ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s and women’s swimming & diving squads are set to begin the 2016-17 campaign this Saturday as they host the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Minnesota State, Mankato at Vic Gustafson Pool.
The meet is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start for men and women.
Jon Carlson enters his 27th season as the head coach of the Gustavus Adolphus College men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams for the 2016-17 season.
Last season the Gustie men earned a fourth place finish at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, while the women’s six-year first place title run was ended as they were edged out by the University of St. Thomas to finish in second.
On the men’s side, the Gusties look to push past the middle of the pack. They return 25 players from last season, inclduing Tanner Sonnek (So., North Mankato, Minn.) who is set to defend his MIAC title in the 200-yard breaststroke. The men also welcome nine first-years to the squad.
“I think a lot of the swimmers came back in better shape and motivated to try to do something together as a group,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson about the men. “They’re pretty excited to see what happens because we brought in some good freshman and the attitude of the team is good. I think we are starting to realize that this could be a really special season if we come together as a team and have a single focus as a group.”
The women hope to return to the top again with solid talent returning to the squad. Kate Reilly (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) returns as the two-time reigning champ in the 100-yard butterfly and was last year’s 100-yard freestyle champion. Hayley Booher (Sr., Warren, Vt.) looks to grab her fourth-straight 400-yard individual medley championship as well as her third-straight 100-yard individual medley title. Linnea Rizzo (So., Woodbury, Minn.) is also back after winning the mile in her MIAC Championships debut last season. The Gusties welcome back 21 individuals from last year’s team and have nine incoming first-years.
“I think the team came back motivated and focused on improving,” Carlson spoke of the women. “What we need to do is figure out how each person’s individual goals fit together to accomplish a team goal. That is still coming but once we get some meets under our belt, I think it will become clear that they are a pretty strong team and it should be an exciting season.”
In September, CollegeSwimming.com announced its 2016-17 Division III Preseason All-America selections this week and Kate Reilly was named to the All-America team in the 50 freestyle. Selections were based on the times of both returning and incoming swimmers with input from coaches and sports information contacts.
The Gustie women also cracked the national preseason polls, ranking No. 22 in the first College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division III Coach’s Poll. The October 26 poll featured Gustavus as the sole representatives of the MIAC in the top-25 rankings.
Additionally, Gustavus is ranked No. 7 of 10 in the Central Region Rankings. Kenyon College and Denison University sit at the top of the Central Region. Rankings are compiled by CSCAA-member coaches and are released on a monthly basis. The next polls are scheduled for release on November 16.
“We are just excited to finally swim a meet,” Carlson commented. “We have been practicing since September 26 so it’s nice to finally get going with our season and finally get to race somebody else besides each other. As a group we are realizing there are some great things that we can accomplish. It will be nice to have some racing this weekend to help reinforce that.”