Notre Dame Preparatory School’s 2023–2024 swimming season proved nothing short of spectacular. An undefeated regular season gave way to championship titles at the National Catholic Swimming & Diving Championships held January 12–14 and the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) A Conference Championship on February 4. In addition, Terri Byrd, NDP Varsity Swim Coach, was named the National Catholic Coach of the Year – Girls School.
The Blazers’ postseason journey began in January, when NDP secured the Girls National Catholic Championship trophy with a stellar performance, amassing an outstanding 290 points in the meet. This win felt like a return to normalcy as NDP’s swim program has consistently dominated this competition in previous years. Sitting in NDP’s trophy cabinet are championship cups from 2022, 2020, 2017, and 2015, attesting to consistent excellence in the sport. The competition was not hosted in 2021 due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blazers Swim went on to secure the IAAM A Conference championship on February 4, with the team accumulating an impressive 439 points in intense competition. The team’s victory was sealed in the final event of the meet—the 400-yard freestyle relay—when Tess Lankford ’24, Faith McCallister ’25, Olivia Vandewinckel ’26, and Shannon Conway ’26 clocked in at 1:46.74.
Under the leadership of Coach Byrd since 2006, Blazers Swim has secured five of their eight IAAM A Conference championship and eight National Catholic championships. In recognition of her coaching excellence, she was named Varsity Sports Network’s Girls Swimming Coach of the Decade in 2021 and the 2022–2023 IAAM Swimming Coach of the Year. This year’s IAAM Coach of the Year will be announced later in February.
In an article about the IAAM championship, Steve Powers, NDP’s Athletic Director, expressed the collective pride of the school community. “We are immensely proud of our athletes and Coach Terri Byrd for their outstanding achievements…This victory is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship that define Notre Dame Prep Athletics.”
Reflecting on the team’s journey, Lankford remarked to IAAM reporters, “We had come close so many times. If it was going to happen, it was going to be this season.”
This victory was particularly sweet as NDP had not won the A Conference title since 2015.
Coach Byrd emphasized that NDP’s showing at the National Catholic Championships two weeks prior was vital to the A Conference championship victory. “This was not a fluke. A team is bigger than the individual—and we showed that it was a true group effort.”
Founded in 1873, Notre Dame Preparatory School is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for 800 girls in grades 6-12. The School Sisters of Notre Dame sponsor and operate the school, which is dedicated to educating girls to become young women who will transform the world.
