Whitaker Davis had a big night as he claimed first place in the 200-yard freestyle (1:16.38) and second place in the 100-yard freestyle (49.23).   Matt Van Fossen finished first in the 100-yard butterfly (53.09), and Paul Kirihara placed first in the 100-yard backstroke (54.76).  John Rice and William Schultze also contributed valuable points as they both placed second in two events.  Rice in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:31.86) and 500-yard freestyle (5:04.55), and Schultze in the 200-yard individual medley (2:04.14) and 100-yard backstroke (1:01.88).

The Gustavus relay teams had a strong showing, ending the night with two second place finishes and one third place finish.  Peter Roth, Thomas Johnson, Whitaker Davis, and Matt Van Fossen placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:40.58).  Kirihara, Schultze, Van Fossen, and Sam DeFranco teamed up and finished second in the 200-freestyle relay (1:31.16), as Defranco, Dave Najarian, Ben Stewart, and Gunnar Teigen followed in third place (1:32.56).

Gustavus will face St. Cloud State University in a dual meet on Saturday at 1:00pm in the Gustavus Natatorium.

Meet Results

Dave Pearson

The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced on Monday that Gustavus Adolphus senior swimmer Dave Pearson has been named one of 29 men’s winter sport recipients of a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Pearson, a two-time All-American as a member of the 800 free relay team, maintains a 4.0 gpa with a major in chemistry. He will attend medical school next fall at either the University of Minnesota or Washington University in St. Louis.

Pearson, a native of Woodbury, Minn., who graduated from Stillwater High School, has been a four-year letterwinner for the Gusties and he was selected by his teammates as a captain this past season. A versatile performer, Pearson swam the 100 and 200 yard freestyle and the 200 yard individual medley for the Gusties. He was also a part of several relay teams including the 800 yard free relay that finished first at the MIAC Championships in both 2008 and 2009 and went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Championships with a sixth place finish in 2008 and an eighth place finish in 2009. The 2008 800 free relay team set the conference and school record with a time of 6:44.64. Pearson earned All-Conference honors by finishing in the top three in an individual event or relay seven times during his career. He was a key part of teams that won MIAC Championships in 2006 and 2008 and finished second in 2007 and 2009.

Since the start of the 2004-05 academic year, Gustavus ranks third for the most postgraduate scholars among all NCAA schools (Division I, II, III). Stanford University has the most postgraduate scholars with 28, followed by Emory with 24 and Gustavus with 15. Gustavus has had a total of 25 student athletes receive NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships since football player James Goodwin became the first in 1974.

The NCAA awarded 58 postgraduate scholarships of $7,500 each to 29 male student-athletes and 29 female student-athletes from all three divisions (I, II, and III) who participated in winter sports. Those sports included men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s fencing, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s rifle, men’s and women’s skiing, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, women’s archery, women’s bowling, women’s squash, women’s team handball, and men’s wrestling.

To qualify for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship, a student-athlete must have an overall grade-point average of 3.200 (on a 4.000 scale) or its equivalent and must have performed with distinction as a member of the varsity team in the sport in which the student-athlete was nominated. The student-athlete also must intend to continue academic work beyond the baccalaureate degree as a graduate student.

NCAA Release

Carrie Gundersen, a junior from Minnetonka, Minn., started off the day with a ninth place finish in the 1650 freestyle with a new school and conference record time of 17:04.09. Gundersen’s time was nearly five seconds better than the previous mark of 17:09.69 that she had registered at the MIAC Championships three weeks ago. Gundersen earned honorable mention All-America honors as a result of her ninth place finish.

Shortly after Gundersen finished her swim, Skylar and Whitaker Davis took their turn swimming the 1650 freestyle. Skylar, who entered the race seeded 10th, finished eighth with a time of 15:41.38. His time was nearly eight seconds faster than when he finished first at the MIAC Championships in a time of 15:49.04. Whitaker placed 11th with a career best time of 15:45.22. Skylar earned All-America honors as a result of his eighth place finish, while Whitaker received honorable mention All-America recognition.

