St. Peter, Minn. – Despite only being in the pool a handful of times over the month of November, sophomore swimmer Jennifer Strom’s (Rochester, Minn.) start to the month was certainly one that merited recognition. Over her first two meets of the season, Strom did not lose an individual race with six straight victories, earning the distinction of November Female Student-Athlete of the Month for her efforts.
“Jennifer’s great start was a reflection of the hard work she put in during the off-season,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson. “She’s a driven competitor who has set herself up for an impressive season after such a fantastic beginning to the year.”
At the season-opening dual against St. Olaf on Nov. 9 in Northfield, Strom recorded three first place finishes and also was a member of a second place relay team. The sophomore stole the show by winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.35, the 200 breaststroke in 2:24.81, and the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:13.13. She also swam the second leg of the 200-medley relay, which took second with a time of 1:49.37.
A week later at the Saint John’s/Saint Ben’s Mini Invite held Nov. 17 in Collegeville, Strom led the Gusties to a first place finish in which the team tallied 1,870 points. The Rochester product stayed perfect in her second outing of the season, recording three more victories at the meet. Strom took the top spot on the podium in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:20.90, 1,000 free with a time of 11:01.32, and the 400 IM with a time of 4:46.12. She rounded out the meet by helping the Gustavus 200-medley relay (1:50.97) and 400-freestyle relay (3:43.28) capture first-place finishes as well.
Following her performance at Saint John’s, Jennifer was named the MIAC Women’s Swimming and Diving Athlete-of-the-Week, the first Gustie to receive the honor this season.
With the 2012 calendar year in the books, Strom enters 2013 with a top five time in the MIAC in six separate races. She holds the top marks in both the 100 (1:06.35) and 200 breaststroke (2:24.09), ranks second in both the 200 (2:13.13) and 400 IM (4:42.81), ranks third in the 1,000 free (11:01.32), and is fifth in the 200 butterfly (2:18.85).
The Gustavus swimming and diving teams will be back in the pool on Jan. 11, 2013, when they travel to Northfield, Minn. to take on Carleton in a dual beginning at 5:00 p.m.