Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/92992
ND SPORTS Jack-Of-All-Trades Frank Dyer's range helps Irish enter into n ational rankings BY DAN MURPHY swam the 50-meter freestyle (one lap), the 1,000-meter freestyle (20 laps) and just about every event in between dur- ing the first month of the season this fall. He won at least two races, ranging from the 50-meter sprint to a 500-meter middle distance swim, in each of Notre Dame's first three meets and along the way helped the 18th-ranked Irish to a perfect 3-0 start. "It's not common," head coach Tim closers aren't built to throw for nine in- nings. But for Notre Dame swimmer Frank Dyer, distance has no bounds. The Irish junior S printers don't run the mile. Baseball Dyer, who became the first All-American swimmer in school history last year, won at least two races, ranging from the 50-meter sprint to a 500- meter middle-distance swim, in each of Notre Dame's first three meets this fall. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS and longer races help hone specific skills that will make him faster in the middle. The sprints stress a fast start, and Welsh said Dyer almost always leads a race out of the blocks. The lon- ger distances teach him to ration energy for a little extra during the final laps. "Most guys do mostly distance or all Welsh said about his jack-of-all-trades. "His range extends on both ends fur- ther than normal, but his real strength is in the middle." Dyer became the first All-Ameri- sprints," Dyer said. "I've just kind of tried to nail down freestyle and every- thing I can do there. That's been a driv- ing force for me — to do the best I can in freestyle." Notre Dame's increasing depth al- can swimmer in Notre Dame history last spring by finishing fourth in the 200-meter freestyle at the NCAA Cham- pionships. The 200 free remains his top event this season. Swimming shorter lows Dyer to specialize in one stroke. The Irish returned every swimmer and diver who scored points last year in the team's first-place finish at the Big East Championships. They have yet to lose this fall, taking first place at the Dennis Stark Relays, and then knocking off