The Carleton College men’s swimming team was nearly even with Saint John’s University on Saturday, but the host Johnnies benefitted from receiving no competition in the diving events en route to a 136-101 dual meet score.
“Exciting meet, and it went back and forth throughout the entire contest which made it super fun!” said Carleton head coach Andy Clark. “Coming in, we knew we did not have the ability to counter their diving points, which meant we had to step up big in the swimming events to make up those 32 points. The guys came close by ramping up their swimming efforts, but in the end we fell short of having a few wins. I was proud of how the guys swam and how they narrowed the point gap. Giving the training we have been doing, the energy that the guys brought to the meet today, and the times they posted give me great confidence in what lies ahead for them as we head toward the MIAC meet.”
Alex Mathson (So./Verona, Wis./Verona) won the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:14.94. That was good for an impressive 40-second margin of victory. “He showed great dominance and poise in setting the tone for the meet,” said Clark. Later on, Mathson pulled off the distance double with a win in the 500-yard freestyle, clocking a time of 4:59.47, better than a 15-second gap in front of the second-place finisher.
Aaron Reynolds (So./Lake Oswego, Ore./Lakeridge) turned in gritty finishes in both distance freestyle races, helping him be this week’s recipient of the “Can of Corn” award.
Evan Harris (Sr./Lexington, S.C./Lexington) continued his fine season with victories in the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.45) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:00.35).
Stephen Grinich (Jr./McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville) notched a come-from-behind first-place result in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.30.
Carleton will celebrate the four seniors on the men’s roster—Harris, Andrew Cely (Plano, Texas/Plano); Eli Danson (Wausau, Wis./Wausau East); and Alex Simonides (Palo Alto, Calif./Los Alto)—when the Knights take part in the their final dual meet of the 2014-15 campaign next Saturday at St. Olaf College. The first event starts at 11 a.m.
The Carleton College women’s swimming and diving team won eight events and secured a 129-113 dual meet victory over College of Saint Benedict on Saturday afternoon.
“This was a great meet that we know would be extremely close,” said Carleton head coach Andy Clark. “We knew this meet would provide some great challenge since both teams were evenly matched and have good strengths in multiple events. Our women's team needed to have some step-up performances from the entire team to have a shot at winning the meet. We switched up our lineup a bit to see if we could create some added opportunities to improve our chances. Overall, I was impressed with the good energy and drive that the team had despite coming off a heavy week of training.”
One of those swimmers shifted in the lineup was Maria Wetzel (So./Salem, Ore./West Salem), who won 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:58.67. That as good for a 39-second margin of victory. She was back in the water for the 100-yard butterfly, reaching the wall first at 1:01.54. Wetzel made it a three-win afternoon with the top spot in the 500-yard freestyle after posting a time of 5:18.91, which was 20.5 seconds better than the runner-up.
Alex Braiedy (So./Chanhassen, Minn./Minnetonka) recorded a time of 2:00.32 in winning the 200-yard freestyle. The coaching staff noted that she showed strength, determination and confidence in the winning the event, earning her the team's "Can of Corn" award.
Halie Langanki (Jr./Lino Lakes, Minn./Mounds View) led a 1-2-3 finish for Carleton in the 400-yard IM. Her winning time was 4:59.86.
Alison Coogan (Sr./River Forest, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest) registered the victory in the 100-yard backstroke at 1:04.04, a tight race that saw three swimmers within 0.14 seconds of one another.
Lauren Hoff (Fy./Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) proved victorious in the 100-yard breaststroke with her time of 1:15.54.
Braiedy, Anisa Lester (Fy./Corte Madera, Calif./The Branson School), Madison McBride (Jr./Elko, Minn./Lakeville South), and Alexandra Guy (Sr./Denver Colo./Denver School of the Arts) rallied for the victory in the final event, the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Knights trailed by 0.63 seconds midway through the race, a gap that McBride made up during her eight lengths of the pool at the Warner Palaestra Pool. Guy then sealed the decision with a strong anchor leg, allowing the Knights to post a time of 1:43.24.
Carleton will celebrate the three seniors on the women’s roster—Coogan, Guy, and Emily Houlihan (Sr./Boulder Colo./Boulder)—when the Knights take part in the their final dual meet of the 2014-15 campaign next Saturday at St. Olaf College. The first event starts at 11 a.m.
