MIAC Finishes Season With Strong Showing At D-3 NCAAs

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Photo Courtesy: MIAC

By Wilson Josephson and Allie Clark, Swimming World College Interns

The 2015 season finally wrapped up last weekend at the Division III NCAA Championship meet, where the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) was represented by 15 athletes. Correctly gauging the double taper is always a challenge for swimmers, but this year all MIAC swimmers who competed at NCAAs made their teammates proud with admirable performances.

Day one featured two All-American performances and one All-American honorable mention for the MIAC’s athletes. On the women’s side, Emma Paulson placed fifth in the 50 freestyle, while Hayley Booher, Jenny Strom, Kate Reilly, and Katie Olson came together to snatch seventh place for Gustavus Adolphus in the 200 medley relay. Mike Lanz, the only male MIAC swimmer competing at NCAAs, placed 12th in the 200 IM.

Day two saw two more relay successes for Gustavus: Reilly, Michelle Campeau, Dani Klunk, and Olson placed eighth in the 200 freestyle relay, and Booher, Strom, Reilly, and Olson finished ninth in the 400 medley relay. Mike Lanz claimed third place in the 100 butterfly, setting a new conference record in the process with a blazing fast 47.88.

Day three was team MIAC’s best day, with five performances in the top sixteen. Leah Anderson, Strom, Olson, and Campeau pulled through for Gustavus for a 16th place in the 800 freestyle relay. Paulson and Lanz earned two more third-place finishes for the University of St. Thomas, in the 100 backstroke and 200 butterfly, respectively. Both set new conference records; Paulson finished in 54.86, Lanz in 1:45.76.

Day three also featured a tight race in the 100 breaststroke between MIAC rivals Jenny Strom and Emily Punyko. The two finished 12th and 13th, less than two tenths of a second apart.

On the final day, there were four swims in the top sixteen. Olson of Gustavus started the night out with a 13th place finish in the 100 freestyle. Paulson of St. Thomas and Maria Wetzel of Carleton placed fourth and sixteenth, respectively, in the 200 backstroke. The last MIAC Nationals swim came from the Gustavus 400 freestyle relay of Campeau, Anderson, Reilly, and Olson that took ninth place.

The 2014-2015 MIAC swim season has finally come to a close. Congratulations to all NCAA competitors on completing their season. It was a pleasure to watch Team MIAC swim!

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