The Gustie men closed out their meet with a 20th place finish in the 400 free relay. The team of Matt Stewart, Skylar Davis, Whitaker Davis, and Dave Pearson, registered a time of 3:06.26.

The women closed out their meet with Anika Erickson recording a 16th place finish in 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:23.41. Erickson received honorable mention All-America honors for her effort.

NCAA Championships Web site

The 800 free relay team, which consists of Matt Stewart, Skylar Davis, Whitaker Davis, and Dave Pearson earned All-America honors by virtue of finishing in the top eight.

Senior Matt Stewart finished 10th in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:49.59. Stewart earned honorable mention All-America honors as a result of finishing in 10th place.

With one day left in the NCAA Championships, the Gustavus men are tied for 15th place with DePauw University with 54 points.

On the women’s side, Anika Erickson finished 21st in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:05.58. The Gustavus women are in 44th place with 7 points.

On Saturday (the final day of the meet), Skylar and Whitaker Davis will swim the 1650 freestyle, and then Skylar, Whitaker, Matt Stewart and Dave Pearson will swim the 400 free relay to wrap up the meet. For the women, Carrie Gunderson will swim the 1650 freestyle and Anika Erickson will swim the 200 breaststroke.

Third Day Results

Stewart has now registered a seventh place finish in the 500 freestyle and a sixth place finish in the 200 freestyle in the first two days of the national meet which is being held at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis. He will swim in the 800 free relay on Friday with teammates Skylar Davis, Dave Pearson, and Whitaker Davis. The relay enters the meet seeded eighth with a time of 6:44.73.

Annika Erickson will swim for the women’s team in the 100 breaststroke on Friday. Erickson is seeded 21st heading into the meet with a time of 1:06.07.

NCAA Championships Web site

Whitaker and Skylar Davis also swam the 500 freestyle, however neither qualified for the consolation or finals races. Whitaker Davis finished 24th in a time of 4:35.79 and Skylar finished 26th in a time of 4:38.5.

Carrie Gundersen turned in the finest performance of her career in 500 freestyle and finished tenth in a conference and school record time of 4:57.25. Gundersen had qualified for the national meet with a time of 5:01.05 and posted a time of 4:59.18 in the preliminaries on Wednesday morning.

Anika Erickson also swam the 50 freestyle in the preliminaries. Erickson finished 58th in a time of 25.40.

The Gustavus men’s 200 medley relay team of Dave Pearson, Skylar Davis, Matt Stewart, and Whitaker Davis finished 20th in a time of 1:37.50.

Thursday will be a big day for Gustavus as Matt Stewart will swim the 200 butterfly and the 200 free. Stewart enters the national meet seeded first in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:49.28 and eighth in the 200 free with a time of 1:39.42. The Gustie men will also take part in the 200 free relay and the 400 medley relay. Carrie Gundersen will represent the women’s team as she will compete in the 200 freestyle.

NCAA Championships Web site

Senior Matt Stewart, who has participated in four consecutive NCAA Championships, enters this year’s meet ranked first in the 200 butterfly (1:49.28), second in the 500 free (4:26.78), and eighth in the 200 free (1:39.42). Stewart is also a part of the 800 free relay team with Dave Pearson, Skylar Davis and Whitaker Davis. That group is seeded eighth with a time of 6:44.73.

Junior Skylar Davis will swim the 1650 where he enters with the 10th seeded time of 15:49.04.

The meet begins on Wednesday and Matt Stewart, Skylar Davis, and Whitaker Davis will all swim the 500 freestyle. That group will also combine with Dave Pearson to compete in the 200 medley relay.

On Thursday, Matt Stewart will swim the 200 butterfly and the 200 free. The Gusties will also take part in the 200 free relay and the 400 medley relay.

