Gustavus Men Break St. Thomas Streak; Nobody Can Stop St. Thomas Women

Courtesy: Andy Hardt, AKA Live Stream Andy. 

MINNESOTA INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (MIAC) – MEN AND WOMEN

• Dates: Thursday, February 14-Sunday, February 17, 2019
• Location: University of Minnesota Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center – Minneapolis, MN
• Hosts: Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University
• Defending Champion: St. Thomas men; St. Thomas women (results)
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Championship Central

The Gustavus men claimed the 2019 MIAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship, while the St. Thomas women claimed the Women’s Championship. Gustavus broke a 4-year St. Thomas streak on the men’s side, while the Tommie women extended their own streak to 4 years. Meanwhile, Jordyn Wentzel of St. Kate’s put up a 2:12.85 to threaten the Division III record.

Women’s Scores

1. St. Thomas 797

2. Gustavus 588

3. St. Catherine 587

4. St. Olaf 440

5. Carleton 413.5

6. Saint Benedict 305

7. Hamline 174

8. Concordia 132.5

9. Macalester 91

10. St. Mary’s 81

11. Augsburg 75

The St. Thomas women overwhelmed the rest of the Conference with their consistent excellence, with a 1-2-3-4-5 in the 100 fly, and several athletes on most podiums, often at the top. Gustavus held serve at the end of the meet to beat St. Kate’s by a single point for second. St. Kate’s is clearly the top MIAC team on the National level, but will have to wait a year at least to receive the victory that St. Thomas has made their own.

Men’s Scores

1. Gustavus 938.5

2. St. Thomas 774.5

3. St. Olaf 435

4. Carleton 391

5. St. John’s 387

6. Macalester 215

7. Hamline 200

8. St. Mary’s 105

On the men’s side Gustavus hit their taper and swam in a way that surprised even their fans. They improved across the board, and had a presence at or near the top in nearly every event. St. Thomas was a clear second behind the Gusties, and St. Olaf was a solid third. Carleton dramatically beat out St. John’s for fourth in a points race that came down to the 400 freestyle relay. Macalester was sixth for the first time in a decade, and Hamline and St. Mary’s rounded out the men’s meet.

Women 1650 freestyle

1. Maggie Menso (St. Catherine) 16:52.62 (MIAC meet record)

2. Gretchen Behrens (St. Thomas) 17:19.14

3. Caitlin Croasdell (St. Olaf) 17:24.05

4. Kasey Ericson (St. Thomas) 17:33.81

5. Linnea Rizzo (St. Olaf) 17:37.51

6. Sydney Hallmark (Gustavus) 17:53.68

7. Allie Mayfield (Gustavus) 18:08.70

8. Molly Vancil (St. Thomas) 18:09.02

Menso as expected dominated this race, putting up the second fastest time in MIAC history and setting the meet record. But Menso wasn’t quite as fast as she was midseason (16:47), which may be been a slight disappointment after she dropped 5 seconds to a 4:51 500 earlier in the meet. Still, Menso won this easily, and will contend for the National title next month.

Behind Menso, Behrens dropped a ton of time to finish second, ahead of the two time defending champ, Croasdell.

Men 1650 freestyle

1. Adam Boerner (St. Thomas) 16:10.93

2. Zach Dawson (Gustavus) 16:18.45

3. Paul Reischmann (Macalester) 16:19.87

4. Sjon Greseth (St. Olaf) 16:24.70

5. Nate Ruegemer (St. Thomas) 16:31.07

6. Sam Johnson (St. Thomas) 16:31.57

7. Eamonn McCullough (Gustavus) 16:55.44

8. Thomas Fitzloff (Gustavus) 16:56.37

Boerner took out the race, quickly building a lead and hoping to mend his heartbreak from the 500 free, where he was outtouched by a hard-charging Greseth by 0.06. Midway through the race, Boerner’s lead had stabilized at about 4 seconds over Reischmann and a further 3 over Dawson. Fans waited to see if Boerner would fade or if those two would mount a charge, but Boerner held on, and in fact extended his lead in the last few hundred. Meanwhile, Dawson’s fast finish was enough to outkick Reischmann for second.

Women 200 back

1. Alex Howard (St. Thomas) 2:04.68

2. Mikayla Von Wahlde (St. Catherine) 2:05.00

3. Taylor Martinek (Hamline) 2:05.98

4. Hannah Svendsen (St. Catherine) 2:06.63

5. Kirsten Nelson (St. Thomas) 2:07.04

6. Kelly Punyko (St. Olaf) 2:07.13

7. Ana Birklid (Saint Benedict) 2:07.45

8. Katie Rising (St. Catherine) 2:11.51

Von Wahlde took it out, and by the 100 (59.85), only Howard was in striking distance (1:00.71). But strike Howard did, and a 31.78 third 50 pulled her almost even, while a 32.19 close sealed the deal. Von Wahlde settled for second, while Martinek closed in 30.39 to nab third.

