Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference: Day One

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, February 16.THE first finals session at the 2012 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships saw the two defending team champions state their opening arguments to repeat, but after one day and two sessions, it appears both will receive heavy competition. The Gustavus women grabbed a slim lead over St. Olaf in their quest for a third-straight title, while defending men's champion St. Olaf is tied with St. Thomas atop the standings.

After one day of competition, the Oles and the Tommies are as close as it gets with 222 points each and two more days to decide the title. Each team captured one individual title and one relay title Thursday night, at the second of six sessions held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center throughout the weekend. The Saint John's and Gustavus men are also in the mix, at 167 and 160 points, respectively. Carleton sits in fifth after one day with 109 points, Saint Mary's 60 points have it in sixth place, Macalester is in seventh (54) with Hamline (24) rounding out the field.

The Gusties – who are gunning for their fifth title in six years and third in a row – started strong with 173 points in Thursday's first finals session. However, The Oles sit just 11 points with 162, and three other teams are also in striking distance. The rest of the formidable top five features Saint Benedict (134), Carleton (129) and St. Thomas (127). St. Catherine (80), Macalester (63), Saint Mary's (46), Concordia (41), Augsburg (30) and Hamline (14) round out the rest of the field.

The night started strong for the St. Thomas men, as Nick Johnson (449.45) edged St. Olaf's Ian Straehley (423.70) and met the NCAA 2011 Selection Time for the individual championship on the 1-meter diving board, with Saint John's Wes Schlichting in a close third place (420.95). The Tommies followed with a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:22.91 to claim victory in the first two men's events of the evening.

St. Olaf teammates Colby Kubat and Michael Gratz were second and first, respectively in the 200-yard individual medley. (Photo by Matt Higgins, MIAC)
However, St. Olaf finished strong with freshman Michael Gratz (1:50.61) edging teammate Colby Kubat (1:51.45) in the top two spots of the 200-yard individual medley, and those two also helped the Oles win the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:23.30. Gratz met the NCAA 'A' standard in the 200-IM, while Kubat and the 400-free relay team met the 2011 NCAA Selection Time.

Other highlights from the men's events included Erik Klontz following up the MIAC Championship record he set in the morning preliminary session with a first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle. His Thursday night time of 20.30 didn't quite best the 20.18 he swam in the morning, but it did meet the 'A' standard. Saint John's Josh Seaburg swam to victory in the men's 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:33.17, while Gustavus' Billy Schultze met the 'B' standard in the 200-IM with a third-place finish and a time of 1:54.30 and St. Thomas' Ben Henrickson finished second in the 50-free in 20.84 and also met the 'B' mark.

The women's competition opened with a pair of 2011 champions successfully defending their titles. The Gustavus 200-yard freestyle relay repeated in first place with a winning time of 1:34.05 to get the Gusties' quest for a 3-peat off to a great start, and St. Olaf junior Meghan Weiss edged Alissa Tinklenberg to claim her second-straight title in the 500-yard freestyle. Weiss (4:57.40) and Tinklenberg (4:58.42) both met the 2011 Selection Time in the process.

The Oles added another win in the next event when junior Lydia Feldman met the 'B' standard with a time of 2:08.38 to win the 200-yard individual medley. Carleton's Sophie Pilhofer edged out defending champ Kelsey Lucia of Gustavus by just 0.02 seconds to claim victory in the 50-yard freestyle. Pilhofer's time of 23.81 and Lucia's 23.83 both met the 'B' qualifying standard. St. Thomas ended the evening in style, winning the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:52.70. Both the Tommies and second-place St. Olaf (3:53.14) met the 2011 Selection Time in the race.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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