Schultze ended the meet with four second place finshes that included the 100 (1:01.74) and 200 breaststroke (2:12.72), and the 200 IM (2:03.28).  Skylar Davis had a solid day, taking second in the 1000 (9:44.67) and 500 freestyle (4:50.81), and third in the 200 IM.  Van Fossen registered the only other Gustavus victory, winning the 100 butterfly (52.86), as Sam DeFranco placed second in the 50 freestyle (22.63).  The 400 freestyle relay (3:17.35) team of Peter Roth, Sam DeFranco, Skylar Davis, and Ben Stewart also placed second.

Other Gustavus third place finishers included Roth in the 50 and 100 freestyle, John Rice in the 1000 and 500 freestyle, Ross Elenkiwich in the 100 and 200 butterfly, David Kramer in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and Gunnar Teigen in the 50 and 200 freestyle, and 200 backstroke.  Bill Klein also took third in both the one and three-meter diving.

St. Olaf’s Chris Bateman broke the pool record in both the 100 breaststroke (59.09) and 1000 freestyle (9:41.65).

Meet Results

Photo Gallery

The Gustavus Adolphus College swimming and diving teams are taking part in the fourth annual Ted Mullin Hour of Power Relay for cancer research on Tuesday, Nov. 10 beginning at 4 p.m. in honor of former Carleton swimmer Edward H. “Ted” Mullin, who passed away from a rare soft-tissue cancer in September 2006.

The swim-a-thon will feature an “hour-of-power” relay practice. The objective is to keep all the relays in each lane on the same length. An ultimate goal of the “Hour of Power” swim-a-thon is to promote team spirit and to generate awareness of this cancer and its terminal impact on the lives of young adults.

More than 96 college swimming programs encompassing 33 different conferences are taking part in the event which raises funds for cancer research. All participating teams will begin and finish the swim-a-thon at the same time, using their respective and corresponding times zones from the East Coast to the West Coast. The official start time is set for 4p.m., Central Standard Time on Nov. 10.

Participants in the event are asked to gather pledges and donations for the Ted Mullin Cancer Research Fund at the University of Chicago. The U of Chicago will provide each participating team with packets of information well in advance of the event to aid in the fund-raising effort, as well as information regarding sarcoma, the type of cancer that claimed Ted’s life. Since the event began three years ago, participants have raised more than $112,000 for the Ted Mullin Fund for Pediatric Sarcoma Research.

Funds raised during the event will act as seed funding for the University of Chicago pediatric sarcoma research program, allowing collaborative efforts between clinicians and physician-scientists in the identification of the causes of sarcoma, at the most basic molecular and cellular levels. With a team of dedicated pediatric oncologists, orthopedists, and radiation therapists in place, the Ted Mullin Fund will support the recruitment of two additional scientists devoted to the study of sarcomas; one to focus on the molecular basis of sarcoma and the other to translate those findings into improved therapies for cancer patients like Ted.

MIAC Men's Swimmer of the Week Skylar Davis

Gustavus Adolphus College senior Skylar Davis (Palatine, Ill.) has been named the MIAC Men’s Swimmer of the Week for his performance in last weekend’s dual meets.  Davis won a total of four races, while finishing in second place twice over the weekend.  On Friday night against MSU-Mankato, he placed first in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle as the Gusties narrowly lost 117-119.  In the 150-146 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday afternoon, Davis won both the 1000 and 500-yard freestyle while placing second in the 400-yard freestyle relay and 200-yard individual medley.  It was a record breaking weekend for Skylar as he broke the 500-yard freestyle pool record at MSU-Mankato on Friday night (4:46.43) and then swam even faster on Saturday (4:45.52) at home versus St. Cloud State.

The Gustavus Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams will take on St. Olaf in a dual meet on Saturday, Nov. 14th at 1:00pm in the Gustavus Natatorium.

MIAC Release

Gustavus won ten events in the meet, while placing second in three events and third in five events.  Four Gustavus swimmers combined to win 9 events on the day.  William Schultze was the top Gustavus swimmer winning the 100 (1:00.97) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:12.98), the 200-yard individual medley (2:03.08), and teaming up with Paul Kirihara, Matt Van Fossen, and Peter Roth to win the 200-yard medley relay (1:37.85).

Whitaker and Skylar Davis both had two first place finishes and one second place finish.  Whitaker won the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.57) and 200-yard butterfly (2:03.09), and placed second in the 500-yard freestyle (4:50.03).  Skylar won the 1000 (9:53.48) and 500-yard freestyle (4:45.52), and took second in the 200-yard individual medley (2:03.09).  Paul Kirihara dominated the backstroke as he won both the 100 (54.29) and 200-yard (2:00.02) races.

Other top finishers included John Rice placing second in the 1000-yard freestyle, Bill Klein placing third in both the one and three-meter diving, Teigen placing third in the 200 freestyle, Peter Roth finishing third in the 100-yard freestyle, and Sam DeFranco taking third in the 50-yard freestyle.

Meet Results

Whitaker Davis had a big night as he claimed first place in the 1000-yard freestyle (9:53.65) 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.  Kirihara, Schultze, Van Fossen, and Sam DeFranco teamed up and finished second in the 200-yard medley relay (140.58).  Peter Roth, Thomas Johnson, Whitaker Davis, and Matt Van Fossen placed second in the 200-yard 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