Facing a slew of Midwest competitors from across NCAA Divisions II and III, the Gustavus women’s swimming and diving didn’t back down, recording a total of 1,247.5 points to win the 11-team Grinnell Invitational over the weekend. The University of Nebraska-Omaha placed second with 980.5 points, while Luther College took third with 545 points. The Grinnell Invite was held in the Russell K. Osgood Pool on Friday and Saturday.
Alissa Tinklenberg stole the show with four individual wins at the meet. Tinklenberg swam her way to first place finishes in the 500 freestyle in 3:10.75, 100 backstroke in 59.81, 200 freestyle in 1:57.70, and 200 backstroke in 2:08.09. Tinklenberg was also a member of four first place relay teams at the meet.
Also taking gold was Steph Korba and Melissa Aune. Korba swam a 2:16.51 to take first in the 200 butterfly while also adding a third place finish in the 100 butterfly (1:01.31). Aune was the first to touch the wall in the 1650 free, recording a time of 18:25.72.
Top Gustie swimmers also included Katie Olson, Abby Lyle and Jennifer Strom, all of whom made the podium in their respective races. Olson tallied two second place marks in the 200 IM (2:15.83) and 100 free (54.01), while Lyle notched a second place finish in the 400 IM (4:52.44). Strom earned the Gusties big points with four finishes in the top-three. Her top swims included a runner-up finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.75) and second place swims in the 200 IM (2:28.02), 400 IM (4:52.44) and 200 breaststroke (2:28.71).
The Gustavus relays also made their mark in Grinnell, totaling three wins and a second place finish. The 200-free relay of Kelsey Lucia, Serena Elthon, Sarah Hund, and Olson won in 1:39.80. Olson, Strom, Abby Lyle, and Tinklenberg teamed up to take the 800-free relay with a time of 8:06.18. Tinklenberg, Strom, Korba, and Lucia won the 400-medley relay in 4:03.91, and Tinklenberg, Strom, Korba, and Lucia swam a 1:50.86 to capture the 200-medley relay. Rounding out the meet was Lucia, Elthon, Olson, and Tinklenberg placing second in the 400-free relay (3:39.17).
The Gustavus swimming and diving teams will be back in the pool on Friday, Jan. 27 when they travel to St. Paul to take on the University of St. Thomas at 5:00 p.m.