(photo courtesy of Angie Peters)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – For the second consecutive year, the Gustavus men’s swim & dive team is the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion. The men accumulated 946 points over the four-day event. St. Thomas took second with 739 points. The Gustie women finished in third with 626.5 points. St Kate’s won the meet with 700.5 points and St. Thomas took second at 664.
“We knew St. Thomas was coming after us and it was a battle all weekend,” Head Coach Jon Carlson said of the men. “The guys stepped up time and time again. The women hung around all week with two powerhouse teams and that was truly inspiring. There were so many unbelievable swims and I was moved by how hard they swam.”
Jon Carlson and Nolan Larson. (photo courtesy of Angie Peters)
Nolan Larson (Jr., West Des Moines, Iowa) shared Male Swimmer of the Year with St. Olaf’s John Loepfe, Logan Bican (Sr., Monticello) shared MIAC Diver of the Year with Jack Grabinski of Saint John’s, and Carlson earned Men’s Coach of the Year.
“Nolan Larson certainly earned MIAC Swimmer of the Meet,” Carlson said. “His 200 fly was one of the best swims I’ve ever seen. Then to turn around and break the 400 free relay record was amazing. I never thought that was going to get broken because those guys were some of the best swimmers this program has ever seen.”
The Gustie men swept the podium in the 100 free, taking first, second, and third. Matt Allison (Jr., Grand Rapids) won the event in 45.53, followed by Dutch Franko-Dynes (So., Minneapolis) in 46.12 and Andrew Becker (Fy., Northfield) in 46.49. The 200 butterfly featured a one-two finish by the Gusties with Larson clocking a 2019 selection and school record time of 1:49.12, followed by Josh Muntifering (Jr., Buffalo) touching the wall in 1:51.49.
The 400 free relay team closed out the meet by setting a MIAC, school, and meet record. Larson, Franko-Dynes, Becker, and Allison clocked a 2019 selection time of 3:00.94, breaking a 13-year old record.
Three more All-Conference performances were captured with second place finishes – Callen Zemek (Fy., Victoria) in the 1650 free with an NCAA B qualifying time of 15:48.08, Muntifering in the 200 back with a time of 1:50.54, and Farrque Hussein (So., Fridley) in the 200 breaststroke at 2:05.63.
Ellen Hofstede (Fy., Hopkins) highlighted the Gustie women on Saturday night’s final session by winning the 100 free with a 2019 selection time of 51.08, which also set a school record.
The 400 free relay team of Alyssa Kohorst (Sr., Sauk Centre), Alyssa Lokensgard (Sr., Saint Peter), Amelia Bjorklund (Jr., Bloomington), and Hofstede finished third in 3:30.78.
Allie Mayfield (Sr., Two Harbors) took fourth in the 1650 free in 17:48.75, Hailey Auran (Jr., Saint Paul) placed fifth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:23.61, and Annika Johns (Fy., Stillwater) finished eighth in the 200 back in 2:09.46.
Now the Gusties will wait to see which individuals are selected to compete in the NCAA Championships.