Minneapolis – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams took part in the Jean Freeman Invitational held over the weekend at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. Against some of the strongest completion made up of NCAA Division I, II, and III swimmers, several Gusties stood out at the two-day meet.
For the men’s team, Zac Solis (Sr., Centennial, Colo.) led the way by earning a spot in the finals in three different events. Solis finished fifth in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 16:52.56, and seventh in both the 200 free in 1:46.76 and 500 free in 4:43.70. The senior also added a 13th place finish in the 400 individual medley (4:23.70).
A pair of members of the women’s team earned a place in the finals and eventually recorded three top eight finishes within their respective events. Jenny Strom (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) posted one of Gustavus’s two finishes on the podium by taking third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.56. Strom also swam a 2:21.07 to take seventh in the 200 breaststroke, a 4:36.33 to take eighth in the 400 IM, and a 5:07.10 to come in ninth in the 500 free. Katie Olson (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) flexed her muscle in the freestyle sprints, contributing the team’s other podium finish in the 50 free with a time of 24.14. She also went sixth in the 100 free in 51.78, eighth in the 200 free in 1;55.94, and 13th in the 100 butterfly in 59.50.
Rounding out the Black and Gold’s top performers was Danielle Klunk (Sr., Appleton, Wis.) and Kate Reilly (Fy., Hastings, Minn.). Klunk took seventh in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:11.98, and added a 10th place mark in the 100 butterfly (57.95) and a 12th place finish in the 200 IM (2:09.28). Reilly touched the wall in 24.04 to place fifth in the 50 free and 58.97 to take seventh in the 100 butterfly.
This weekend’s Jean Freeman Invite signified the end of the 2014 portion of the Gustavus swimming & diving team’s schedule. The Gusties will go on their Puerto Rico Training Trip Dec. 27 through Jan. 4 before returning to the waters of Minnesota for a dual at Carleton College beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 9.