Swimcloud

St. Olaf Men, Gustavus Women Repeat as MIAC Champs

The St. Olaf College men's swimming and diving team had established a pattern, winning every-other Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) championship since 2007. However, the Oles broke the cycle Saturday night by winning their second-straight championship Saturday night at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. St. Olaf pulled away from the field at the 2014 MIAC Men's Swimming and Diving Championships to capture its fifth MIAC crown in eight years.

The title is also a significant milestone for the Oles and Coaches Bob and Dave Hauck and Maya Hamilton. St. Olaf now has an even 30 MIAC men's swimming and diving championships, the most in conference history. St. Thomas, which finished as the runner-up for the second-straight season after narrowly defeating the Oles for the title in 2012, has the second-most all-time titles with 21.

Second-place St. Thomas also had a lot to celebrate, as sophomore Mike Lanz was named the 2014 MIAC Men's Swimmer-of-the-Year and teammate Nick Johnson received his second-straight MIAC Men's Diver-of-the-Year award. The St. Olaf coaching staff were voted the 2014 MIAC Men's Swimming Coaches-of-the-Year, and Macalester's Jake Dunn was voted MIAC Diving Coach-of-the-Year, both coaching awards are repeats of 2013.

The Oles finished more than 100 points better than the rest of the field en route to their title, as they amassed 848 points. The Tommies score 740 to finish second, as the two rivals distanced themselves from the pack. Carleton scored 536 points to edge a competitive trio for third place, with Gustavus (498.5) edging Saint John's (429) for fifth. Hamline scored 150.5 to finish in sixth place, and Macalester edged Saint Mary's by 14 points, 126 to 112, to conclude the 2014 team standings.

St. Olaf had several standout performances, starting with Gratz. The junior star won the men's 100-yard freestyle title, an event he also won in 2012, with a 2013 selection time of 44.74. Gratz took his third individual title of the meet - also winning the men's 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke - by narrowly defeating teammate Tanner Roe, who met the B cut (45.47).

The Oles also went 1-2 in a "changing of the guard" in the 200-yard breaststroke. Three-time defending champion Colby Kubat couldn't quite make it a career sweep, as rookie teammate Nick Wilkerson set a new meet record, winning the race in 2:01.31. Wilkerson's time met the 2013 NCAA selection standard. Kubat was second with a time of 2:03.46 (B cut) a night after winning his fourth-straight title in the 100-breast.

St. Olaf senior Spencer Scarth also ended his career with a flourish, taking home his third-straight title in the men's 1,650-yard freestyle. Scarth met the B cut with a winning time of 16:16.27, and added his mile title to his 400-yard individual medley championship he claimed on Friday. St. Olaf finished off its MIAC championship by winning the final event of the night, the men's 400-yard freestyle relay. Roe, Kubat, Andrew France and Michael Graf met the 2013 NCAA selection time by winning in 3:02.22.

One of Saturday's top highlights came in the men's 200-yard butterfly, and contributed to Lanz's selection as MIAC Swimmer-of-the-Year. The Tommie sophomore surged into the lead in the final 50 yards to overtake St. Olaf's Billy Brebrick, the event's defending champ, and set a new MIAC record. Lanz touched the wall in 1:48.73, with Brebrick at 1:49.10. The event was a repeat of the 100-fly, as Lanz also broke the MIAC record to put his name in the record books, and lead to his big individual honor.

Johnson also starred Saturday to cement his second-straight Diver-of-the-Year honor. The UST senior successfully defended his 3-meter title and swept both diving championships for the second season in a row. Johnson edged out St. Olaf's Scott Hodgson, 489.85 to 478.80, with both meeting the 2013 NCAA selection standard. Bennet Woltjer of Gustavus finished third with 365.10, as the 3-meter top three was identical to the how the 1-meter finished Thursday.

The Gustavus men had more to cheer about Saturday, starting with sophomore Dante Colucci's performance in the men's 200-yard backstroke. Colucci won with a B-cut time of 1:50.40 and defeated a field that included the defending champion, St. Olaf's Evan Griffith. Fellow Gustie Zac Solis completed a great weekend as well, as he finished second with a B-cut time in the mile to earn his third top-two finish of the meet.

