<ong>Men grab 3rd place
Before leaving the water on the final day of the MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships, the Carleton College men’s team picked up four more All-MIAC performance to solidify its standing of third place in the team competition. The last swim of the weekend was a school-record time in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
St. Olaf defended its 2013 crown with 848 points, with St. Thomas (740 points), Carleton (536), Gustavus (498.5), and Saint John’s (429) rounding out the top five squads.
Saturday saw the team push itself to its limits. Of the 16 Carleton men who qualified for the consolation or championship finals, 14 swam personal bests. And when the evening had ended, eight spots on Carleton’s top-10 teams would need to be rewritten.
First came the long-distance 1650-yard freestyle. Alex Mathson ‘17 took fifth in the nineteen-strong field with a 16.48.46 time that was not merely a personal best, but also the third-best in Carleton history. He was followed by teammates Aaron Reynolds ‘17 and Andrew Cely ‘15, both of whom also set personal records. Cely’s time of 17:55.50 was more than a minute faster than he had swam the event before.
In the next event, the 200-yard backstroke, Christian Edwards ‘14 qualified for the consolation final after his prelim time of 1:59.57 qualified as a personal best. In the championship final, his teammates came through in major fashion. Aaron Schwab ‘17 and Jonathan Brodie ‘16 finished second and fourth in 1:53.35 and 1:54.16, respectively – both personal bests. Those marks now rank second and third all-time at Carleton.
Carleton record charts continued to be rewritten in the 100-yard freestyle. George George McAneny ‘16 46.77 finish in the consolation final was good for eighth best in team history. Lahr and Grinich raced in the championship heat, placing third and fifth, respectively, at 46.02 and 46.65. Those PR’s were good enough to rand fourth and seventh all-time at Carleton.
The Knights knotched their first NCAA qualification in the 200-yard breaststroke. Evan Harris ‘15 took third with a personal-best time of 2:03.57 that made the NCAA “B” cut. It also ranks third in Carleton history. In the consolation final, Ross Brown ‘14, Jesse Gourevitch ‘14, and Grant Terrien ‘17 each posted personal records.
The Knights’ last individual event of the weekend was the 200-yard butterfly. Wilson Josephson ‘16 and Eli Danson ‘14 swam personal-best times of 1:57.38 and 1:57.83, respectively as they finished sixth and seventh. Will Sparks ‘15 also swam a new PR in the consolation final.
The Knights, however, had saved some excitement for a grand finale. In the final heat of the final event on the last day of the championships—the 400-yard freestyle relay—Lahr, Grinich, Harris, and McAneny combined to take third in 3:04.33. That All-MIAC swim was good enough to break the school record set just last year.
All said, it was a fantastic year for the men’s team at the conference championships, and they hope their success carries over to next season.
Women finish 5th of 11
The Carleton College women’s team concluded the 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships fifth in the team standings. Milana Socha ‘14 and Maria Wetzel ‘17 turned in all-conference performances on day three.
Gustavus Adolphus notched its fifth consecutive conference title with 886.5 points followed by St. Thomas (697 points), St. Olaf (507.5), Saint Benedict (368), and Carleton (350) in the 11-team competition.
Of the seven Carleton women who qualified for the evening session in individual events, six set personal records on day three. Additionally, Socha and Wetzel notched NCAA “B” cut times, putting them in consideration for selection to the NCAA championships a month from now in Indianapolis.
Carleton got rolling early with strong performances in the 200-yard backstroke. Alison Coogan ‘15 won the consolation final in 2:10:44. That marks a personal best and ranks seventh all time among Carleton swimmers. Then, in the championship heat, Wetzel touched second with a time of 2:03.99. That was a new personal record, ranks third-best in Carleton history, and qualifies as an NCAA “B” cut time.
Next came the 100-yard freestyle. In the consolation final, Alexandra Guy ‘15 swam a time of 55.17, a personal best. In the championship, Socha took second in 52.19, a time that’s a new personal record, second-best in Carleton history, and a “B” cut time. Socha finished the championships with five All-MIAC swims: three individual events and two relays.
In the final individual event of the weekend, the 200-yard butterfly, Samantha Sharpe ‘14 took fourth with a personal record time of 2:11.85. She now trails only two in the Carleton record charts for the event. In the consolation final, Alex Braiedy ‘17 recorded a personal-best time of 2:17.87.
The Knights placed fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay as Socha, Guy, Madison McBride ‘16, and Wetzel finished in 3:34.83.