NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s swimming and diving squad competed in a dual meet Friday evening at Carleton College and escaped with a 189-109 victory.
“The men swam great tonight,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson. “They swam like a team on a mission. Last year we lost to Carleton by over 80 points so they’re pretty excited that they were able to come out on top by such a large margin.”
As a team the Gusties earned 11 top finishes including several runner-ups. Gustavus was highlighted by Tanner Sonnek’s (So., North Mankato, Minn.) three individual first place finishes as he continues to lead the Black and Gold this season. Sonnek earned the top crown in the 100-yard breaststroke (57.77), 200-yard breaststroke (2:06.05), and the 200-yard individual medley (2:01.15). His 200-yard breaststroke time was good for a Thorpe Pool record.
“Tanner’s 200-yard breaststroke was absolutely awesome to watch and it kind of typified everybody’s swimming tonight,” Carlson commented.
Matt Allison (Fy., Grand Rapids, Minn.) also had a strong performance, earning two top times. Allison placed first in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.13. Will Clark (Fy., Northfield, Minn.) was right behind, finishing at 22.61. Next, Allison held the top crown in the 100-yard freestyle, turning a time of 48.66. He also had a runner-up finish in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:49.22.
Two more first place swimming finishes came from Frankie Zobitz (So., White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Ryan Sklar (Lake Oswego, Ore.). Zobitz was first in the 100-yard backstroke at 56.95 while Sklar finished at 2:03.31 in the 200-yard butterfly.
In diving events, Gustavus saw two top crowns. Josh Theis (Fy., Henderson, Minn.) owned a finals score of 221.50 in one-meter diving and Carson Scholberg (So., Apple Valley, Minn.) posted a score of 245.65 in three-meter diving.
Additionally, the Gusties grabbed another two top finishes in relays. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Allison, Clark, Adam Peters (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.), and Micah Bergstrom (Jr., Ewing, N.J.) came in at 1:29.20 to place first. The 200-yard medley relay team of Peters, Sklar, Sonnek, and Zach Olson (Huron, S.D.) were also top finishers with a time of 1:39.26.
The Gusties return to action next Friday as they host Hamline University at Vic Gustafson Pool. Events are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.