Jean Freeman Invitational Takes Center Stage for MIAC Swimming

By Wilson Josephson, Allie Clark, Swimming World College Interns

NORTHFIELD – As athletes return from a brief Thanksgiving break, teams in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) swimming are headed to their conference championship pool for the Jean Freeman Invitational, an important benchmark meet. With longer events, like the mile, 400 IM, and 800 freestyle relay, this two-day invite serves as an excellent preview for championships in February, especially as it is swum prelims/finals. Many teams execute a drop-taper for this meet, and athletes across the conference will come hungry for personal bests and B-cuts.

The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) teams are: Carleton College; St. Olaf College; The University of St. Thomas (UST); Gustavus Adolphus College (GAC); Hamline University; Macalester College; Saint Mary’s University; St. John’s University (men); College of Saint Benedict (women); Augsburg College (women); Concordia College (women); St. Catherine University (women).

AUGSBURG

In terms of MIAC rankings, there’s no one on Augsburg’s squad quite like Kelsey Knollmueller. She’s ranked in the top 25 in five events, and her specialty seems to be the grueling 400 IM, in which she’s ranked fourth. Her 5:02.59 will prove tough to top for even the strongest swimmers in the conference. Joining her in the MIAC top twenty-five are Whitney Kieley (in the 100 backstroke) and Therese Normann (in the 200 breaststroke). With these three at the helm and a brief mid-season taper, Augsburg’s women are ready to startle the MIAC.

CARLETON

Carleton’s Maria Wetzel will almost undoubtedly earn her first B-cut of the year in the 200 backstroke; her 2:06.26 at Carleton’s last dual meet is within a second of the 2015 time standard. Whether she’ll reach the same level in the 100 is less clear: she needs to drop 1.85 seconds off her 59.44 in order to reach the B-cut. While slightly more distant, Evan Lahr and Evan Harris represent the best opportunities for B-cuts among the male Knights. Watch Harris in the 200 breaststroke. While his 2:12.82 is far off the B-cut, he wasn’t pushed in that race, and the presence of the University of Minnesota swimmers at this invite may provide him with just the right motivation to pick up the pace. Lahr’s 21.34 is half a second from the B-cut, but that’s hardly insurmountable: a fast pool, a fast suit, and focus on explosive training may land Lahr with his first time standard of the season.

CONCORDIA

Sophomore Libby Hardwick is Concordia’s only swimmer currently in scoring position in the MIAC; her 2:22.06 is lodged in 14th place. She’ll look to preserve – if not improve upon – this position as Concordia’s other swimmers take advantage of the invite’s longer events to demonstrate their ability in the mile. Concordia’s three milers (freshman Ann Marie O’Connell [20:26.58], sophomore Katrina Teskey [20:32.32], and junior Jordyn Olson [20:17.22]) are all within fifteen seconds of each other. These women have been pushing each other to achieve all season, and if all three race the mile this weekend, it promises to be a thrilling race.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS

After swimming 17:26 in the mile and 1:46 in the 200 last weekend, Zac Solis will no doubt return to the 500, his strongest race. He may not reach the B-cut yet, but he could very well dip below 4:50, leaving behind much of the MIAC. His teammate Dante Colucci is currently third in the MIAC in both backstroke races; this weekend he’ll attempt to improve upon his 55.08 and 2:00.84. Jenny Strom still leads the conference in the breaststroke (1:06.67 and 2:24.22, representing 2 and 6 second advantages on the rest of the field). While she’s already earned a B-cut in the 200, a little rest could bring her much closer to the invited time from last year’s championships. Gustavus’ new freshman Kate Reilly has proved dominant in the sprint events, swimming 24.21, 53.28, and 58.31 in her 100 fly. In addition to these, she’s ranked first in the 200 IM with 2:11.00. Since swimmers can compete in four events at this invite, she could swim all four events, though each one will be hotly contested. It seems more likely that she’ll focus on the sprint events, in which her cuts are within reach.

HAMLINE

After sweeping the competition at their dual meet against Macalester, freshmen Hodd Gorman and Skiah Garde Garcia will look to add to their successes. Gorman, who swam 5:06 against Macalester, will look to dip under five minutes in this faster field. Garcia, meanwhile, earned a 273.4 on the three-meter board, bringing him close to the 285-point B-cut.

