Carleton Women, St. Olaf Men Lead On Day One of MIAC Championships

MIAC Championships - Knights in Front After Day 1
After the first day of action at the MIAC Swimming and Diving, the Carleton women’s team holds a slim one and a half point lead (168-166.5) over defending champion Gustavus. First-year Maggie Alexander (Tigard, Ore./Tualatin) set a MIAC Championship record as she rallied for the victory in the 500 freestyle. Her older sisters Becky (Sr.) and Kate (Jr.) Alexander swam two legs of the Knights’ record-setting 400 medley relay.

The Carleton women started the evening session with a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:36.47, earning All-MIAC honors.

In the 500 freestyle, Maggie Alexander notched the Knights’ first individual title of this year’s championship as she overtook two-time champion Carrie Gunderson from Gustavus and posted an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 4:59.91, which also smashed the Carleton record.

Mallory Pernell (Fy./Austin, Texas/Westlake) and Annie Metcalf (Fy./Bath, Maine/Morse) also scored in the event for Carleton, placing 11th and 12th respectively.

Kate Alexander, who was battling illness, earned All-MIAC honors in the 200 individual medley as she placed third with a time of 2:11.42. Teammate Kaarin Taylor (Sr./Gainesville, Fla.) finished fourth with a lifetime best time of 2:11.86. Caitlin Clements-Green added to Carleton’s point total by placing 12th overall.

Becky Alexander and Louse Buckler (So./Blaine, Minn./St. Paul Academy) placed fourth and seventh respectively in the 50 freestyle. Kelsey Sloan (Jr./Cumberland, Maine/Greely) swam in the consolation heat and finished 15th overall.

Carleton capped the night with a blowout victory in the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:52.55, which is a new MIAC record and an NCAA “B” cut time. The foursome of Kale Zicafoose (So./Omaha, Neb./Westside); Kate Alexander, Kaarin Taylor and Becky Alexander eclipsed the time established by the Knights’ 2005 entry by three and a half seconds.

Highlights from Day 1 Preliminaries
500 yard freestyle
Maggie Alexander (Fy./Tigard, Ore./Tualatin) recorded the third-fastest qualifying time. Her time of 5:11.67 puts her fifth on Carleton’s list of all-time Top 10 times. Annie Metcalf (Fy./Bath, Maine/Morse) and Mallory Pernell (Fy./Austin, Texas/Westlake) both qualified for tonight’s consolation final. Pernell dropped a whopping 30 seconds off her previous best time.

200 yard IM
Kaarin Taylor (Sr./Gainesville, Fla.) and defending champion Kate Alexander (Jr./Tigard, Ore./Tualatin) recorded the fifth- and sixth-fastest qualifying time and will swim in the championship finals this evening. Caitlin Clements-Green (Sr./Northfield, Minn.) will compete in the consolation final.

50 yard freestyle
Becky Alexander (Sr./Tigard, Ore./Tualatin) recorded a lifetime best and notched an NCAA “B” cut time of 24.22 as she qualified fourth for tonight’s championship final. Louise Buckler (So./Blaine, Minn./St. Paul Academy) dropped 1.45 seconds off her seed time and also advanced to the championship round. Kelsey Sloan (Jr./Cumberland, Maine/Greely) will race in the consolation finals.

3-meter diving
Erin Heydinger (So./St. Paul, Minn./St. Paul Academy) and Sydney Weydemeyer (So./Santa Fe, N.M.) both scored in the top 8 to move onto the finals.

MIAC Championships - Marschall Wins 200 IM, Knights Third After Day 1
After the first day of competition at the 2009 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships, the Knights are third in the team competition with 153 points. Ted Marschall (Sr./Burnsville, Minn.) prevailed in the 200-yard individual medley for the third time in his career, doing so in NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:50.54.

Carleton started the night with a strong showing in the 1-meter diving competition. Sophomore Eric Brenner (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) earned All-MIAC honors with his second-place finish, and John Knapp (Sr./Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) placed fourth.

The Knights opened the swimming portion of the evening session by finishing fourth in the 200 relay with a Carleton-record time of 1:25.07.

Brian Kilgour (So./Wichita, Kan./East) and Andrew Mering (So./Baraboo, Wis.) both went from being unseeded entering the weekend to finishing 10th and 11th respectively in the 500 yard freestyle, giving Carleton a boost in the team competition.

In the next event, Marschall posted a one-second victory over St. Olaf’s Nelson Westby, the defending national champion in the 200 IM. Ryan Terrien (Sr./Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) and Djem Kissiov (Fy./Madison, Wis./West) showcased the Knights’ depth by placing 13th and 16th respectively.

Seniors Jared Plotz (Hutchinson, Minn.) and Elliot Bartis (McLean, Va./Langley) finished seventh and eighth in their initial trips to the championship round of the 50 freestyle.

The Knights concluded the first day with another fourth-place showing in a relay. Mering, Marschall, Bartis and Plotz broke the program mark with a NCAA “B” cut time of 3:27.56 in the 400 medley.

St. Olaf leads the way in the team competition with 232 points with Gustavus trailing by 18 points. With 153 points, Carleton holds a slim lead over Saint John’s and St. Thomas, which are tied for fourth at 146.

Highlights from Day 1 Preliminaries
500 yard freestyle
Andrew Mering (So./Baraboo, Wis.) and Brian Kilgour (So./Wichita, Kan./East) both went from being unseeded to qualifying for tonight’s consolation final with fantastic openings to the weekend.

200 yard IM
Defending champion and meet-record holder Ted Marschall recorded an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:50.61 in recording the fastest time during the preliminary round. Ryan Terrien (Sr./Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) and Djem Kissiov (Fy./Madison, Wis./West) with both race in the consolation heat.

50 yard freestyle
Carleton nabbed the final two spots in the championship round as seniors Elliot Bartis (McLean, Va./Langley) and Jared Plotz (Hutchinson, Minn.) qualified seventh and eighth respectively. It was the first time either had ever finished below 22 seconds in the event, and their first trips to the championship finals in the event.

1 meter diving
Carleton returns a pair of All-Conference performers on both boards and each advanced to the championship round. Eric Brenner (So./Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) and John Knapp (Sr./Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) scored first (394.00) and fourth (374.50) respectively in the prelims.