On Friday, the team will take part in the 800 free relay where they will look to finish in the top eight for the second year in a row.

On Saturday, Skylar and Whitaker Davis will swim the 1650 freestyle, and then Skylar, Whitaker, Matt Stewart and Dave Pearson will swim the 400 free relay to wrap up the meet.

NCAA Championships Web site

Gustavus started the final session of the meet off in great fashion taking three of the top four spots in the 1650 freestyle. Skylar Davis finished first for the third consecutive year and his time of 15:49.04 set a new meet record. Whitaker Davis finished third (15:53.98) and John Rice placed fourth (16:15.55).

Next came the 200 backstroke where Paul Kirihara finished fifth (1:55.28) and Kevin Horn placed seventh (1:56.09).

In the 100 freestyle, the Gusties placed three in the top six including Tyler Wakefield, who placed second (46.80), Dave Pearson, who finished fourth (47.33), and Clem Auyeung, who placed sixth (47.88).

Billy Schultze was the lone Gustie in the top eight of the 200 breaststroke and he finished fourth with a time of 2:09.23.

Three Gustavus swimmers finished in the top five of the 200 butterfly including Matt Stewart finishing first in a conference and meet record time of 1:49.28, Josh Seaburg finished second in a time of 1:54.74, and Ross Elenkewich,placed fifth with a time of 1:56.19.

The Gusties closed out the meet in grand style as the 400 free relay team finished first
with a time of 3:04.70. The relay consisted of Matt Stewart, Clem Auyeung, Dave Pearson, and Tyler Wakefield.

Gustavus will now wait to hear which swimmers will qualify for the NCAA Championships which will take place at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center on March 18-21.

FINAL TEAM SCORES
St. Olaf College 851
Gustavus Adolphus College 738
University of St. Thomas 487
Carleton College 441
Saint John’s University 431
Macalester College 204
Saint Mary’s University 188
Hamline University 134

Men’s Results From Saturday (Top 3 All-MIAC)
3-meter Diving – 1, Ian Straehly, St. Olaf, 434.55; 2, John Knapp, Carleton, 432.5, Ryan Trostrud, St. Olaf, 392.7
1650 Freestyle – 1. Skylar Davis, Gustavus, 15:49.04; 2. Nate Bentley, St. Olaf, 15:52.01; 3. Whitaker Davis, Gustavus, 15:53.98
200 Backstroke – 1. Peter Mullee, St. Thomas, 1:49.27; Nate Young, Macalester, 1:51.18; 3. Adam Meyer, St. Olaf, 1:53.64
100 Freestyle – 1. Jake Koch, St. Olaf, 44.89; 2. Tyler Wakefield, Gustavus, 46.8; 3. Erik Huls, St. Thomas, 46.89
200 Breastroke – 1. Nelson Westby, St. Olaf, 2:01.44; 2. Ted Marschall, Carleton, 2:02.60; 3, Chris Bateman, St. Olaf, 2:06.31
200 Butterfly – 1. Matt Stewart, Gustavus, 1:49.28; 2. Josh Seaburg, Gustavus, 1:54.74; 3. Erik Witzel, St. Olaf, 1:55.20
400 Free Relay – 1. Gustavus (Matt Stewart, Clem Auyeung, Dave Pearson, Tyler Wakefield) 3:04.7; 2. St. Olaf, 3:05.66; 3. Thomas, 3:08.41

MIAC Championships Website

WOMEN’S RECAP
The Carleton women’s swimming and diving team remained in first place through two days of the 2009 MIAC Championships which are being held at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis. The Knights, who have a total of 477 points, increased their lead over second place Gustavus from 1.5-points after day one to 60 points after day two as Gustavus has compiled a total of 417 points. The University of St. Thomas is in third place with 331 points, and St. Olaf is in fourth place with 316 points.

