The Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team competed in the two-day Minnesota Challenge held in the Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota on Friday and Saturday. No team scores were kept, as it was the Gusties final swim meet before competition at the MIAC Championships held on February 18-20 in the U of M Aquatics Center.
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).