St. Peter, Minn. – After missing the podium by 37.5 points last season in the third place finish with a score of 498.5, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s swimming and diving team enters the 2015 MIAC Championships gunning for a return to the top three.
“A return to the top three is something that the men are striving for, but Saint John’s and Carleton are both very strong this season and will be hard to catch,” said Head Coach Jon Carlson. “It’s a good goal for us to shoot for and the team has put the work in during the weeks leading up to the conference meet. I feel good about where we are at and the guys are pumped up to get in the pool and compete.”
As has been the case the past several seasons, Gustavus will rely on Zac Solis (Sr., Centennial, Colo.) to set the pace this weekend. Solis, the 2014 MIAC Champion in the 500 freestyle and runner-up in both the 200 and 1,650 free, will once again look to score big points in the same three events.
“Zac has been focused on making the most of his last season since well before the year,” Carlson said about his standout senior. “He’s committed whole-heartedly to his training and has been a terrific captain and leader. I’m proud of what he has accomplished thus far and will no doubt put together some great swims this weekend. He has the ability to push others with his drive and I expect that to continue at his final conference meet.”
Also looking to make a significant impact with a top ten ranking in three different events is Kurt Youngdahl (Sr., Deephaven, Minn.). Youngdahl ranks fourth in the 50 free, ninth in the 100 free, and 10th in the 100 butterfly.
“What Kurt has been doing and what he has achieved already is awesome – he’s done everything I’ve asked of him this year,” Carlson said. “He has recorded career times leading up to this weekend and I have confidence his ability to build on that momentum. Kurt is swimming with pride and is faster than he’s ever been, which is exciting as he hits his stride at the perfect time.”
Other top individuals looking to contribute include Jacob Stern (Jr., Rosemount, Minn.), Jeff Nelson (Jr., Maple Grove, Minn.), and Ross Larson (Sr., Brookings, S.D.). Stern is the team’s top breaststroker, ranking sixth in the 200 and tenth in the 100. Nelson ranks seventh in the 200 free and 10th in the 200 IM. Larson looks to score in the backstroke races where he ranks eighth in the 200 and 10th in the 100.
Trent Youngdahl (So., Deephaven, Minn.) ranks sixth in the 200 back, Anders Wallock (Fr., Wheaton, Ill.) sits sixth in the 1,650 free, Ben Miller (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa) ranks eighth in the 100 backstroke, and Matt Kuckler (So., West St. Paul, Minn.) ranks tenth in the 400 IM.
“The major theme of this team heading into the weekend is ‘swim to inspire,’” stated Carlson. “You don’t necessarily have to take first place to inspire the team – that’s not what it’s about. All it takes to motivate and ignite someone else is a special performance or standout effort. When that happens, momentum begins to mount and the swimmers feed of each other’s energy. I’m looking for this team to inspire each other and then we will see how the results come out.”
Courtesy Of The MIAC
The 2015 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships will be held Thursday, Feb. 19, through Saturday, Feb. 21, with two sessions each day. The morning sessions will begin at 10:30 a.m. (doors at 9 p.m.) and will feature preliminary races, with the evening championship sessions starting at 6:30 p.m. (doors at 5:30 p.m.). Saturday’s championship doors will open at 3 p.m. for preliminary heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle and diving.
Tickets are available at either a single-session rate, or all-session passes will also be available for fans who plan to attend the entire event. Single-session passes cost $8 for adults and $4 for students, and all-session passes are $40 for adults and $20 for students. Heat sheets are included in the cost of admission. Children 5 and under are admitted free, and MIAC passes will be honored for all six session. No other passes or discounts will be accepted.
As in years past, all six sessions will be broadcast live online thanks to Webcast America. Fans will also be able to watched archived video of each session following the event and purchase DVDs of the broadcasts via Webcast America’s site. MIAC Media’s Mike Gallagher will handle play-by-play duties for four of the six sessions, with St. Catherine swimming alumnae Lauren Kranig taking over for the other two sessions. There will also be “live” results available online with results updated shortly after the conclusion of each event for fans following the action from afar.
The MIAC has an exclusive Web site for the 2015 MIAC Swimming & Diving Championships. The site features the complete event schedule, psych sheet, ticket information and venue information. The site will be constantly updated throughout the event with heat sheets, links to follow the action live, results, recaps, photos and more.
Fans can also monitor MIAC women’s swimming and diving on-the-go thanks to the the MIAC mobile app, which is a free download for both Apple and Android devices. Also, connect to the conference on its Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages and use the official event hashtag #MIACSD to interact throughout the championships.