<rleton College women’s swimming and diving team won six events at the Gustie Challenge while the Knights added eight runner-up results.
The unscored, two-day competition served as the final meet of the season for some squad members, while the rest of the roster used the weekend as a final tune-up for the MIAC Championships to be held on Feb. 14-17.
“Speaking behalf of all the coaches, we were super impressed with the energy and enthusiasm that our tapered team members brought to this meet,” said Carleton head coach Andy Clark. “Despite everyone on the team having seven to eight events to swim, the level of focus and excitement was right where we needed it to be. No question that the tapered team members put the team in the right mode to perform at this meet.”
Carleton’s initial triumphs came in the relay events where Emma Lederer (Jr./Madison, Wis./West), Ada Meyer (Jr./Seattle, Wash./Ingraham), and Caroline Mather (Sr./Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista) played a hand in victories in the 400-yard and 200-yard medley relays. That trio combined with Alison Cameron (Fy./Reno, Nev./Reno) on a time of 4:07.22 at the longer distance and then partnered with Natalie Lafferty (Fy./Aurora, Ill./Matea Valley) to complete the shorter race in 1:51.97.
Cameron added an individual victory in the 400-yard IM, reaching the wall at 4:48.53 and narrowly missing her season-best time in the event. She added a runner-up finish with a season-best time of 5:25.63 in the 500-yard freestyle.
Mather prevailed in the 200-yard freestyle with her time of 2:00.80. She also posted second-place results in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles with times of 24.58 and 55.17, respectively. Meanwhile, Meyer was victorious in the 100-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:07.84.
Kapani Kirkland (Fy./Mendota Heights, Minn./Convent of the Visitation) won the 3-meter diving competition with a total of 334.15 points. She took second place on the 1-meter board after accumulating 350.10 points.
Lederer had Carleton’s other individual second-place result after reaching the wall in the 100-yard backstroke with a season-best time of 1:02.64.
Mather, Claire Neid (Fy./Denver, Colo./George Washington), Kyle Fraser-Mines (So./Tyngsboro, Mass./Tyngsborough), and Eveline Dowling (Sr./Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City West) took second place in both the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:41.53) and the 400-yard freestyle (3:47.27).
Cameron, Margaret Lachman (So./New York, N.Y./Nightingale-Bamford), Madi Smith (Fy./Denver, Colo./DSST), and Marly Schrom (Sr./Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) combined on a second-place time of 8:23.99 in the 800-yard freestyle relay.