Skylar Davis took third in the 1650 freestyle at the 2010 NCAA Championships

The Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team compiled 114 points to finish in eighth place, while the men’s swimming and diving team scored 23 points and finished 23rd at the 2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships held in the Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota on Saturday.  The women’s team’s eighth place finish is the best finish at the NCAA Championships in the history of the program.

Skylar Davis had the top Gustavus finish of the NCAA Championships by taking third in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 15:39.12.  Skylar became a four-time All-American in the 1650 freestyle, making the podium in the top three for the first time in his four-year career at Gustavus.

Whitaker finished in seventh place in the 1650 freestyle, receving All-American honors in the event and finishing with a time of 15:46.99.

Carley Mosher took seventh in the 200 backstroke at the 2010 NCAA Championships

Carley Mosher turned in another top ten performance with a seventh place finish in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:03.78.  Carrie Gundersen placed 13th in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 17:13.07.  The women’s 400 free relay team of Mosher, Dajana Vidovic, Jonna Berry, and Carrie Gundersen placed 10th with a time of 3:30.34.  The 400 free relay team broke the school record.

Other Gustavus finishes included Vidovic taking 36th (53.05) and Sarah Hund taking 41st (53.40) in the 100 freestyle.  Maggie Hansvick also added a 16th place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:26.83, while Anika Erickson finished 21st in the same event with a time of 2:24.49.

On Wednesday, Skylar Davis finished 11th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:31.06, while Whitaker placed 14th with a time of 4:35.40.  Carrie Gundersen placed 13th in the 500 freestyle, turning in a time of 4:59.03.  In the 50 freestyle, Sarah Hund placed 29th (24.22), Dajana Vidovic took 32nd (24.28), and Anika Erickson finished 50th (26.36).

The Gustavus women’s medley relay team of Carley Mosher, Maggie Hansvick, Stephanie Korba, and Hund took ninth with a time of 1:46.15.

Carley Mosher took sixth in the 100 backstroke at the 2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships

The women’s 400 medley relay team of Mosher, Erickson, Korba, and Vidovic finished in ninth place with a time of 3:53.19 on Thursday, breaking the school record.  The  200 free relay consisting of Hund, Vidovic, Elthon, and Berry placed 11th with a time of 1:36.26.  In the 200 freestyle, Carrie Gundersen placed 20th (1:53.18), while Vidovic finished 46th (1:55.80).  Carley Mosher added a 26th place finish in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.84.

On the men’s side, Whitaker Davis placed 41st in the 200 freestyle (1:43.28), while Skylar Davis finished behind him in 45th (1:43.44).

On Friday, Mosher, Vidovic, Berry, and Gundersen teamed up to finish ninth in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 7:36.8, breaking the school and conference record.

Carley Mosher added the best Gustavus finish of the NCAA Championships by finishing sixth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 57.46.  In the 100 butterfly prelims on Friday morning, Mosher broke the school record with a time of 57.84, yet teammate Stephanie Korba broke Mosher’s record three minutes to re-gain her school record with a time of 57.73.

In the 100 breaststroke, Hansvick placed 21st (1:06.13), as Erickson finished 26th (1:06.87).

The Emory University women’s swimming and diving team is in first place entering the final day of competition with 371.5 points, as the Kenyon University men’s squad holds down the top spot with 502 points.

2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Website

Skylar Davis 1650 Freestyle Champion

The University of St. Thomas ended the over 30-year reign of conference powers St. Olaf and Gustavus at the 2010 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships to take the title with a total of 709 points.  Either St. Olaf or Gustavus had won the MIAC Crown since 1979, as Gustavus has won the championship six times since the 2000-01 season.  Gustavus finished second place with 701 points, as St. Olaf rounded out the top three, taking third with 615.5 points.  Gustavus has now been runner-up at the conference meet two years in a row.

The Gustavus men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams combined to register a total of four NCAA A cuts and 25 NCAA B cuts, as the Gusties broke three MIAC records, five meet records, and 14 school records at the meet.  The Gustavus men’s squad had a total of 16 All-Conference performances from eight different swimmers.  The Gusties tallied four event wins at the meet, one by Skylar Davis, one by Whitaker Davis, and two by William Schultze.

