The 2017 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Swimming and Diving Championships didn't waste any time living up to the hype. The first finals session of the three-day event delivered on drama, outstanding performances, and low times, with the University of St. Thomas men and women surging out to first-day leads as both attempt to defend their MIAC titles, as the Tommies topped the podium in all four relay events and five of seven individual events.
Thursday night's session at the University of Minnesota's Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center saw one MIAC and meet record fall, seven 2017 NCAA selection times, six NCAA B-cut times, three NCAA 'A' Qualification diving scores, and five NCAA 'B' Qualification diving scores.
The women's race saw St. Thomas finish first in all five events, but Gustavus' depth kept things close. UST scored 227 points on day one, and leads the Gusties (205.5) by just 21.5 points. Carleton (134) holds a 17-point lead on crosstown rival St. Olaf (117) for third, and Saint Benedict (71.5) and St. Catherine (70) are neck-and-neck for fifth. Macalester sits in seventh with 57 points, Hamline has 47 in eighth and Concordia (44), Saint Mary's (26) and Augsburg (14) round out the women's standings after one day.
The top of the men's standings aren't quite as close. St. Thomas won four of six events and racked up 275 points to lead the field by 63 points as the Tommies seek a third-straight MIAC title. Gustavus won the other two individual events and had a great first-day showing with 212 points, and St. Olaf (167) holds a slim edge over Saint John's (153) for third. Carleton (96) is in the top five, Macalester (71) holds a three-point lead on Hamline (68) for sixth and Saint Mary's (22) is eighth after the first day.
The night got off to a record-setting start, as the St. Thomas women set a new MIAC and meet record in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:33.49, breaking Gustavus' 2011 mark of 1:33.66. The Tommies' team included Tiana Molitor, Emma Paulson, Katelyn Strauss and Alex Howard. Speaking of the Gusties, they finished second with a time of 1:34.29, and both of the top two met the 2016 NCAA Selection time, with third place going to Carleton (1:36.06).
The Tommies also swam to victory in the men's 200-free relay, as Nick Cox, Tom Negaard, Luke Schneeman, and Mikey Solfelt teamed up for a winning B-cut time of 1:22.77. Gustavus (1:23.01) finished a close second and Carleton touched the wall in 1:23.50, as less than a second separated the top three.
It was a sophomore sweep of the top three spots in the women's 500-yard freestyle, including an All-UST top two. Alex Howard (5:02.01) defeated teammate and defending champion Katelyn Strauss (5:03.88) by less than two seconds, with Gustavus' Sydney Hallmark (5:07.64) finishing third. The men's 500-free followed a similar script, with two Tommies at the top, the defending champ unseated by a teammate and three in the same class (juniors) leading the way. UST's Bailey Biwer swam a 2016 Selection Time of 4:28.61 to edge out teammate and defending champ Warren Melton (4:36.93) and Hamline's Hodd Gorman (4:38.92).
In the 200-individual medley, St. Thomas' Nicole Herrli won a MIAC title with a B-cut time of 2:06.77 with St. Olaf rookie Helen Jensen in second (2:07.92) and two-time defending champ Hayley Booher of Gustavus in third (2:08.57). The men's 200-IM saw Gustavus' Tanner Sonnek surge to a thrilling win with a time of 1:53.06. A pair of first-year swimmers were next as St. Olaf's John Loepfe (1:53.68) and St. Thomas' Joe Herrli (1:55.70) rounded out the top three.
The women's 50-yard freestyle was one of the highlights of the night with St. Thomas' Emma Paulson winning her third-straight MIAC title in the event, the top three all meeting the 2016 selection time and three more swimmers meeting the B cut. Paulson, the defending MIAC and National Swimmer-of-the-Year, won with a time of 23.02, with Carleton's Caroline Mather (23.32) and Gustavus' Kate Reilly (23.54) close behind. In the men's 50 free, Gustavus rookie Matt Allison (20.72) just barely edged Saint John's Kenny Bergman (20.80) and UST's Tom Negaard (20.88) to win the MIAC title.
The men concluded the 1-meter diving competition with another stellar performance by two-time MIAC Diver-of-the-Year Andrew Grabowski of St. Thomas. Grabowski won his second-straight 1-meter title with a winning score of 472.05. St. Olaf's Leif Jorgensen Duus (449.00) edged Gustavus' Logan Bican (442.00) for second, and Grabowski, Jorgensen Duus and Bican all met the NCAA 'A' Qualification. Each of the other five divers in the finals met the 'B' qualification mark.
The night ended the way it began, with UST sweeping a pair of relay titles. The Tommie won met the selection cut with a time of 3:48.09 thanks to the work of Emma Paulson, Melissa Rose, Katelyn Strauss and Alex Howard, and Carleton (3:55.35) edged Gustavus (3:56.74) bu a little more than a second for second place. In the men's 400-medley relay, St. Thomas swam to another victory and another B-cut time, finishing in 3:20.93. The Tommies were represented by Tom Negaard, Colin Glass, Bailey Biwer and Mikey Solfelt. St. Olaf (3:23.40) and Gustavus (3:25.40) took home second and third, respectively.
Following each of Thursday evening's races, a short awards ceremony was held to honor the top eight finishers. The top three finishers in each event received medals and automatically earn All-Conference honors. Thursday's All-Conference honorees are listed below.
The meet will continue with two more sessions apiece Friday and Saturday. 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 2:30 p.m. for preliminary heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle and diving.
Men's Team Scores (after day one)
1. St. Thomas - 275
2. Gustavus - 212
3. St. Olaf - 167
4. Saint John's - 153
5. Carleton - 96
6. Macalester - 71
7. Hamline - 68
8. Saint Mary's - 22
Women's Team Scores (after day one)
1. St. Thomas - 227
2. Gustavus - 205.5
3. Carleton - 134
4. St. Olaf - 117
5. Saint Benedict - 71.5
6. St. Catherine - 70
7. Macalester - 57
8. Hamline - 47
9. Concordia - 44
10. Saint Mary's - 26
11. Augsburg - 14
