Notre Dame swimming: Welsh to receive highest honor

Notre Dame men’s swimming coach Tim Welsh will be honored with the College Swimming Coaches Association of America’s highest honor later this month.

Welsh, who is retiring from the coaching ranks following 29 years at Notre Dame and 37 years overall at the collegiate level, will receive the National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy.

The award, which will be presented at the CSCAA annual banquet May 22 in Las Vegas, is presented to an individual or organization for having contributed in an outstanding way to swimming as a competitive sport and as a healthful recreational activity in schools and colleges.

Welsh had a 326-179-1 (.645) dual-meet record since taking over at Notre Dame in 1985. He won 22 league titles (15 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, six in the Big East and one in the North Star Conference) and was runner-up on seven occasions.

Prior to coaching at Notre Dame, Welsh spent eight years as the men’s and women’s head coach at Johns Hopkins, tallying a 65-26 mark and winning two Division III national championships.