Led by an eighth place finish by the 200 freestyle relay, the Gustavus men’s swimming and diving team finds itself in tenth place following the first day of the 2006 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The Gusties have accumulated 44.5 points through six events. Kenyon has a commanding lead over the field, posting 158 points on day one.
The team of Brian Amundson (Jr., Blaine, Minn.), Clement Auyeung (Fr., North Mankato, Minn.), Tyler Wakefield (Fr., Hutchinson, Minn.) and Scott Hagemeyer (Jr., Willmar, Minn.) posted a time of school-record time of 1:22.75 in morning qualifying to reach Thursday night’s championship time with the fifth-best time, but the Gusties were unable to repeat the performance during the evening session, placing eighth in the heat with a time of 1:23.47. Kenyon took the victory from lane seven with a time of 1:21.68 after qualifying one place behind Gustavus.
Sophomore Ben Hanson (Minnetonka, Minn.) and freshman Matt Stewart (Burnsville, Minn.) took to the pool next for the 500 freestyle. Hanson had posted one of the nation’s top times in the event, but a slow qualifying heat relegated the MIAC’s two-time defending Swimmer of the Year to the consolation final. Stewart joined Hanson in the B-final, outtouching his teammate at the wall for an 11th place finish overall. Stewart stopped the clock in 4:34.34, while Hanson was next best with a 4:34.73 clocking.
In the 50 freestyle, Hagemeyer posted a time of 21.25 to finish in a 15th-place tie with Grove City College’s Ben Haring. In the prelims, Hagemeyer, Amundson and Hartwick’s Dan Holmberg each registered a time of 20.92 seconds to finish in a three-way tie for 15th place. Holmberg won the ensuing swim-off, with Hagemeyer finishing second to leave Amundson out of the consolation final. Connor Ziegler (So., Sauk Rapids, Minn.) finished with a 56th-place time of 22.12 seconds, while Jeff Pearson (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) finished 62nd with a time of 22.78 seconds.
The 400 medley relay team of Hagemeyer, Hanson, Ziegler and Amundson closed out the evening with a 12th-place finish in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:30.54. The team qualified for the B-final after posting a qualifying time of 3:31.06.
The Gusties will compete in five events on Friday and five more on Saturday before the NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships come to an end.
2006 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships website
Complete Day One Results
Day One Team Standings
Live Results