Shenandoah, Texas – The Gustavus Adolphus women’s swimming and diving team will have a pair of relays competing in Thursday night’s finals at the NCAA Championships thanks to their swims this morning at the Conroe ISD Natatorium. The 200-free relay kicked off the day’s schedule by earning a place in the championship final, while the 400-medley relay will be swimming in the consolation final.
“This morning was a little up and down with its fair share of highs and lows,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson. “What is really going to matter isn’t so much how this session went, but how this group responds to how it went. At this level it all comes down to how well you respond to adversity and that is the challenge for this group as we move forward.”
The 200-free relay featuring Kate Reilly (Fy., Hastings, Minn.), Michelle Campeau (Fy., Rochester, Minn.), Danielle Klunk (Sr., Appleton, Wis.), and Katie Olson (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) got Gustavus off to a hot start with an eighth place finish after touching the wall in 1:34.53. The group went into the morning with a qualifying time of 1:34.80.
“I thought the 200-free relay swam a solid race and got us off to a solid start,” commented Carlson. “What’s exciting is that there are elements we can clean up and still go faster tonight. The swimmers know the tweaks they need to make and are anxious to improve under the bright lights this evening.”
Following the initial relay, Jenny Strom (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) and Hayley Booher (So., Warren, Vt.) both swam in the 400 IM. Strom finished 21st with a time of 4:31.91, and Booher took 27th with a time of 4:37.90.
Reilly followed up with a 28th place effort in the 100 butterfly after going 57.12, and Campeau followed her rookie teammate with a 42nd place showing in the 200 free in 1:58.49.
The morning was capped off by the 10th place finish of the 400-medley relay. Booher, Strom, Reilly, and Olson recorded a time of 3:50.69 to earn a spot in the consolation final.
“It wasn’t a perfect race but I once again have no doubt in our ability to go faster tonight,” Carlson said about the 400-medley relay. “We made mistakes but those mistakes are correctable. This group has been coachable all year long. They have each other’s back and I am excited to see what they can do.”
The two Gustie relays will compete in tonight’s finals beginning at 6:00 p.m.