<ong>Men Defeated in Close Contest
After besting Gustavus on Friday night, the Carleton College men’s swimming/diving team was back in the water on Saturday against another tough MIAC squad. Despite victories in nine events—including Chris Frills ‘13 in the three-meter diving competition—the Knights came up just short against Saint John’s University, 148-142.
“This was a challenging meet, both physically and emotionally and the guys did not disappoint,” said Carleton head coach Andy Clark. “They pushed hard from the beginning of the meet and came very close to beating a very talented Johnnie team. They stayed focused and directed great energy to each event.”
Erik Klontz ‘13 swam another NCAA “B” cut time in taking first during the 50-yard freestyle at 20.90. He also won the 100-yard freestyle at 47.61.
Evan Harris ‘15 took top honors in the 1650-yard freestyle, reaching the finish in 18:00.47. That was one of three events—also the 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly—in which Andrew Cely ‘15 recorded a season-best time, earning the honor of being Carleton’s swimmer-of-the-meet.
After in figuring in four victories on Friday, Mamoru Kanazawa ‘13 played a role in three more today. He tallied wins in the 200-yard freestyle (1:48.28) and sprinted through the 100-yard butterfly at 54.85.
Benito Ramirez ‘14 prevailed in both the 500-yard freestyle (5:13.60) and the 200-yard butterfly, in a season best of 2:06.25. In that race he was followed closely by Wilson Josephson ‘16 and Andy Hardt ‘13.
“All the wins were essential but also were the depth points, and going 1-2-3 in the 200 fly was reflective of the determination the guys had,” Clark said. “Chris Frill’s first collegiate win on the 3-meter board was an added and huge boost for the team and provided some pivotal momentum to the team as we headed into the final two events.”
The Knights capped their weekend with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Klontz, George McAney ‘16, Stephen Grinich ‘16, and Kanazawa combined on a winning time of 1:25.66
“Overall, outstanding team effort by the guys and the coaches are proud of the competitive output they displayed this weekend,” said Clark. “This is certainly the type of competitive momentum we need for this point in the season.”
Carleton’s next meet will be on Saturday, January 26 as the Knights travel across town to battle rival St. Olaf College at 11:00 AM.
Women Fall to Saint Benedict
Senior Grace Cormier was first to the wall in two races and classmate Sophie Pilhofer figured in four other victories, yet the Carleton College women’s swimming and diving team could not overcome the College of Saint Benedict, who won Saturday’s dual meet, 174-119.
“The character and resolve of this team really showed today, facing another talented team in the MIAC and not giving in to any race throughout a long day of competition,” said Carleton head coach Andy Clark. “The competitive integrity of this group to rise up and race hard was outstanding despite feeling the fatigue from the night before.
“At this point in the season, when their bodies are broken down from training, having the mental resolve to push even harder is exactly the type of tenacity that we need to see and that is exactly what we got. From the coaching side, we were all proud of the efforts and the enthusiasm that these ladies showed toward racing today, and this is exactly the type of momentum we need for the rest of this season.”
Cormier sliced through the water to a 1:04.23 finish in the 100-yard backstroke and completed the 200-yard individual medley at 2:18.37, just 0.11 seconds from her season best.
Pilhofer took first in the 50-yard freestyle at 24.83, the 100-yard freestyle at 54.42, and the 100-yard butterfly at 1:01.52. She also opened the Knights’ victorious 200-yard freestyle relay with a split of 24.93 which her teammates extended into a three-second win at 1:40.67. Joining Pilhofer on the relay were Milana Socha ‘14, first-year Madison McBride and Erin McDuffie ‘13.
Lydia Henderson ‘16 dove to first place in the 3-meter diving event, her first collegiate win.
McDuffie was tabbed as the squad’s swimmer-of-the-meet after adding season bests in the 50 freestyle (25.60), 200 freestyle (2:01.92), and 500 freestyle when she touched the wall in 5:32.96.
Overall, the Knights had 24 season-best times during today’s meet after totaling 45 during last night’s competition against Gustavus.
The Knights have two weeks before their next meet, which will be the final dual meet of the season. Carleton travels across town to face St. Olaf College at 11:00 AM on Jan. 26.