Men 200 back

1. Abe Eyman Casey (St. Olaf) 1:51.15

2. John Gahnz (St. Thomas) 1:51.71

3. John Loepfe (St. Olaf) 1:52.41

4. Josh Muntifering (Gustavus) 1:52.87

5. Mick Olson (St. John’s) 1:54.79

6. Caleb Torvik (Gustavus) 1:57.19

7. Taylor Durbin (Macalester) 1:58.91

8. CJ Hansen (St. Thomas) 1:59.43

Loepfe, the two time defending champ, hoped to win his third title of the meet after a successful 100 fly and 100 back double last night. But Eyman Casey (1:50.62) was the morning’s top seed, and Loepfe (1:51.63) would need to drop time to three-peat. Loepfe was out into the lead (53.51) ahead of Eyman Casey (53.67), but by the third 50 it was apparent that Loepfe wouldn’t have an easy go of it. In the end, Loepfe faded to a 30-second final 50, whereas Eyman Casey and Gahnz closed in 28 to take the top two spots. Eyman Casey won his first MIAC title on his last chance.

Women 100 freestyle

1. Macy Klein (St. Catherine) 51.08

2. Maggie Webster (Gustavus) 51.55

3. Caroline Mather (Carleton) 51.68

4. Marissa Wolff (St. Olaf) 52.08

5. Kate Smarjesse (St. Thomas) 52.20

6. Maya Knutson (St. Olaf) 53.23

7. Aly Lokensgard (Gustavus) 53.36

8. Alyssa Kohorst (Gustavus) 54.15

It was a rematch of the 50 between Webster, Mather, and Klein, but this time Klein was victorious. Klein started out hot (24.22) ahead of Mather (24.66), while Webster (25.16) was back in third. But first Mather and then Webster inched back on Klein, and Klein needed to hold stroke in the 10m to hold off a hard-charging Webster. But hold stroke she did, and Klein got the win in a race that was closer than it looks.

Men 100 freestyle

1. Matt Allison (Gustavus) 45.00

2. Tom Negaard (St. Thomas) 46.03

3. Dutch Franko-Dynes (Gustavus) 46.08

4. Jack Heinzel (Carleton) 46.43

5. Andrew Peters (Gustavus) 46.93

6. Mitchell Dokendorf (St. John’s) 47.26

7. Nick Reeves (Carleton) 47.34

8. Garrett Riley (St. Thomas) 47.63

Allison added the 100 title to the 50 title he won earlier in the meet, and locked up the unofficial title of best sprinter in the MIAC. But Negaard had a great start, and led the race through the 25. Allison (21.57) pulled even with Negaard (21.65) at the 50, and snuck ahead on the third 25. But it wasn’t until the last 15 meters that Allison began to pull away; he ended up winning by over a second as Franko-Dynes almost caught Negaard for second.

Women 200 breaststroke

1. Jordyn Wentzel (St. Catherine) 2:12.85 (MIAC record; 0.65 from the D3 record)

2. Ada Meyer (Carleton) 2:21.45

3. Hailey Auran (Gustavus) 2:22.55

4. Sophia Nevin (St. Olaf) 2:22.75

5. Haley Pesik (Gustavus) 2:23.07

6. Franceska Hernandez-Nietling (St. Catherine) 2:23.38

7. Ashley Christensen (St. Thomas) 2:25.44

8. Ella Benoit (Gustavus) 2:28.39

After a super fast morning (4 under 2:22), it was all Wentzel tonight. Her prelims time (2:16.99) was a MIAC record, but here she did something more significant, and threatened the Division III record. Wentzel’s time was an A cut, which means it was under the average winning time the past three years at Nationals. Wentzel’s first 100 was 1:03.79 which, except for her, would have won the 100 yesterday, and she never looked back. Behind Wentzel, Meyer beat out Auran for second. Nevin’s prelims time (2:20.77) was the fastest non-Wentzel time in the MIAC for several years, but in this field she could only manage fourth.

Men 200 breaststroke

1. Tanner Sonnek (Gustavus) 1:59.82 (MIAC meet record)

2. Logan Shafer (St. Thomas) 2:04.82

3. Noah Faldet (St. Thomas) 2:05.97

4. Riley Fairbanks (Gustavus) 2:06.90

5. Eli Greenblat (St. John’s) 2:10.26

6. Bryce Hoppe (St. Thomas) 2:10.45

7. Caleb Birklid (St. John’s) 2:11.40

8. Jacob Upton (St. John’s) 2:14.31

Sonnek became the first in the MIAC to break 2 minutes at the Conference meet, breaking his own meet record sent last year. He’ll go to Nationals next month, and contend for All-American spots and perhaps DIII titles. He hit the 100 in 56.64, and despite fading a little from there, the race was never in doubt. Shafer and Faldet, St. Thomas freshmen, showed that UST might be the future in this event, as they both beat out Gustavus Senior Fairbanks for second and third.

