The Gustavus men’s and women’s swimming teams made their final day at the NCAA Championships one to remember. For the men, Skylar and Whitaker Davis finished 8th and 11th respectively in the 1650 freestyle. For the women, Carrie Gundersen placed 9th in the 1650 freestyle and Anika Erickson finished 16th in the 200 breaststroke. The Gustie men finished 15th with 71 points, while the women placed 35th with 17 points. Kenyon University claimed both the men’s and women’s team titles.
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.