The Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team took home its fourth MIAC Title in five years by the winning the 2011 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championship on Saturday, Feb. 19 in the Aquatics Center located on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The Gusties compiled a three-day total of 792 points, holding off St. Olaf (668 pts) and Carleton (484 pts) who finished in second and third place, respectively. It was Head Coach Jon Carlson’s fifth MIAC Championship of his tenure at Gustavus.
The Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team registered nine NCAA B cuts and two NCAA automatic qualifying times at the conference meet. The Gusties broke two meet records and one MIAC record. Jon Carlson’s squad earned turned in 21 All-Conference performances, as 11 swimmers were honored as All-MIAC. The Gusties recorded six event wins, as Kelsey Lucia (100 free), Alissa Tinklenberg (1650 free), and Steph Korba (100 butterfly) each became MIAC Champion in their respective event.
All-Conference performers included Kelsey Lucia (St. Cloud, Minn.), Serena Elthon (Faribault, Minn.), Dajana Vidovic (Coleraine, Minn.), Sarah Hund (Willmar, Minn.), Alissa Tinklenberg (Willmar, Minn.), Carley Mosher (Great Falls, Mont.), Laura Drake (Mendota Heights, Minn.), Steph Korba (Lakeville, Minn.), Marnie Luke (Stillwater, Minn.), Anika Erickson (Milaca, Minn.), and Brogan Barr (Pueblo West, Colo.).
Kelsey Lucia had a record setting day in the first conference meet of her career, breaking the Gustavus record in both the 50 and 100 freestyle. Lucia won the 50 free with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 23.30, breaking Beth DeLaRosby’s 2004 school record of 23.31 in the process. Lucia also placed second in the 100 free, making the NCAA B cut with a school record time of 51.57, which also bested DeLaRosby’s standard of 52.22.
Steph Korba took home All-Conference honors in both butterfly events, winning the 100 and placing second in the 200. Korba’s time of 57.98 in the 100 fly made the NCAA B cut, while her time of 2:09.97 (NCAA B) in the 200 topped her own school record of 2:10.49 from last season.
Alissa Tinklenberg also made a splash in her first conference meet. Tinklenberg became MIAC Champion in the 1650 free after touching the wall in 17:42.73. She also finished runner-up in the 500 free with a time of 5:07.08.
Carley Mosher and Dajana Vidovic each provided three All-Conference performances for the Gusties. Mosher came in second in two races and added a third in another. She finished second in the 100 and 200 backstroke with NCAA B cut times of 58.05 and 2:04.40, respectively. Mosher added a third in the 500 free, touching the wall in 5:08.81.
Dajana Vidovic swam to third place finishes in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle races. She swam a 23.90 in the 50, a 52.31 in the 100 (NCAAB), and a 1:53.98 (NCAA B) in the 200.
Other All-MIAC performances at the meet came from Anika Erickson, Marnie Luke, Brogan Barr, and Laura Drake. Erickson went 1:06.78 in the 100 breastroke to place second, while Luke also finished second after swimming a 4:37.25 in the 400 IM. Luke broke her own school record of 4:37.33 from 2010 in the event. Barr and Drake both placed third; Barr in the 1650 free (17:5.06), and Drake in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.85).
Rookies Kelsey Lucia, Alissa Tinklenberg, and Laura Drake all broke Gustavus first-year records at the meet. Lucia in the 50 and 100 free, Tinklenberg in the 200 and 500 free, and Drake in the 200 breaststroke.
The Gustavus relay teams had an outstanding meet, winning three of the five events and taking second in the other two. The 200-free relay team of Lucia, Serena Elthon, Vidovic, and Sarah Hund provided the top relay performance, setting a new standard for the MIAC, meet, and school with an NCAA A cut time of 1:33.66. The former school record in the 200-free relay was 1:34.00 and was set in 2005.
The first place 400-free relay squad of Hund, Tinklenberg, Vidovic, and Lucia turned in a meet and school (3:30.34) record time of 3:29.21 (NCAA B). The 200-medley relay tallied the other win, as Mosher, Drake, Korba, and Lucia won with an NCAA B cut time of 1:45.95.
The 800-free and 400-medley relays both finished runner up. Mosher, Hund, Tinklenberg, and Vidovic touched the wall in 7:43.24 (NCAA B) in the 800, while Mosher, Drake, Korba, and Lucia went 3:54.75 in the 400.
Qualifying members of the Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team will compete at the NCAA Championships on March 23-26, in the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Selections to the National Championships will be made official March 8.