Women 200 butterfly

1. Anna Astrup (St. Thomas) 2:06.83

2. Paige Pawlenty (St. Thomas) 2:08.14

3. Alison Cameron (Carleton) 2:09.20

4. Katelyn Strauss (St. Thomas) 2:09.94

5. Kirsten Nelson (St. Thomas) 2:12.89

6. Sydney Hallmark (Gustavus) 2:15.53

7. Amy Warren (Concordia) 2:19.09

8. Zoe Schopick (Macalester) 2:19.37

Astrup added the 200 title to the 100 title she won last night, and the future looks bright for the St. Thomas freshman. Astrup swam the first 100 in 59.28 to take a 1.6 second lead over Cameron (1:00.88). Pawlenty moved up to pass Cameron with 50 to go. Cameron was perhaps the surprise of the event in third to break up a UST sweep, which Kate Strauss was the only other swimmer under 2:10 in fourth.

Men 200 butterfly

1. Nate Stone (St. Thomas) 1:52.94

2. Nolan Larson (Gustavus) 1:53.11

3. Ryan Sklar (Gustavus) 1:53.76

4. Nicholas Grivna (Hamline) 1:55.40

5. Marcel Hones (St. Olaf) 1:56.13

6. Max Larson (St. Thomas) 1:57.28

7. Stevie Fitch (Carleton) 1:57.56

8. Frankie Zobitz (Gustavus) 2:01.41

In one of the best finishes of the meet, Stone fought the bear the last few strokes to hold on and beat Larson and Sklar, denying Larson his third individual title of the meet. Stone (52.49) and Larson (52.51) were together at the 100, and Stone made when seemed to be the decisive move on the third 50. With Stone a body-length ahead, Sklar moved up next to his teammate Larson to try seemingly in vain to catch Stone. But with 25 to go Stone really started to suffer, and suddenly Larson was resurgent. The wall could not come too soon for Stone, and he held on to win, as not a single swimmer closed in under 30.

Women 1 meter diving

1. Gabby Page (St. Catherine) 463.45 (MIAC meet record)

2. Sophia Steinberg (Gustavus) 427.65

3. Kellie Pruitt (St. Thomas) 401.30

4. Kapani Kirkland (Carleton) 397.15

5. Peyton Eckman (St. Thomas) 390.45

6. Janelle Mueller (St. Thomas) 375.30

7. Maggie Pomerenke (Saint Benedict) 360.05

8. Mallory Jarvi (Saint Benedict) 358.55

Page dominated this event, leading from start to finish. Her lead expanded after seemingly every dive, and end ended up with a large victory and a MIAC meet record. Steinberg was similarly never challenged for second, and Pruitt nabbed third and the zone quzlification score in her final chance.

Women 400 freestyle relay

1. St. Catherine 3:26.96

2. St. Thomas 3:30.69

3. Gustavus 3:33.14

4. St. Olaf 3:34.04

5. Carleton 3:38.22

6. Saint Benedict 3:41.28

7. Hamline 3:44.10

8. Macalester 3:45.92

It was a St. Kate’s rout to finish off the meet, as Jordyn Wentzel set the Katies off with a 51.09 leadoff, and they never looked back. They also got 51-point splits from Maggie Menso (51.63) and Macy Klein (51.07), and finished just two tenths shy of the MIAC meet record. St. Thomas was the clear #2, splitting, 52-53-52, and then a 51.76 anchor from Kate Smarjesse. Maggie Webster’s 51.80 anchor was enough to pull Gustavus ahead of St. Olaf for the number 3 spot, which gave Gustavus a 1-point margin over St. Kate’s for second in the team competition.

Men 400 freestyle relay

1. Gustavus 3:02.92

2. St. Thomas 3:07.92

3. St. Olaf 3:08.62

4. Carleton 3:09.17

5. St. John’s 3:10.51

6. Hamline 3:15.93

7. Macalester 3:18.23

8. St. Mary’s 3:35.10

Gustavus won this race like they won the meet, with a strong front half and an unbeatable back half. Carleton’s Jack Heinzel (45.84) took them out to the lead, before Gustavus pulled even at the halfway point. Then Nolan Larson (45.96) and Matt Allison (44.28) were too much for everyone else, and Gustavus took the title by a massive margin. St. Thomas passed St. Olaf to get second, helped by Tom Negaard’s 45.90 third leg. Carleton beat out St. John’s, locking up fourth place over the Johnnies by only four points.

The 2019 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships has come to a close, and with it the seasons and possibly careers of many talented and passionate MIAC swammers and dovers. Please join me in wishing luck to the MIAC swimmers and divers who will go on to represent the conference in Greensboro, NC at the 2019 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships, from 3/20 to 3/24.

We’ll be back and better than ever in 2020. Can the Gustavus men win again with the target on their back, or will St. Thomas find another gear and retake the title? Is next year the year that St. Kate’s ascends to the women’s throne in the MIAC, or can St. Thomas extend their streak to 5 years? We can only wait and see.