Carleton picked up three event titles on the day including the 200 medley relay team of Kale Zicafoose, Kate Alexander, Kaarin Taylor,and Louise Buckler in a new conference and meet record time of 1:46.59, Kate Alexander won the 400 individual medley for the third consecutive year in a new conference and meet record time of 4:29.24, and Kaarin Taylor won the 100 butterfly with a time of 58.58.

Other event champions on the day included Lauren Snyder of St. Olaf, who won the 200 free in a time of 1:53.42, Karoline Hart of Macalester, who won the 100 breaststroke in new meet record time of 1:05.41, Jena Root of St. Thomas, who won the 100 backstroke in a new conference and meet record time of 56.66, and the St. Olaf 800 free relay team of Alli Beardsley, Jamie Fredeen, Katie Kubat, and Lauren Snyder, which posted a time of 7:46.45.

The meet will conclude on Saturday with prelims beginning at 10:30 am and finals, which begin at 6:30 pm.

TEAM SCORES
Carleton College 477
Gustavus Adolphus College 417
University of St. Thomas 331
St. Olaf College 316
Macalester College 228.5
College of St. Benedict 1 98
College of St. Catherine 185
Concordia College 136.5
Hamline University 122
Saint Mary’s University 56
Augsburg College 48

Women’s Results (Top 3 All-MIAC)
3-meter Diving – 1, Annie Flanagan, Macalester, 391.10; 2, Amy Glubzinski, Concordia, 373.70; 3, Brittany Matzke, Gustavus, 347.15
200 medley relay – 1, Carleton (Kale Zicafoose, Kate Alexander, Kaarin Taylor, Louise Buckler) 1:46.59, 2, St. Thomas, 1:47.19, 3, Gustavus, 1:47.81
400 Individual Medley – 1. Kate Alexander, Carleton, 4:29.24; 2. Alli Beardsley, St. Olaf, 4:35.18; 3. Marni Luke, Gustavus, 4:40.55
100 Butterfly – 1. Kaarin Taylor, Carleton, 58.58; Bridge Perkins, St. Catherine, 58.60; 3. Renee Punyko, Hamline, 59.36
200 Freestyle – 1. Lauren Snyder, St. Olaf, 1:53.42; 2. Maggie Alexander, Carleton, 1:53.70; 3. Carrie Gunderson, Gustavus, 1:54.03
100 Breastroke – 1. Karoline Hart, Macalester, 1:05.41; 2. Anika Erickson, Gustavus, 1:06.07; 3, Maggie Hansvick, Gustavus, 1:07.06
100 Backstroke – 1. Jena Root, St. Thomas, 56.66; 2. Kale Zicafoose, Carl eton, 57.91; Becca Nye, St. Thomas, 58.16
800 Free Relay – 1. St. Olaf (Alli Beardsley, Jamie Fredeen, Katie Kubat, Lauren Snyder) 7:46.45; 2. Carleton, 7:48.94; 3. Gustavus 7:49.89

MEN’S RECAP
The St. Olaf men’s swimming and diving team remained in first place through two days of the 2009 MIAC Championships which are being held at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis. The Ole’s, who have accumulated 549 p oints, hold a commanding 81-point lead over defending champion Gustavus, which is in second place with 468 points. St. Thomas is in third place with 331 points, while Carleton is in fourth place with 297 points.

The Ole’s picked claimed three more first place finishes including the 200 medley relay (Adam Meyer, Nelson Westby, Luke Money, Jake Koch) which broke the conference record with a time of 1:30.72 and automatically qualified for the NCAA Ch ampionships, Jake Koch in the 200 freestyle (1:40.65), and Nelson Wes tby won the 100 breaststroke for the third consecutive year breaking his own conference and meet records with a time of 55.33.

