The Charles Benson Bear '39 Recreation and Athletic Center on the campus of Grinnell College.
Grinnell, Iowa – After day one of the Grinnell College Invitational, both the Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams sit in second place. The Gustie men tallied 508.5 points on the opening day, trailing host Grinnell who leads the pack with 595.5 points. The Gustie women posted 518 points, sitting behind the University of Nebraska, Omaha who is in front with 550 points.
“A good start for both the men and the women today,” said head coach Jon Carlson. “We’ve had a couple great weeks of training and for us to come out and swim like we did today gives us a lot of confidence looking forward. We put ourselves in striking distance heading into Saturday and that’s all you can ask for.”
The Gustavus women’s squad did its damage in the relay events, recording three top-three finishes on the day. Alissa Tinklenberg (Jr., Willmar, Minn.), Sarah Hund (Sr., Willmar, Minn.), Tarin Anding (Fy., Sartell, Minn.), and Katie Olson (So., North Oaks, Minn.) teamed up to post the top relay finish by taking first in the 200-freestyle relay with a time of 1:39.77.
The 400-medley relay team comprised of Tinklenberg, Jennifer Strom (So., Rochester, Minn.), Laura Drake (Jr., Mendota Heights, Minn.), and Olson came in runner-up with a time of 4:03.58. Abigail Lyle (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.), Leah Anderson (Fy., Apple Valley, Minn.), Strom, and Anding rounded out the team’s top relay performances with a third place mark in the 800-free relay with a time of 8:08.53.
On an individual level, Alissa Tinklenberg and Katie Olson both claimed first place finishes. Tinklenberg won the 500 free with a time of 5:12.97 and also placed second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.03. Olson took gold in the 100 free, touching the wall in 54.31. Jennifer Strom also turned in a pair of top-three finishes, taking second in the 500 free (5:19.40) and third in the 200 breaststroke (2:29.93).
The Gustavus men’s team was led by Zac Solis (So., Centennial, Colo.) who took the top spot on the podium after going 4:51.18 in the 500 free. The Gustie men posted six individual top-three finishes at the meet.
David Kramer (Sr., Burnsville, Minn.) had the second-best finish with a runner-up swim in the 200 breaststroke (2:15.88). Jeff Nelson (Fr., Maple Grove, Minn.), Ross Larson (So., Brookings, S.D.), Jacob Stern (Fr., Rosemount, Minn.), and Sam Hanson (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.) all recorded third place marks; Nelson in the 100 free (49.62), Larson in the 500-free (4:59.94), Stern in the 200 breaststroke (2:17.75), and diver Hanson in the three-meter (308.95).
The Black and Gold also finished third in both the 800-free and 400-medley relays. Stern, Larson, Nelson, and Solis teamed up in the 800-free relay (7:30.15), and Dante Colucci (Fr., Summit, N.J.), Stern, Larson, and Solis assembled in the 400-medle relay (3:43.12).
The final day of the Grinnell Invitational is set for tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 19. Live video for Saturday’s finals will broadcast through the link below.