All-Conference performers included Skylar Davis, Whitaker Davis, John Rice, Paul Kirihara, William Schultze, Matt Van Fossen, Ben Stewart, and Sam DeFranco.

William Schultze, Champion in the 100 and 200 breaststroke

Skylar Davis became only the second swimmer in Gustavus history to win the conference title in the same event four years in a row.  Skylar won the 1650 freestyle with an NCAA A cut time of 15:48.27, setting a new meet record.  Skylar took second in the 500 freestyle (4:31.09) and 400 IM (4:04.60).  Both times made the NCAA B cut, as his time in the 400 IM is a school record.

Whitaker Davis won the 500 freestyle with an NCAA B qualifying time of 4:30.73.  He was also the runner up in the 200 (1:41.41) and 1650 freestyle (15:55.22), both times made the NCAA B cut.  William Schultze registered the other two Gustavus event victories.  He won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 59.18 and the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:08.23.  His time in the 200 breaststroke is a school record.

Qualifying members of the Gustavus men’s swimming and diving team will compete at the NCAA Championships on March 18-20, in the Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.  Selections to the National Championships will be made on March 3rd.

Men’s Standings – Final
1. St. Thomas – 709
2. Gustavus – 701

Whitaker Davis 500 Freestyle Champion

3. St. Olaf – 615.5
4. Saint John’s – 542.5
5. Carleton – 415
6. Saint Mary’s – 224
7. Macalester – 132
8. Hamline – 129

2009-10 MIAC Swimming & Diving Awards
Men’s Diver of the Year: Ian Straehley, St. Olaf
Men’s Swimmer of the Year: Peter Mullee, St. Thomas
Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year: Tom Hodgson, St. Thomas
Diving Coach of the Year: Gabe Kortuem, Carleton/St. Olaf

Men’s Top Finishers

MIAC Swimming & Diving Championships Website

William Schultze registered the only Gustavus win of the evening, taking first place in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 59.18.  Whitaker Davis placed second in the 200 freestyle with a NCAA B qualifying time of 1:41.41, as Skylar Davis also took second in the 400 IM with an NCAA B qualifying time of 4:04.60.  Matt Van Fossen and Paul Kirihara both added third place finishes Friday evening.  Van Fossen in the 100 butterfly with a time of 51.56, and Kirihara in the 100 backstroke with an NCAA B cut time of 52.26.

The Gustavus 800 free relay team of Schultze, Whitaker, Skylar, and Ben Stewart placed second with an NCAA B qualifying time of 6:53.06.  Kirihara, Schultze, Van Fossen, and Sam DeFranco added a third place finish in the 200 medley relay with a NCAA B cut time of 1:34.34.

The MIAC Championships will conclude on Saturday, as prelims will begin at 10:30 am with finals starting at 6:30 pm.

Friday Finals Results

MIAC Swimming & Diving Championships Website

Whitaker and Skylar Davis finished back-to-back in first and second place, respectively, in the 500-yard freestyle.  Both Whitaker and Skylar turned in NCAA B qualifying times, as Whitaker swam a 4:30.73 and Skylar swam a 4:31.09.  Joining them in the top five was teammate John Rice, who took fourth place with a time of 4:41.12.

Other top individual performers for the Gusties were William Schultze and Sam DeFranco.  Schultze made the top three with a third place finish in the 200 IM (1:55.11), as DeFranco finished fifth in the 50 freestyle (21.64).  Schultze’s time made the NCAA B cut.

The 400 medley relay team of Paul Kirihara, Matt Van Fossen, Schultze, and Whitaker turned in the best Gustavus relay performance of the day, taking second place with an NCAA B qualifying time of 3:26.64.  The 200 freestyle relay team of Gunnar Teigen, Zach Nachtsheim, Lance Switzer, and DeFranco added a top five finish by taking fourth with a time of 1:25.47.

The Gustavus men’s swimming and diving team will look to hold on to it’s narrow one-point lead heading into day two of competition with preliminaries starting tomorrow morning at 10:30 am.

For an inside look at the MIAC Championships check out junior Gustavus swimmer Craig Nordquist’s blog at the link below.

