Nat’l HS Record-holder Coleen Gillilan Verbally Commits to Notre Dame

Fort Collins, Colorado’s Coleen Gillilan has announced her verbal commitment to the University of Notre Dame for the 2019-20 school year. Gillilan is the first to announce her pledge to the women’s class of 2023.

“I am beyond honored to announce my commitment to Notre Dame. I fell in love with everything the school has to offer from the academics to the football games. Nothing could compare to their team atmosphere and the bonds between teammates. I know Notre Dame will allow me to excel in athletics and academics without sacrificing one for the other. I am proud to make this family my next home. Go Irish!!”

Gillilan is a junior at Fossil Ridge High School and last month broke the overall national high school record in the 200 medley relay, erasing a day-old mark set by Harpeth Hall in Nashville. Swimming with Fossil Ridge teammates Bayley Stewart, Zoe Bartel, and Kylee Alons, Gillilan contributed a blazing 23.43 butterfly leg to the overall 1:38.13 relay. She also won the 200 free (1:46.98) and 100 fly (52.57) individually, and contributed a 22.56 leadoff to the 200 free relay that broke the state record. It was her third consecutive state title in the 100 fly. She broke the Colorado State Record and the 5A Record in prelims with 52.17, making her the top 100 flyer in the high school class of 2019.

Gillilan swims year-round for Fort Collins Area Swim Team, where she is a highly versatile swimmer, excelling in IM, fly, breast, and free. She was an A-finalist in the 100 free (5th), 100 breast (3rd), 100 fly (3rd), 200 fly (7th), and 200 IM (3rd), and a B-finalist in the 50 free (10th) at Winter Juniors West in December.

The Irish are getting a verbal commitment from an immediate-impact player in Gillilan; she would have made the A finals of the 100 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 IM, the B finals of the 200 breast and 400 IM, and the C final of the 50 free at the 2018 ACC Women’s Championships.

Top SCY times:

  • 50 free – 22.56
  • 100 free – 49.64
  • 200 free – 1:46.98
  • 100 breast – 1:00.11
  • 200 breast – 2:12.95
  • 100 fly – 52.17
  • 200 fly – 1:57.64
  • 200 IM – 1:56.70
  • 400 IM – 4:15.29

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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Bill Spahn
6 years ago

Congratulations Coleen

Hawg1
6 years ago

#5 overall with upside.

Bagger Vance
6 years ago

Great article! On the USA’s swim database it says her best time is 1:45.78 in the 200 free…says she did it at HS States.

Hannah
Reply to  Bagger Vance
6 years ago

I followed that meet and I’m not sure when she swam that time, (she went a 1:47 in prelims and a 1:46 in finals). Maybe it’s a mistake?

paloozas
Reply to  Hannah
6 years ago

it’s altitude adjusted bc the meet was done in colorado

paloozas
6 years ago

wowie. big get for ND. congrats, coleen!

About Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant

Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …

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