It might be the end of an era.

After winning five consecutive Big East men’s swimming and diving championships, Pittsburgh is showing signs that it’s no longer invincible. Sort of.

Pitt coach Chuck Knoles has little doubt his team will win again this year, (‘Knock on wood, I think we can do it.’) but he’s worried about graduation. This, the Feb. 21-23 meet held in Uniondale, is the last Big East championship for the 10 Pitt seniors who have never finished second.

The Panthers (7-1) will enter the Nassau County Aquatic Center as the clear favorites and ranked No. 17 nationally, but for the rest of the league, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

On the women’s side of the pool, though, Notre Dame’s five-year championship streak appears safe. On the backs of seniors Carrie Nixon and Kelly Hecking and sophomore Marie Labosky, the Lady Irish (10-0) are again favored heading into the championships.

‘I think it is definitely the fastest field we’ve ever had in terms of the seeding,’ said Notre Dame women’s coach Bailey Weathers, who won four of the last five Big East Coach of the Year awards. ‘In every event, there are several kids from different schools that could win. The conference is definitely improving.’

At No. 13 in the country, Notre Dame is clearly the best in the Big East; no other team in the conference has been ranked all year. The Lady Irish have defeated two ranked squads since Jan. 31.

Labosky, a 400-yard individual-medley specialist, is one of only three Big East qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in March. Miami’s Manon van Rooijen and Villanova’s Maddy Crippen, both female Olympians, were the others.

Like Labosky, Crippen qualified for the NCAAs in the 400 IM, making the event one of the championship’s premier attractions. Crippen and Labosky swam against each other Jan. 26 when Villanova traveled to Notre Dame. Although Labosky swam a career best and broke Notre Dame’s school record, she finished second to Crippen by .13 of a second.

Van Rooijen qualified in the 200-yard freestyle. She received a silver medal as part of the Dutch 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Both Olympic- and non-Olympic-caliber swimmers on both sides of the pool look to qualify for the NCAA championships during the Big Easts. In the weeks before the championship, swimmers and divers enjoy their first extended rest period since November, and some qualify for the NCAAs.

For Syracuse, senior Djordje Filipovic — who competed at last year’s NCAAs — has a legitimate shot again in his best events: the 200-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley. Sophomore Annie Tudryn is a threat in the 200-yard breaststroke for the Orangewomen, and sophomore Elyse McDonough is four seconds away from qualifying in both the 200 fly and the 200 IM.

Filipovic, the fifth-most-decorated male swimmer in Big East championship history, has twice won the 200 IM and has won the 200 fly three times. He has also been victorious in the 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly. He might swim the 400-yard individual medley this year, ‘so that I can say I won a new event each year,’ he said in January.

‘Djordje is dangerous in anything that he swims,’ Knoles said. ‘In my mind, he is one of the best athletes in the meet. I don’t think that there is any question.’

Recently, McDonough has generated almost as much discussion as Filipovic. In late January, she broke two 23-year-old SU records in the 200 IM and 200 fly.

‘When you are swimming that fast going into the championships, that is a super confidence builder,’ SU coach Lou Walker said in the beginning of February. ‘With the kind of improvement you would expect from a couple of weeks of rest, she is ready to have an outstanding championship.

‘I’m not one to say she can do this or she can do that. What I say is, ‘What is your best time? Let’s see if we can beat your best time.’ But, she has the potential to be an NCAA qualifier.’

A day before the Big East Championships, Knoles knows that his Panthers have a number of potential NCAA qualifiers — underclassmen Randy Gertenbach, Eric Limkemann and Mike Grube all have top times in their events coming into the weekend.

But, he also knows he will be losing seniors Michael Demos, Steve Siler, Max von Bodungen and Will Eden — all favorites to win their events this week — after this year. On their backs, Pitt will probably win its sixth championship in as many years.

But Knoles knows that a year from now, when 36 percent of his team has graduated, things could be different.

‘Our senior class is so key,’ he said. ‘Losing them will be devastating.’

The rest of the league can’t wait.

Published on February 20, 2002 at 12:00 pm