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Campus Chatter: Lytle Making Big Splash for Notre Dame Swim Team
Posted on Thursday, November 9, 2006 by Gant Team in Local Sports
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Freshman John Lytle, a Pennsylvania state champion the last two years, is off to a great start for the University of Notre Dame men\'s swimming and diving team that debuted at No. 17 in the first College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) dual meet rankings, the highest ranking ever for the Fighting Irish program.
After dominating the 42nd Annual Dennis Stark Relays on Oct. 6, Notre Dame won its dual meet opener at Texas A & M 169-129 on Oct. 28 and then topped No. 18 Purdue 156-144 at the Rolfs Aquatic Center last Friday.
In the Notre Dame\'s first victory against Purdue in 19 tries, Lytle turned in a 45.71-second split in anchoring the 400-yard medley relay foursome\'s meet-opening win, finished third in the 50 freestyle, won the 100 free in :47.17 and then, with the Fighting Irish clinging to a three-point lead going into the final race, gave the 400 free relay team a lead it wouldn\'t relinquish with a :46.12 split.
Against Texas A & M, Lytle was touched out by the Aggies\' Francisco Picasso in the 50 free but came back to win the 100 free in :45.80. He swam a leg for the 400 medley relay team that placed third and the 400 free relay team that did not officially compete against the Aggies but would have finished second.
In the six-team Dennis Stark Relays, Lytle teamed with two other freshmen and a sophomore to win the 300 free relay and then joined senior captain Ted Brown, freshman Ray Toomey of Baldwin (PA) High School and sophomore Jeff Wood to win the 400 free relay in a meet-record 3:07:01. Notre Dame dominated with 264 points, winning 11 of 13 events and setting five meet records.
The Fighting Irish, with 24 monogram winners from last year\'s team that posted a 10-2 dual meet record and won the Big East championship for the second year in a row, will host Michigan State Friday and Pitt Saturday.
CLARION — Two seniors from Clearfield, Stacy Ogden and Aimee Kelly, have been contributing to the fast getaway by the Clarion University women\'s swimming team, which easily won the Clarion Classic Oct. 20 and 21 before reeling off dual meet victories against Allegheny College 158-80 at Meadville on Oct. 25, Carnegie-Mellon 177-117 at Pittsburgh on Oct. 28 and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opponent Shippensburg 199-101 in its home opener last Saturday.
In the Clarion Classic, Ogden finished second in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200 freestyle and anchored the winning 200 free relay team with a 24.92-second split. Kelly earned points with a sixth in the 200 backstroke in addition to helping the Golden Eagle \'B\' 400 medley relay team place fourth with a 1:00.50 split and the Golden Eagle \'C\' 200 free relay team finish sixth. Clarion amassed 943 points to Slippery Rock\'s 346, Lock Haven\'s 280 and Grove City\'s 259.
Ogden swam on both of the Clarion \'A\' winning relay teams at Allegheny, the first leg in :30.17 for the 400 medley quartet that and the final leg in a team-best :54.56 for the 400 free foursome. In addition, she finished second in the 200 back.
At Carnegie-Mellon, Ogden turned in a :29.66 leadoff leg for the victorious Clarion \'A\' 200 medley team and posted seconds in the 100 back and 200 back.
Ogden recorded a :25.28 split in the Clarion \'A\' 200 free relay team\'s victory and helped the Golden Eagle \'A\' 200 medley relay team place second against visiting Shippensburg in the W. S. Tippin Natatorium. She also was second in the 500 free and third in the 100 back.
Ogden is working on her fourth letter for the Golden Eagles.
In her freshman season, she placed 10th in the 200 back, 12th in the 100 back and 16th in the 50 free at the PSAC Championships as Clarion (8-4 in dual meets) won the title before finishing fifth in the NCAA Division II Nationals.
As a sophomore, Ogden earned NCAA Division II All-American Honorable Mention honors with the 200 freestyle relay team to cap a season in which Clarion (8-4) finished second in the PSAC meet and 10th in the nationals. She earned a silver medal with the 200 free relay team, placed sixth in the 100 back, 11th in the 200 back and 17th in the 500 free at the conference championships.
Last year, Ogden earned a gold medal with the Clarion \'A\' 200 freestyle relay team and a silver medal with the Clarion \'A\' 200 medley relay team as the Golden Eagles (9-3) won the PSAC championship for the 26th time in 31 years. She placed seventh in both the 100 back and 200 back with victories in the B heat finals and finished 16th in the 50 free. The 200 free relay team placed 11th and the 200 medley relay team finished 16th at the NCAA Division II Nationals.
Clarion\'s next meet will be Saturday at Akron with Duquense.
WASHINGTON — Freshman Nathan Taylor of Clearfield finished second in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 butterfly as the Washington & Jefferson College men\'s swimming team opened the 2006-2007 season with an 85-76 win over Frostburg State in the Henry Memorial Natatorium Saturday.
Sophomore Ryan Sayers of Frenchville, also a Clearfield Area High School graduate, finished in exhibition one-meter and three-meter diving for the Presidents.
WILLIAMSPORT — Sophomore letterman Brandon Good of Clearfield is being counted on provide points in the sprints and butterfly events for the Lycoming College men\'s swimming team and was one of the Warriors\' top performers in a 100-78 Middle Atlantic Conference loss at Albright Saturday.
Good received All-MAC first team honors last season after anchoring Lycoming\'s 200-yard medley and 200 freestyle teams, which finished second in the conference championships. He also placed eighth in the 50 free, 13th in the 100 fly and 14th in the 200 fly.
Two other formed Clearfield Area High School swimmers under coach Jackie Morrison who are on college rosters are sophomore Samara Warrick (freestyle/backstroke) at Shippensburg University and freshman Cassie Mulhollem (freestyle) at Franklin & Marshall. A broken arm will keep Mulhollem out of action until after the holidays.
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