The Gustavus Adolphus College men’s swimming and diving team had seven swimmers earn All-America honors at the 2005 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. The championships took place March 17-19 at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. The swimmers include Brian Amundson (Sophomore, Blaine, Minn.), Evan Christianson (Senior, Hutchinson, Minn.), Scott Hagemeyer (Sophomore, Willmar, Minn.), Brad Hammer (Junior, Rock Island, Ill.), Ben Hanson (Freshman, Minnetonka, Minn.), Greg Pokorski (Freshman, Rochester, Minn.) and Will Sutor (Senior, Fergus Falls, Minn.).
Coach Jon Carlson’s squad earned All-America honors in all five-relay events by placing in the top eight. Only two other schools (Kenyon and Emory) achieved this at this year’s national championships. Individually, the Gusties had one individual earn All-America honors and three individuals earn honorable mention All-America honors.
The 200 freestyle relay team just missed capturing the program’s first ever national title and earned All-America honors. The team of Scott Hagemeyer, Brian Amundson, Will Sutor and Evan Christianson finished second, just two-tenths of a second behind first place Kenyon. The Gusties posted a time of 1:22.95, while Kenyon won the title with a time of 1:22.75. The same relay team earned All-America honors in the 400 freestyle relay. The team placed third with a time of 3:04.09, setting a new school record.
The 400 medley relay team placed seventh with a time of 3:27.03 to earn All-America honors. The team consisted of Hagemeyer, Brad Hammer, Sutor and Amundson. The same team earned All-America honors in the 200 medley relay with a school record time of 1:32.66, placing them fourth overall. Gustavus also earned All-America honors in the 800 freestyle relay. The team of Sutor, Greg Pokorski, Amundson and Ben Hanson placed eighth with a time of 6:53.68.
Will Sutor was the lone individual earning All-America honors for Gustavus. Sutor set a school record in the 100 butterfly in the prelims with a time of 49.35, which seeded him second for the final. The senior was just two-tenths of a second off his qualifying time (49.55) to place second overall in the final to earn All-America honors.
Ben Hanson, Brian Amundson and Scott Hagemeyer earned honorable mention All-America honors by placing in the top sixteen of their event. Amundson earned honorable mention honors in the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. The sophomore placed tenth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 21.21 and 13th in the 100 freestyle with a time of 46.52.
Hanson earned honorabe mention honors in the 500 freestyle and the 1650 freestyle. The freshman placed 13th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:39.52 and 16th in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 16:09.02.
Scott Hagemeyer earned honorable mention honors in the 100 backstroke. The sophomore placed 16th in the backstroke with a time of 51.93.
The Gusties recorded 176 points to place seventh out of 56 teams at the national meet. The seventh place finish is the highest finish in school history at the national championships. Gustavus’ 176 points set a new school record for most team points at the national meet. In February, the Gusties claimed their fourth consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Title and 18th in school history. Gustavus recorded 876 points to finish 56 points ahead of second place St. Olaf College.