“The Men’s team will have quite the battle, and the Women’s [team] definitely has a shot. The atmosphere at the Olaf meet is unlike any other meet we swim at,” Sophomore Sandie Walker said.
Last weekend both teams hosted St. Cloud State for a dual meet. The Men’s team was able to earn a victory with a score of 150-146. “St. Cloud was a great team for us to match up against as evident by the score,” Sophomore Gunnar Teigen said. “Everyone was involved in some close races, and that is exactly the kind of preparation a team needs and wants early in the season.”
Sophomore William Schultze led the Men’s team with first place finishes in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard medley relay along with teammates Junior Paul Kirihara, Sophomore Matt Van Fossen and Senior Peter Roth. Kirihara also won the 100 and 200-yard backstroke. Other first place finishes for the Men’s team included Senior Skylar Davis in the 1000 and 500-yard freestyle and his brother, Junior Whitaker Davis in the 200-yard freestyle and butterfly.
Although the women fell to St. Cloud state with a score of 90-210, it was still a positive experience. Junior Ashley Grodecki had an optimistic reaction from the meet. “I expected us to lose on both sides. They are a Division II school and a very competitive swim team. I was ecstatic when I heard the score; the men really put up a fight,” Grodecki said.
Despite the team loss, there were some remarkable individual accomplishments during the meet. Senior Carrie Gundersen and Junior Annika Erickson, participants in the NCAA Championships last season, are expected to be strong assets to the team and had successful results at the meet. Gunderson came in first place in both the 200 freestyle and 500-yard freestyle, while Erickson finished second in the 200-yard breaststroke. Other top finishers for the Gusties included First-year Carly Mosher finishing second in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke and Junior Marnie Luke, who finished second in the 1000-yard freestyle and the 200-yard individual medley.
After last weekend’s meet with a larger school in a higher division, it should be exciting to see how the Gusties fare in their first dual meet of the season with another MIAC team. “The meet with St. Olaf is going to be a serious showdown,” Grodecki said.
After strong finishes last season, the Gusties have an exciting season ahead of them as well as a high expectations. Last season the Men’s team finished 15th at the NCAA championships and the Women’s team finished 35th.
Both teams returned some very strong swimmers, but the Men’s team has suffered some losses. “We lost some key members last year, but when positions for Conference or relays open up people become more competitive and it only pushes them to go faster,” Teigen said.
Walker also is hopeful for a successful season. “We’ve lost a lot of fast people, but we’ve gained some crazy fast [first-years] too. Some of the returning swimmers are moving around to different training groups and events, so it will be fun to see where it all leads,” Walker said.
It should be an exciting season for both the Men’s and the Women’s teams. “A lot of people are counting out our team in favor of St. Olaf and St. Thomas on the guys’ side and Carleton and St. Thomas on the girls’ side,” Teigen said. “We have a team that is going to turn some heads, and it is an exciting position to be in.”
Despite the final result of each meet, the Gusties will always be supportive of their teammates. “[There will be] a lot of fast swimming and some crazy cheering from the Gustie Swim team,” Grodecki said.