Caroline Gaertner, a double Minnesota High School Class A record-holder from Visitation High School, Mendota Heights, has verbally agreed to join the Xavier University women’s swimming and diving team in 2015-16.
“I am so excited to become a part of such a great school. The team is awesome and I’m looking forward to swimming as a Musketeer.”
Gaertner is a six-time individual finalist in the MSHSL Girls’ Class A Swimming & Diving Championships and a member of two record-holding relay teams (200 medley and 400 free relays). In 2013 she finished fifth in the 100 fly and third in the 100 back; in 2012 she was fourth in the fly and third in the back; and in 2011, ninth in 200 free and fourth in 100 back.
Gaertner swims with Blackline Aquatics. Her top short course times over the last two seasons are:
50y back – 27.24
100y back – 57.25
200y back – 2:04.61
100y fly – 58.23
100y free – 53.62
200y free – 1:54.97
Xavier head coach Brent MacDonald’s women did quite well in the backstroke events at the 2014 Big East Championships, loading three Musketeers into the A-finals of both the 100 and 200 backstrokes. Two of them are seniors this year, including double-champion Carolyn Stewart, so MacDonald needs to replace those points. Gaertner’s back time would have added her to the Xavier A-finalist group at Big Easts. Xavier could use a push in the 100 fly, however, where they managed to place four in the B-final but none in the A. Gaertner is about a half-second off making that A final. Interestingly, Gaertner’s times are almost identical -to the millisecond- to Stewart’s before she headed off to become a Musketeer.
Gaertner should make an immediate impact when she arrives in Cincinnati, and the Xavier team should be a good environment for her future development as an athlete.