the Irish. Pitt was trailing 142-141 heading into the final event of the meet: the 400-yard freestyle relay, which, by default, would decide the meet.

Competing for the win for the men’s team (3-1 overall, 1-1 Big East) were swimmers Eric Bugby, Tommy Bird, Jeff Leath and Darryl Washington. The race was close for 399 of the 400 yards, but the Irish touched a mere four-hundredths of a second before Pitt could, allowing Notre Dame to claim the win.

The women’s team also fell victim to the No. 24-ranked Irish on Friday, losing 172-128. Their meet was closer than the numbers suggest; the Panthers produced eight second-place finishes, five of which were decided by less than a second.

Kathy Siuda recorded half of the Panthers’ first-place finishes, with victories in the 500-yard and 1,000-yard freestyle. She narrowly won the 500, defeating the second-place finisher by seven-hundredths of a second, with a time of 4:55.09. In the 1,000, she swam far ahead of her nearest opponent, claiming the win more than five seconds before her opponent touched.

“Kathy Siuda probably had the best meet,” Knoles said.

Andrea Shoust may not have had the best of the Panthers, but she did record her own career-best in the 100-yard backstroke. She finished in first place with a time of 56.85 seconds. Lindsey Tiberio also claimed first in the 100 breaststroke, finishing the race with a time of 1:05.14.

On the men’s side, the Panthers managed a streak of a couple of wins, claiming four out of five events.

“Our most outstanding performances on the men’s side came on the diving boards, where our divers went one, two, three on both boards,” Knoles added.

Pitt divers recorded a score of 32-6 against both Michigan State and Notre Dame. Dennis Nemtsanov earned a mark of 324.6 in the 1-meter springboard. In the 3-meter springboard event, Jeremy Stultz stole first place with a score of 314.35.

Both teams do not face their next Big East opponent until Jan. 8, when they take on West Virginia at home in Trees Pool.

Despite the early season Big East loss, Knoles is optimistic about their chances of finishing near the top of the Big East.

“Pitt is poised to finish in the top two on both the men’s and women’s sides,” Knoles said.

The swimming and diving teams head back to the Midwest this weekend for the TYR invitational in Chicago, where they will compete with Alabama, Missouri and Northwestern.

Staff Writer Ben Hittle contributed to the quotes in this story.