Minneapolis – Facing a contingency of Division I and III competition, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams had a strong showing at the 2013 Jean Freeman Invitational being held on Friday and Saturday in the Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Teams competing in the meet include Augsburg College, Carleton College, Hamline University, Minnesota, South Dakota State University, Saint John’s University, St. Olaf College, and the University St. Thomas.
“It was great to get back in the pool and compete one last time in 2013,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson. “The team has been so coachable and has trained so hard through the opening half of the year. This was a chance to gain a little momentum heading into the holiday break and I thought we took advantage of that with a solid showing against some tough compeittion.”
Alissa Tinklenberg (Sr., Willmar, Minn.) was Gustavus’s top individual swimmer of the day with a first and second place performance. Tinklenberg touched the wall in 2:01.21 to win the 200 backstroke, and recorded a time of 5:01.29 to place second in the 500 freestyle. Her victory in the 200 back came over the University of Minnesota’s Jessica Plant who she beat by over two seconds.
Katie Olson (Jr., North Oaks, Minn.) also recorded a pair of finishes on the podium. Olson took third in both the 50 free with a time of 23.99 and 200 free with a time of 1:55.55.
Jennifer Strom (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) scored a top three finish by taking third in the 100 breaststroke after posting a time of 1:05.56. She also added a fourth place finish in the 500 free in 5:04.37. Hayley Booher (Fy., Warren, Vt.) added a pair of fifth place marks by going 2:09.80 in the 200 IM and 2:06.80 in the 200 backstroke.
Rounding out the women’s team’s top finishers was Laura Drake (Sr., Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Danielle Klunk (Jr., Appleton, Wis.). Drake placed fourth in the 100 breastroke in 1:07.59, and Klunk took fifth in the 200 butterfly in 2:10.84.
The women’s 200-free relay team comprised of Tinklenberg, Klunk, Tarin Anding (So., Sartell, Minn.), and Olson came in third place with a time of 1:31.22, while the 400-medley relay of Tinklenberg, Strom, Klunk, and Olson also placed third with a time of 3:51.84.
Leading the way on the men’s side was Zac Solis (Jr., Centennial, Colo.), Jeff Nelson (So., Maple Grove, Minn.), Dante Colucci (So., Summit, N.J.), and Jacob Stern (So., Rosemount, Minn.). Solis had the top finish of Friday by taking eighth in the 500 free after touching up in 4:45.93. Nelson finished ninth in the 200 free (1:47.94), Colucci placed 10th in the 200 back (1:57.75), and Stern came in 10th in the 100 breaststroke (59.89).
The Jean Freeman Invitational will come to an end on to Saturday, Dec. 7 with preliminaries beginning at 11:00 a.m. and final heats starting at 7:00 p.m.