Following the conclusion of the meet, there was a brief awards ceremony to honor the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, team champions, individual award winners including Swimmers, Divers and Coaches-of-the-Year. The top three swimmers in each race were named All-Conference. A complete list of MIAC Swimming and Diving award winners will be released in the coming week.

Before the meet began, the conference honored St. Thomas Head Coach Tom Hodgson, who will retire on May 31 after leading the Tommie men and women for 35 seasons. The MIAC coaches presented Hodgson with a card, flowers and a framed photo of all the coaches as mementos from his outstanding career, and in honor of his service to MIAC swimming and diving and the conference's student-athletes.

Fans can relive all the action of the 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships online. The event home page has complete results, recaps, photo galleries and highlight videos from an exciting weekend. All photos are available for purchase directly from the galleries. All six sessions are also archived online thanks to Webcast America, and fans can purchase DVDs or watch each session on-demand.
The MIAC would like to thank 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Champioships host institutions Gustavus Adolphus College and Hamline University. The conference also thanks Webcast America, Twin Cities Orthopedics, The Commons Hotel and Pure Blue Swim. 

2014 MIAC MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men's Team Scores 
1. St. Olaf - 848
2. St. Thomas - 740
3. Carleton - 536
4. Gustavus - 498.5
5. Saint John's - 429      
6. Hamline - 150.5
7. Macalester - 126
8. Saint Mary's - 112

2014 MIAC Men's Swimming & Diving Awards
Men's Swimmer-of-the-Year: Mike Lanz, St. Thomas, So.
Men's Diver-of-the-Year: Nick Johnson, St. Thomas, Sr.
Men's Swimming Coaches-of-the-Year: Bob Hauck and Maya Hamilton, St. Olaf
Diving Coach-of-the-Year: Jake Dunn, Macalester



The Gustavus Adolphus College women's swimming and diving team etched its place into Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) history Saturday night to cap a brilliant three-day performance. The Gusties cruised to their fifth-straight conference title at the 2014 MIAC Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, and they now own the second-longest championship streak in league history.

The Gusties' current run of success now only trails the St. Olaf women, which won 11-straight MIAC titles starting in 1987. Gustavus had been tied with Hamline for the next-best streak, as the Pipers won the first four conference crowns. Head Coach Jon Carlson's club has now won nine overall MIAC titles, which also trails only the Oles' 15 championships atop the MIAC record books. This is Gustavus' seventh title in eight years, with only a Carleton title in 2008-09 interrupting the streak.

In addition to the team title, Gustavus took home two of the top individual honors, as senior Alissa Tinklenberg repeated as the MIAC Women's Swimmer-of-the-Year, and Carlson was honored by his peers as the 2014 MIAC Women's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year. St. Catherine's Jenna Nagy had a breakout performance to earn 2014 MIAC Women's Diver-of-the-Year honors, and Macalester's Jake Dunn was named the MIAC Diving Coach-of-the-Year for the second year in a row.

The Gustie women made it five in a row with a decisive performance, scoring 886.50 points to win by a margin of nearly 200. St. Thomas was second with 697, and St. Olaf rounded out the top three with 507.5 points. Saint Benedict scored 368 and edged Carleton (350) for fourth place. St. Catherine was sixth with 275, Macalester was seventh with 226 and Concordia came in eighth with 129 points. Augsburg scored 115 to finish ninth and Hamline edged Saint Mary's, 78-70, to round out the top 10 and complete the 2014 women's standings.

Gustavus senior Alissa Tinklenberg wrote a perfect final chapter to her MIAC career with another record-setting performance. The Gustie senior broke her own record in winning her third-straight MIAC 200-yard backstroke title with a time of 1:59.59, beating her old MIAC record of 1:59.66. She also won her third-straight 100-back title with a MIAC record time on Friday, and Thursday she won the 50-yard freestyle.