Blogging From Lane 4: An Inside Look At The MIAC Swim & Dive Championships

MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships Website

Thursday Evening Results

Bill Klein placed first in both diving events

The Gustavus men’s and women’s diving teams got some late-season meet practice at the MSU-Mankato Diving Invitational on Saturday in Mankato, Minn.  The top Gustavus divers were Bill Klein and Brittani Matzke.  Klein took first place in both the one (351.30) and three meter dives (339.75), as Matzke finished second in the one meter (370.85) and third in the three meter (361.30).

The Gustavus men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will compete in the MIAC Championships starting on Thursday at 10:30 am in the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis.

Complete Results

The Gusties were able to come away with seven individual top 10 finishes at the Challenge, as  Whitaker and Skylar Davis led the team with two top ten finishes.  Whitaker took seventh in the 400 IM (4:16.93), eighth in the 200 butterfly (2:03.75), and 11th in the 500 freestyle (4:46.15).  Skylar registered a ninth place finish in the 500 freestyle (4:42.05) and a 10th place finish in the 400 IM (4:21.18).

William Schultze had a good meet with a 14th place finish in the 200 IM (2:01.13), and a pair of 15th place finishes in the 100 (1:01.21) and 200 breaststroke (2:13.87).  Adam Rosell took 11th in the 1650 freestyle (17:41.21) and 13th in the 400 IM (4:26.15).  Paul Kirihara placed 11th in the 100 backstroke (54.79) and 12th in the 200 backstroke (2:01.07), as Zach Nachtsheim placed 10th in the 200 backstroke (1:59.50) and 12th in the 100 backstroke (54.85).

Other top individual performers included Craig Nordquist, Wes Jones, Kyle Johnsrud, Ross Elenkiwich, Lance Switzer, and Ben Stewart.  Nordquist placed ninth in the 400 IM (4:19.61), Jones finished ninth in the 1650 freestyle (17:31.94), Johnsrud tied Rosell for 11th in the 1650 freestyle (17:41.21), Elenkiwich took 10th in the 200 butterfly (2:04.26), Switzer finished 14th in the 100 freestyle (48.13), and Stewart took 14th in the 200 butterfly (2:07.04).

The Gustavus relay teams tallied eight top 10 finishes in the five relay events.  The top finish of the weekend went to the 800 free relay team of Skylar and Whitaker Davis, William Schultze, and Gunnar Teigen who took third place with a time of 7:11.90.   In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Teigen, Sam DeFranco, Peter Roth, and Lance Switzer took sixth with a time of 1:27.93.  The 200 and 400 medley relay teams of Paul Kirihara, Matt Van Fossen, Schultze, and Teigen finished seventh (1:38.94) and fifth (3:39.53), respectively.  Schultze, Whitaker, Skylar, and Stewart closed the meet with an eighth place finish in the 400 freestyle relay (3:17.98).

Complete Results

Whitaker Davis

The Gustavus men’s swimming and diving teams tallied eight first place finishes, yet could not hold off St. Thomas in a 155-146 dual meet loss on Friday night in St. Paul, Minn.  Whitaker Davis had a big night for the Gusties, as he won both the 200 butterfly (2:01.35) and 500 freestyle (4:45.70), and took second in the 100 freestyle (49.46).  Whitaker was also a member of the first place 400 freestyle relay team.  The Gustavus men’s team is now 2-4 on the season in head-to-head duals.

Other individual wins came from Skylar Davis, Ross Elenkiwich, Kyle Johnsrud, Paul Kirihara, and William Schultze.  Skylar Davis had a solid night with a win in the 200 IM (2:00.72), and second places finishes in the 200 (1:44.89) and 500 freestyle (4:45.76).  Elenkiwich won the 1000 free (10:06.60) and took third in the 200 butterfly.  Johnsrud took first in the mixed 500 freestyle (5:10.81) and third in the 1000 free.  Paul Kirihara contributed a win in the 100 backstroke (54.26) and a second place finish in the 200 backstroke (2:00.44).  William Schultze won the 200 breaststroke (2:14.38), placed second in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.42), and finished third in the 200 IM.

Second place Gustavus finishers included John Rice and Adam Rosell.  Rice took second in the 1000 freestyle (10:26.81), and Rosell placed second in the mixed 500 freestyle (5:17.36),  Taking third place at the meet was Sam DeFranco in the 50 freestyle, David Kramer in the 200 breaststroke, and Matt Van Fossen in the 100 butterfly.

