A total of 11 (9 women, 2 men) Gustavus swimmers qualified for the 2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Monday afternoon. Representing the women’s team will be Jonna Berry, Serena Elthon, Carrie Gundersen, Anika Erickson, Sarah Hund, Steph Korba, Carley Mosher, Dajana Vidovic, and Maggie Hansvick. Skylar and Whitaker Davis will represent the men’s squad. The NCAA Championships will take place on March 17-20, in the Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Seven of the nine Gustavus women swimmers will be new to the NCAA Championships, as Carrie Gundersen will be making her third appearance, and Anika Erickson returns for the second time of her career. Gundersen will compete in the 200, 500, and 1650 freestyle races at the NCAA Championships. She took first place in the 500 freestyle at the conference meet and ranks seventh with a time of 4:57.01 heading into the event. Gunderson was also MIAC Champion in the 1650 freestyle, and ranks 14th nationally with a time of 17:19.04. She has the 13th fastest time in the 200 freestyle at 1:52.49. Carrie received All-American Honorable Mention honors at the 2009 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Anika Erickson will compete in the 200 breaststroke, entering ranked 11th with a time of 2:22.05. Erickson qualified for the NCAA Championships last season in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and 50 freestyle, receiving All-American Honorable Mention honors in the 200 breaststroke. Erickson was the MIAC Champion in the 200 breaststroke this season.
Newcomer Carley Mosher is the final Gustavus female swimmer who will compete in individual swims. Mosher will swim the 100 and 200 backstroke at the NCAA Championships, entering the meet ranked fourth in the 100 back (56.89), and second in the 200 back (2:01.79). At the 2010 MIAC Championships, Mosher won the 200 backstroke, while taking second in the 100 backstroke.
All five Gustavus women’s relay teams will be competing in the 2010 NCAA Championships. The 200 medley relay team of Mosher, Hansvick, Korba, and Hund ranks sixth (1:45.72), while the 200 free relay team of Vidovic, Elthon, Berry, and Hund ranks seventh (1:35.33). The 800 free relay team of Mosher, Gundersen, Berry, and Vidovic also ranks in the top ten with the eighth fastest time of 7:39.41, as the 400 free relay team consisting of Vidovic, Berry, Hund, and Gundersen ranks 10th with a time of 3:30.36. Mosher, Erickson, Korba, and Vidovic will swim the 400 free relay, entering the NCAA Championships ranked 12th (3:53.49).
On the men’s side, neither Skylar nor Whitaker are strangers to the NCAA Championships. Skylar will be making his fourth appearance, qualifying in the 500, and 1650 freestyle races. It is the fourth time in his career that he has qualified for the NCAA Championships in both 500 and 1650 freestyle races. Skylar ranks fourth in the 1650 freestyle (15:48.27), and eighth in the 500 freestyle (4:31.09). Skylar is a three-time All-American, earning honors in 2007 (6th 1650 free), 2008 (7th 1650 free), and 2009 (8th 1650 free).
Whitaker qualified for the 2010 NCAA Championships in the 200, 500, and 1650 freestyle. He enters the meet ranked seventh in the 500 freestyle (4:30.73), eighth in the 1650 freestyle (15:55.22), and 19th in the 200 freestyle (1:41.41). Whitaker qualified for the NCAA Championships in all three events the previous two seasons in 2008 and 2009, receiving All-American Honorable Mention honors in the 1650 freestyle both seasons.
2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Website