It was a record-breaking day for the men as five conference records were broken in the seven events held during the day. In addition to the St. Olaf 200 medley relay and Nelson Westby in the 100 breaststroke, which were mentioned above, Ted Marschall of Carleton won the 400 individual medley in meet record time of 3:55.7, Erik Huls of St. Thomas won the 100 butterfly in a conference and meet record time of 49.04, Peter Mullee of St. Thomas won the 100 backstroke in a conference and meet record time of 50.2, and the Gustavus 800 free relay team of Matt Stewart, Skylar Davis, Whitaker Dav is, and Dave Pearson won with a conference and meet record time of 6:44.73.

Eight different individuals and one relay team automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships on the second day including Peter Mullee of St. Thomas, Nate Young of Macalester, and Adam Meyer of St. Olaf in the 100 backstroke, Nelson Westby of St. Olaf and John Fox of Saint Mary’s in the 100 breaststroke, Erik Huls of St. Thomas in the 100 butterfly, Ted Marschall of Carleton and Chris Bateman of St. Olaf in the 400 individual medley, and the St. Olaf 200 medley relay team.

The meet will con clude on Saturday with prelims beginning at 10:30 am and finals, whic h begin at 6:30 pm.

TEAM SCORES
St. Olaf College 549
Gustavus Adolphus College 468
University of St. Thomas 344
Carleton College 297
Saint John’s University 283
Macalester College 144
Saint Mary’s University 136
Hamline University 93

Men’s Results (Top 3 All-MIAC)
200 medley relay – 1, St. Olaf (Adam Meyer, Nelson Westby, Luke Money, Jake Koch) 1:30.72, 2, St. Thomas, 1:33.13, 3, Carleton, 1:33.97
400 Individual Medley – 1. Ted Marschall, Carleton, 3:55.70; 2. Chris B ateman, St. Olaf, 3:55.94; 3. Nate Bentley, St. Olaf, 4:06.12
1 00 Butterfly – 1. Erik Huls, St. Thomas, 49.04; Matt Stewart, Gustavus, 49.57; 3. Luke Money, St. Olaf, 50.47
200 Freestyle – 1. Jake Koch, St. Olaf, 1:40.65; 2. Dave Pearson, Gustavus, 1:42.53; 3. Tyler Wakefield, Gustavus, 1:43.15
100 Breastroke – 1. Nelson Westby, St. Olaf, 55.33; 2. John Fox, Saint Mary’s, 55.61; 3, Billy Schultz, Gustavus, 58.89
100 Backstroke – 1. Peter Mullee, St. Thomas, 50.20; 2. Nate Young, Macalester, 50.31; Adam Meyer, St. Olaf, 50.65
800 Free Relay – 1. Gustavus (Matt Stewart, Skylar Davis, Whitaker Davis, Dave Pearson) 6:44.73; 2. St. Olaf, 6:47.86; 3. Saint John’s, 6:58.80

MIAC Championships Website

The Gusties made their biggest mark of the day in the 500 free where Stewart captured the title and three other Gustavus swimmers finished in the top five. That group included Whitaker Davis who placed third in a time of 4:35.79, Skylar Davis, who finished fourth in 4:38.50, and John Rice, who placed fifth in 4:41.87.

Gustavus also had a strong day in the relays as the 200 free relay team of Tyler Wakefield, Clem Auyeung, Dave Pearson, and Matt Stewart finished second with a time of 1:23.76, and the 400 medley relay team of Paul Kirihara, Billy Shultze, Stewart, and Wakefield also placed second in a time of 3:25.62.

Josh Seaburg and Dave Pearson also swam well in the 200 individual medley as Seaburg placed fourth in a time of 1:55.03 and Pearson finished fifth in a time of 1:55.32.

In the 50 freestyle, Clem Auyeung and Tyler Wakefield placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Auyeung posted a time of 21.22, and Wakefield was an eyelash behind him with a time of 21.24.

The Gusties will continue to battle for their seventh title in the past eight years tomorrow with prelims in the morning and finals in the evening.

MIAC Championship Website