MACALESTER

A rivalry has been brewing at Macalester between freshman Kaia Lund and senior Alese Halvorson, who are seeded nine-hundredths of a second apart. This meet will present these two with an opportunity to demonstrate their dominance in the event. Meanwhile, sophomore Smaranda Georgescu could swim a smattering of events, though it’s likely she’ll focus on the sprints, in which she is currently among the top eight in the MIAC. If she can improve on her 25.38 and 55.03 this weekend, Macalester can head forward confident in her ability to bring home some 50 free 25.38 7th, 100 free 55.03 6th, 200 back 2:21.40 11th, 200 IM 2:21.61 14th

ST. JOHN’S

St. John’s has a wide array of swimmers who will no doubt score for them at championships this winter, but right now no one is as highly ranked or as broadly varied as Jose Alvarez. Alvarez has clearly spent his off season training for the IM races, in which he is currently third (1:58.76) and fourth (4:27.66). But training in these races has also greatly improved his other strokes: he is second in the 100 backstroke (54.71); sixth in the 200 fly (2:02.93); eleventh in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.27). While he has proven useful as a utility swimmer for the Johnnies, this meet should be a time for Alvarez to define which events he wants to focus on as he moves toward championships.

ST. BEN’S

St. Ben’s women will be eager to establish themselves as threats in the freestyle races this year. Junior Stephanie Bierman will lead the charge in the sprints (25.48, 56.00, and 2:01.30) while freshman Kenzie Young is the team’s young distance star, swimming 5:29.28 in her 500 and 11:13.62 in the 1,000 (good for fourth in the conference). While Young will have to move up to the mile at this meet, it’s clear from a side-by-side comparison of her 500 and 1,000 swims that this shouldn’t present a problem for her.

SAINT MARY’S

Saint Mary’s will be led by its young swimmers at this meet. Sophomore Grace Van Beest has proven herself a powerful breaststroker, pulling in a 1:14.35 and a 2:42.07 in her 200, while classmate Joe Tonda is just outside scoring position in the 200 backstroke. Freshmen Reese Galewski (1:02.50 in the 100 fly) and Zach Finklestein (22.90 in the 50 free) will also be looking to use this invite to establish themselves as swimmers with scoring potential as MIAC championships draw nearer.

ST. OLAF

Olaf has a large contingent of swimmers after B-cuts this weekend. On the men’s side, Billy Brebrick, Tanner Roe, and Nick Wilkerson all have an opportunity. Brebrick has already established himself in the 200 butterfly (1:52.71), but is still on the hunt in the 100 (50.08). Wilkerson’s best shot is in the 100 breaststroke (58.69), though with the proper taper he could bring down his 200 as well (2:10.42). Senior Tanner Roe has posted a slew of impressive times, though his best chance is probably in the 200 IM (1:55.96). While he doesn’t have much of a shot at the B-cut right now, it is thrilling to note that he and St. Thomas’ Chris Tri are currently tied for first in the conference in the 400 IM, both at 4:19.56.
On the women’s side, St. Olaf’s women will be battling hard against the fast and deep Gustavus squad. It will be especially key for them to preserve the MIAC 1-2 of Maddie Lee and Abbey Schnaith, both juniors, and currently (though not comfortably) leading the field in the 200 freestyle. Maddie Lee is also leading the conference in the 500 freestyle (5:18.33), while Schnaith is hovering just behind Carleton’s Maria Wetzel, and is certainly ready to execute an upset.

ST. THOMAS

St. Thomas seniors Elise Guenther and Mariann Kukielka will lead their team at this invite. At 18:21, Guenther leads the conference by more than 25 seconds in the mile. Kukielka, meanwhile, is a veteran butterflier, who – at 59.19 and 2:18.94 – could challenge the conference’s fastest swimmers in both events. Three St. Thomas women – Elizabeth Falconer, Emily Punyko, and Molly Peichel – are ranked third, fourth, and fifth in the 100 breaststroke; the three have likely been pushing each other in training, and each could offer a surprising swim this weekend. While Chris Tri’s 400 IM tiebreaker against Tanner Roe will be thrilling to watch, Mike Lanz is still one of St. Thomas’ strongest swimmers. He is ranked first in the conference in four events, and second in a fifth. Though he already has B-cuts in both butterfly events, it’s likely he’ll want to swim them against Olaf’s Billy Brebrick as a preview of sorts. While Lanz is leading in four events, Olaf’s Tanner Roe is within a second of him in three, and Billy Brebrick is only a few hundredths away in the 100 fly. It’ll be interesting to see how – or if – he decides to conserve his energy during this meet.

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