St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were back in the pool to take part in the first scored home meet of the season on Saturday, Nov. 9. The Gustie men squared off in a dual against St. Cloud State University, while the women participated in a double dual against St. Cloud State and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The men’s squad cruised to a 193-96 win in its contest, while the women defeated both St. Cloud State (242-39) and Minnesota State (161.50-138.50) to complete the sweep.
“It was great to compete in our pool and I’m proud of the way both the men and women stepped up today,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson following the meet. “They have endured a tough early-season training regiment and we are beginning to see them do the little things a lot better. We brought a lot of energy to the deck, competed hard, and got better – that’s exactly what we’re looking for this early in the season.”
“Congratulations to senior Alissa Tinklenberg who today broke the 200 backstroke record at the Vic Gustafson Pool,” added Carlson. “Her hard work early on this year has certainly paid off and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us as the season wears on.”
Alissa Tinklenberg (Sr., Willmar, Minn.) recorded a pair of individual first place performances at today’s double dual. The senior swam a 2:08.22 to win the 200 backstroke and set the pool record. She also swam to a win in the 500 freestyle after posting a time of 5:17.94. Tinklenberg’s swim in the 200 back edged Carley Moser’s pool record of 2:09.12 set in 2010. It is the first individual pool record that Alissa claims ownership of in the Vic Gustafson Pool.
Jennifer Strom (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) provided the Gusties big points with three gold medal swims on the afternoon. Strom won the 1,000-free with a time of 11:00.00, and touched the wall first in both the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.05 and 200 breaststroke in 2:29.00.
Hayley Booher (Fy., Warren, Vt.) and Danielle Klunk (Jr., Appleton, Wis.) turned in Gustavus’s other individual event wins. Booher posted three finishes on the podium with a first place swim in the 200 IM with a time of 2:13.57, and second place performances in the 100 back (1:02.59) and 200 back (2:10.32). Klunk won the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:12.57,and also finished runner-up in the 100 butterfly in 59.85.
Other top female performers included Nicole Lohman (Fy., North Mankato, Minn.) Megan Tuttle (Jr., Deephaven, Minn.), and Katie Olson (Jr., North Oaks, Minn.). Lohman went second in the 50 free (25.71) and third in the 100 free (55.33), Tuttle placed second in the 1,000 free (11:22.32), and Olson finished second in the 100 free (55.09).
In the relays, the 200-free relay team comprised of Katie Olson, Nicole Lohman, Danielle Klunk, and Alissa Tinklenberg touched the wall in 1:38.54 to take first, while the 200-medley relay team of Tinklenberg, Jennifer Strom, Klunk, and Olson placed second in 1:49.47.
Heather Funai was the top Gustie diver, finishing second in the one-meter, six-dive (206.9) and third in the three-meter (184.05).
The Gustavus men’s swimmers posted a total of 14 event wins on its way to a victory over the Huskies.
Zac Solis (Jr., Centennial, Colo.) stole with show with three first place finishes. Solis won the 200 free with a time of 1:47.73, 500 free with a time of 4:55.95, and 200 IM with a time of 2:05.00.
Dante Colucci (So., Summit, N.J.) and Jacob Stern (So., Rosemount, Minn.) both provided the Gusties with a pair of gold medal swims. Colucci dominated the breaststroke races with wins in the 100 (55.84) and 200 (2:04.19), while Stern took care of business in the breaststroke events with victories in the 100 (1:02.40) and 200 (2:17.83).
Other Gusties adding individual event wins to Gustavus’s team score included Matt Kuckler (Fr., St. Paul, Minn.), Ross Larson (Jr., Brookings, S.D.), Jeff Nelson (So., Elk River, Minn.), and Ben Miller (So., Des Moines, Iowa). Kuckler won the 1,000 free (10:40.52), Larson won the 200 fly (2:15.02), Nelson won the 100 free (49.47), and Miller took the 100 fly (55.99).
The 200-medley relay team consisting of Colucci, Stern, Larson, and Payne came in first with a time of 1:40.66, while the 200-free relay team of Nelson, Colucci, Sam Olson-Anstett (Sr., Shoreview, Minn.), and Tommy Paine (So., Montevideo, Minn.) won its race with a time of 1:30.02.
The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will now gear up for what will be another busy weekend. The Gusties will kick off next weekend with a dual against conference rival St. Olaf on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the Vic Gustafson Pool. The Gusties will then travel to Sioux City, Iowa to take part in the Morningside Invitational set to take place on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1:00 p.m.
“St. Olaf is as strong as ever so it should be an entertaining meet on Friday. We are looking forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get back in the pool against some MIAC competition,” concluded Carlson.