Releases courtesy of Matt Higgins, MIAC Assistant Executive Director
PESIK
The Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team and standout first-year swimmer Haley Pesik (Eagan, Minn.) had a busy – and very successful – week in front of the team’s home fans in St. Peter, Minn. The Gusties hosted both the Gustie Sprint Invite and the Grace Goblirsch Invite, with Pesik turning in eight total top-four finishes, including three impressive victories. For her performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Pesik Tuesday with the MIAC Women’s Swimming & Diving Athlete-of-the-Week award.
Friday, Pesik had a hand in a trio of top-three finishes at the Sprint Invite, as she helped Gustavus win the 500-free (4:50.42), finish second in the 200-breast (2:11.35) and third in the 200-medley (1:55.58). She was even better a day later while leading the team to a second-place finish at the Grace Goblirsch Invite. She won both the 1,650-freestyle (18:44.24) and the 200-freestyle (2:00.90) and finished fourth in the 200-breast (2:35.32). She also helped the 400-free relay team finish third 93:50.43) and the 200-medley relay team come in fourth (1:54.07). This season, Pesik has the MIAC’s third-best time in the mile, the eighth-best time in the 200-free and the ninth-best time in the 500-free.
SONNEK
The Gustavus men’s swimming diving team had a busy and successful week, with a second-place finish in front of its home fans at the Grace Goblirsch Invite, and the team also hosted the Gustie Sprint Invite. Rookie swimmer Tanner Sonnek (North Mankato, Minn.) led the way with a pair of top two individual finishes, and a pair of top two relay swims as well. For his performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Sonnek Monday with the MIAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Athlete-of-the-Week award.
Sonnek helped the Gusties to their second-place finish at the Goblirsch Invite with a big individual victory in the 100-yard breaststroke. He finished the race in 59.70 to earn the win, and he also helped the 200-yard medley relay team finish second with a time of 1:39.88. Sonnek also was fifth in the 100-fly and the 200-free relay, and seventh in the 100-free. At the Sprint Invite, he helped the 200-breast relay team finish second with a time of 1:52.52, and he helped the 400-yard medley relay team also finish second with a time of 3:46.36. This season, Sonnek has the MIAC’s top time in the 200-breast, and the third-best in the 100-breast.
The Gusties will take this weekend off to prepare for a big opportunity to open December. Gustavus will swim at the University of Minnesota’s Jean Freeman Invite, which will be held at the U of M’s Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Dec. 4-5. After that, Gustavus will take a break from competition for finals and the holidays before embarking for Mesa, Ariz., for the team’s winter training trip on Dec. 27.