MINNEAPOLIS – The Gustavus Adolphus College men’s swimming and diving team dropped one spot to fifth place with 322 points after day two of the MIAC Championships being held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. The University of St. Thomas is the two-day leader with a score of 605.5, Saint John’s University sits second with a 338, St. Olaf College rounds out the top three in third with 331.5, and Carleton College sits just ahead of Gustavus in fourth with 331.
“Our entire men’s team swam amazingly tonight,” said Coach Jon Carlson. “We didn’t have the greatest morning, but they come out tonight flying. I was so proud of everyone and am unbelievably excited to see what we can accomplish tomorrow.”
Tanner Sonnek (Fy., North Mankato, Minn.) and Jacob Stern (Sr., Rosemount, Minn.) led the Gusties on day two with third and fourth place finishes in the 100 Breaststroke, respectively. Sonnek crossed the line with a 56.69, while Stern was right behind him with a 57.34.
The 800 Free Relay team of Stern, Andrew Peters (Fy., Montevideo, Minn.), Jeff Nelson (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.), and Seth Berry (So., Bloomington, Minn.) also took a spot in the top-three, placing third with a 7:04.59.
Other top-eight finishes included the 200 Medley Relay team of Nelson, Stern, Adam Peters (Sr., Montevideo, Minn.), and Ben Miller (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa) placing fifth with a 1:34.44, Riley Fairbanks (Fy., Hutchinson, Minn.) taking eighth in the 400 IM with a 4:23.24, and Nelson placing seventh in the 200 Free with a time of 1:45.09.
“We’re only 16 points out of second place,” said Carlson. “We came into this meet wanting to move up from our fifth place standing last year, and we’ve put ourselves in a great position to do that tomorrow.”
The meet concludes with two more sessions Saturday. The morning sessions begin at 10:30 a.m. (doors at 9 a.m.) and feature preliminary races. Saturday’s championship doors open at 3 p.m. for preliminary heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle and diving. The heat sheet for Saturday’s prelim session is available online.