The Gustavus 400 medley relay team of Whitaker, Skylar, Ben Stewart, and Lance Switzer took first with a time of 3:15.42, while the team of Elenkiwich, DeFranco Peter Roth, and Thomas Johnson finished third.  Kirihara, Schultze, Van Fossen and Stewart teamed up to take second in the 400 medley relay (3:40.13).

The Gustavus men’s swimming and diving team will take part in the Minnesota Challenge at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center in Minneapolis, Minn. on February 5-6.

Complete Results

Senior Skylar Davis had three first place finishes on the night

The Gustavus men’s swimming and diving team defeated Carleton 187-93 in a dual meet on Friday night in St. Peter, Minn.  Gustavus tallied 12 event wins and eight second place finishes in the meet.  Skylar Davis led the way with three first place finishes.  Skylar won the 200 (1:46.14) and 500 freestyle (4:48.39), and the 200 IM (2:02.26).

Paul Kirihara continued his backstroke success with wins in the 100 (54.77) and 200 (2:00.56).  William Schultze tallied two event wins and one second place finish.  Schultze won both the 100 (1:02.04) and 200 breaststroke (2:14.09), while taking second in the 200 IM (2:03.56).  Whitaker Davis had a solid day with a win in the 100 freestyle (49.09) and a second place finish in both the 200 (1:46.15) and 500 freestyle (4:54.95).  Other first place finishers included John Rice, Ross Elenkiwich, and Matt Van Fossen.  Rice won the 1000 freestyle (10:59.07) and took third in the 500 freestyle.  Van Fossen won the 100 butterfly (54.24) and finished third in the 200 IM.  Elenkiwich won the 200 butterfly (2:05.54) and finished second in the 1000 freestyle (10:30.75).

Seniors Kyle Johnsrud and Peter Roth were honored by teammates before the start of the meet

Gustavus filled the podium for most of the night as the top three finishes of David Kramer, Sam DeFranco, Andrew Michelson, Daved Najarian, Ben Stewart, and Gunnar Teigen provided valuable points for the Gusties.  Kramer placed second in both the 100 (1:04.41) and 200 breaststroke (2:21.98), DeFranco finished second in the 50 freestyle (22.87), Michelson took third in the 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke, Najarian placed third in the 100 freestyle, Stewart took third in the 1000 freestyle, and Teigen placed third in both the 100 and 200 backstroke.

The Gustavus 200 medley relay team of Kirihara, Schultze, Van Fossen, and DeFranco took first with a time of 1:38.91, as Drew Hedlund, Peter, Roth, Kramer, Stewart took third.  The 200 freestyle relay team of Whitaker, Roth, Stewart, and Teigen finished second (1:30.43), as Craig Nordquist, Najarian, Elenkiwich, and Hedlund placed third.

It was senior night in the Lund Natatorium as seven Gustavus seniors were honored for their dedication to the Gustavus men’s swimming and diving program over the past four years.  The Athletics Department would like to extend a sincere thank you to seniors Luke Paquin, Skylar Davis, Andrew Michelson, Ross Elenkiwich, Bill Klein, Peter Roth, and Kyle Johnsrud for their commitment and hard work.

The Gustavus men’s swimming and diving team will travel to UW-Stevens Point for a two-day swim meet next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 22-23.

Meet Results

Photo Gallery

Whitaker Davis had a solid day and contributed significant points by winning the 500 freestyle (4:49.20) and taking second in both the 200 freestyle (1:45.79) and 200 butterfly (2:03.63).  Skylar Davis tallied Gustavus’s other win by taking the 400 IM (4:18.72).  Other top Gustavus finishers included Andrew Michelson, William Schultze, and Matt Van Fossen.  Michelson took third in the 1000 free (10:56.51), Van Fossen finished third in the 100 butterfly (54.44), and Schultze placed third in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.71).

The 200 medley relay team of Kirihara, Schultze, Van Fossen and Sam DeFranco took third (1:39.85) while the 800 free relay team of Skylar, Whitaker, Shultze, and Gunnar Teigen took third (3:13.98).  The University of St. Thomas placed third (657 pts) in the meet while Saint John’s took fourth (364 pts).

The Gustavus swimming and diving team will be in action next on January 15, when it hosts Carleton College in a dual meet at 6:00 p.m. in the Lund Natatorium.

Meet Results

Meet Scores