What Chris Guiliano Qualifying for the World Champs Means for Notre Dame
At the recent USA Swimming Nationals in Indianapolis, a full roster of 26 men were named to the squad for the upcoming World Championships in Japan. For the most part, the names are recognizable. From Nic Fink to Ryan Murphy, the U.S. has a roster even the casual swim fan would know.
Taking a deeper look, however, reveals a few names that shocked the swimming world when they qualified for the team. For one of those individuals, Chris Guiliano, the impact of making the team for Notre Dame goes far beyond the pool.
A History of Notre Dame Swimming
The swim program at Notre Dame had humble beginnings, starting out as a club program before becoming a varsity sport under tenured coach Dennis Stark. Following Stark, longtime coach Tim Welsh coached the team from 1985-2014. During that time, Welsh’s Irish captured six conference crowns during their time in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference from 1983-1995. That fall, they moved to the BIG EAST Conference.
It took some time for the Irish men to gain traction in the BIG EAST, notably when Athletic Director Kevin White fully funded all Olympic Sports starting with the 2004-05 academic year. Following that change, Notre Dame won the BIG EAST in 2005 and followed it up with another title in 2006. In total, the Irish won six men’s titles in the BIG EAST (’05, ’06, ’08, ’09, ’12, ’13) before leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013.
High expectations for the Irish in the ACC were met by a decade of mediocrity, as the Irish were not able to match the success they had sustained in the BIG EAST. It was not until a former BIG EAST competitor came to Notre Dame in which lofty expectations were restored.
A New Era in South Bend
Photo Courtesy: Notre Dame Athletics
After the abrupt resignation of coach Michael Litzinger in the fall of 2021, the team was left in a state of limbo. When Notre Dame named Chris Lindauer of Louisville the Peterson Family Head Coach in April 2022, a new sense of excitement surrounded the Notre Dame program for the first time in a while.
“I was humbled, honored, and grateful to be named the head coach at Notre Dame,” Lindauer said. “Honoring the legacy of Tim Welsh and Notre Dame swimming was very important during Year One and for the future.”
Honoring the past is important for Lindauer, but he also wants to make sure he and his staff leave a lasting impact on the athletes he coaches.
“I want our student-athletes to be able to have an experience that is second to none, and come away from our program as better people that can change the world,” he said.
After a fifth-place finish at the 2023 ACCs and an 18th-place finish at NCAAs, Year One of the Lindauer era was a success, with momentum generated for the long-course season.
Chris Guiliano Shocks Swimming World
The U.S. National Champs is a who’s who of swimming, and until the opening day of the meet in Indianapolis, Chris Guiliano was relatively unknown.
The rising junior at Notre Dame has long been an excellent swimmer. He won the ACC title in the 200 freestyle and finished in the top 10 at NCAAs in both the 100 free and 200 free. But being classified as a “good collegiate freestyler” doesn’t always translate into long-course competition. This fact is especially true when the field in the 100 free at Nationals features the likes of Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held, Drew Kibler and Matt King, among others. Looking at the statistics, many swim fans would not have even placed Guiliano in the final, but on that Tuesday night in June, he had the luck of the Irish.
In the final, Guiliano was out with the field during the first 50, but the second 50 is when being in Lane One worked to his advantage. Guiliano was able to breathe toward the rest of the field, and he came into the wall with a final time of 47.98, good for second place and only .05 behind winner Jack Alexy.
It is hard to explain the emotions of the Notre Dame swim fans who have watched the program go through many ups and downs. The elation that followed when NBC’s Rowdy Gaines said “Go Irish” added to the moment. Unfortunately, few Notre Dame fans were able to feel the same way ND swimming diehards did following the race.
The Headlines
After the race, headlines read: “Notre Dame’s Chris Guiliano Shocks in U.S. Nationals, Makes World Champs Team” and “Chris Guiliano Stuns Field in Men’s 100 Freestyle.” Even Lindauer admits it was a little bit of a surprise.
“Chris had a great yards season. He understands how to perform in various situations,” Lindauer said. “I knew when he had a lane, he had a chance. I knew it was possible for him to make the team, but when it comes down to it, Chris is a competitor.”
For Notre Dame fans who follow the team, it came as a surprise, but the achievement was quickly followed by jubilation. For others who don’t follow the team as closely, many did not echo that sentiment. You see, at Notre Dame, athletic success is expected and is often overlooked when something is achieved. Notre Dame fans expect national championships, individual and team. They expect Notre Dame athletes to always be the best regardless of what sport they compete in. In many ways, this view can be seen as both a blessing and a heavy burden.
Prior to Guiliano’s qualification for Fukuoka, Emma Reaney (2014 Short Course Worlds) and Joshua Brown (2021 Open Water World Champs) also represented Team USA on the World Championships stage, significant accomplishments for the Irish program.
To the fans who have followed Notre Dame swimming, they know this means the world. Now, it is time for other ND fans to feel the same way. Lindauer hopes the headlines and mindset start to change.
The Future
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If you take a short walk for the Rolfs Aquatic Center in the Joyce Center at Notre Dame, you will stumble across Notre Dame’s Heritage Hall, where each ND varsity sport is highlighted. Stopping in front of the men’s swimming display, you will see a history of past successes but few of them are current. Now, a new era is upon South Bend and Notre Dame, one that could change the outlook for a program that not long ago was on the border of being forgotten.
For Chris Guiliano, representing his university means a great deal.
“Being at Notre Dame and having the opportunity to represent the monogram just means so much,” he said. “We can talk about the future of the team all we want, but the present in South Bend is something to be excited for.”
Notre Dame is known for being a football school, and that’s okay. It has the history and the championships, and for crying out loud, the stadium has been called college football’s cathedral. More, while Notre Dame and its fans have seen a magnitude of success and celebrations, swimming has always lived in the shadows. Until now, when it finally became time for the swim program to wake up the echoes. Chris Lindauer is ready to do that.
“Why not us,” Lindauer said. “I know it is a generic term, but somebody’s got to do it, and we can do it here.”
So what does this exactly mean for Notre Dame? It means the accomplishments of Chris Guiliano will be added to the lore of Notre Dame Athletics. It also means that as fans of the university, every accomplishment should be celebrated, because every Notre Dame athlete and coach has taken the honor of representing the university with pride, and that itself is no small task.
Go Irish! ☘️
Excellent article Cooper!
Yes! I am so proud of Chris and our Irish Swimming! What a great showing. I can’t wait to cheer him on at Worlds! Go Irish!!
Love it!!!