Tinklenberg wasn't done with her record-setting career quite yet. She anchored the Gustavus team in the final event of the night - the 400-yard freestyle relay - and the Gusties set a new MIAC record with a 2013 NCAA selection time of 3:26.77. Tinklenberg was joined by Katie Olson, Leah Anderson and Dani Klunk. Gustavus won four of the five relays, setting three new MIAC records, over the weekend.

Another Gustie - Jenny Strom - had a similarly dazzling performance while winning her third-straight MIAC 200-yard backstroke title. Strom set a new MIAC record with her victorious time of 2:17.11, which met the NCAA selection standard. It was also Strom's third individual title of 2014, as she won her third-straight 100-breast title Friday, and the 500-yard freestyle title Thursday.

The veterans weren't the only contributors to Gustavus' title. Rookie sensation Dani Klunk completed her first MIAC Championships with another stunning performance, with a new MIAC record in the 200-yard butterfly. She met the B cut with her record time of 2:06.45, and added that title to her win in the 200-yard individual medley, and she was the runner-up in the 100-fly.

The Gusties also got a championship performance from Katie Olson in the 100-yard freestyle. Her winning time of 51.61 met the NCAA B cut. She defeated a talented field, as Carleton's Milana Socha (51.67) and St. Olaf's Maddie Lee (52.14) added to their All-MIAC haul while also meeting the B cut in the 100-free.

It was a bittersweet night on the women's diving board, as Macalester star senior Renee Jordan was injured during competition and had to withdraw. St. Catherine rookie Jenna Nagy scored 394.65 to win the 1-meter title a cap her stellar MIAC championship debut. Macalester's Hunter Hedenberg was second in an event she won a year ago with 380.35 points.

St. Thomas also had a three-time champion crowned Saturday. Elise Guenther swam away with her third-straight title in the mile with a winning time of 17:48.98. Guenther is a junior, so she will have a chance to make it a career sweep in the mile in 2015.

In the 200-back, Tinklenberg's record led the talented field, as finishers 2-4 all met the B cut. Carleton's Maria Wetzel was second, Gustavus' first-year Hayley Booher was third and St. Olaf's Abbey Schnaith was fourth. Ditto for the 200-breast, where St. Thomas' Emily Punyko (second) and St. Olaf's Maggie Boling (third) both earned All-MIAC honors and met the B cut.

Following the conclusion of the meet, there was a brief awards ceremony to honor the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, team champions, individual award winners including Swimmers, Divers and Coaches-of-the-Year. The top three swimmers in each race were named All-Conference. A complete list of MIAC Swimming and Diving award winners will be released in the coming week.

Before the meet began, the conference honored St. Thomas Head Coach Tom Hodgson, who will retire on May 31 after leading the Tommie men and women for 35 seasons. The MIAC coaches presented Hodgson with a card, flowers and a framed photo of all the coaches as mementos from his outstanding career, and in honor of his service to MIAC swimming and diving and the conference's student-athletes.

Fans can relive all the action of the 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships online. The event home page has complete results, recaps, photo galleries and highlight videos from an exciting weekend. All photos are available for purchase directly from the galleries. All six sessions are also archived online thanks to Webcast America, and fans can purchase DVDs or watch each session on-demand.
The MIAC would like to thank 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships host institutions Gustavus Adolphus College and Hamline University. The conference also thanks Webcast America, Twin Cities Orthopedics, The Commons Hotel and Pure Blue Swim. 

Women's Team Scores     
1. Gustavus - 886.5
2. St. Thomas - 697
3. St. Olaf - 507.5
4. Saint Benedict - 368
5. Carleton - 350   
6. St. Catherine - 275
7. Macalester - 226
8. Concordia - 129
9. Augsburg - 115
10. Hamline - 78
11. Saint Mary's - 70

2014 MIAC Women's Swimming & Diving Awards
Women's Swimmer-of-the-Year: Alissa Tinklenberg, Gustavus, Sr.
Women's Diver-of-the-Year: Jenna Nagy, St. Catherine, Jr.
Women's Swimming Coach-of-the-Year: Jon Carlson, Gustavus
Diving Coach-of-the-Year: Jake Dunn, Macalester


--Courtesy Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (www.miacathletics.com)

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