Last season, the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams had tremendous success at the MIAC Championships with the women winning the MIAC title and the men falling just short and finishing runner-up by merely eight points. Both teams will look to build on their solid seasons this year and win MIAC titles this weekend.
The men will contend for their first MIAC Championship since 2008, led by a strong group of upperclassmen, including Seniors Whitaker Davis, Paul Kirihara, John Rice and Sam DeFranco and Junior Billy Schultze.
The Gusties appear to be in close contention with five other schools, including St. Olaf, St. Thomas, St. John’s and Carleton. Yet, even with tough competition from multiple schools, the goal still remains to win the MIAC. “As is every year, the goal of the team is to win conference. We’ve all been training five months for this very weekend, and that’s not counting the practices a majority of the team puts in during the off-season,” Junior Billy Schultze said. “We show up Thursday morning, and with each and every swim, you don’t only swim for yourself, you swim for your teammates and every Gustie alum that’s swam before you.”
Senior Whitaker Davis added to Schultze’s sentiments and the goal for the team. “We’ve had a long season of competing with the other teams in the conference. We always have a lot of good races at this meet and so do the other teams, but eventually it all comes down to whoever wants it more,” Davis said.
Despite not winning the MIAC Championship since 2008, the Men’s Swimming team has been in close contention for the last number of years. The swimmers know that if they swim up to their potential, they can win the title.
“It’s not what’s going to happen in the next few days that are going to help my teammates or I win. It’s been the last 11 months. It’s going to take perfect turns in the tough sets and pushing yourself along with your team to be the best you can be. I’ve done what I can to prepare. All that’s left to do is show up, say a prayer and leave everything in the water,” Schultze said.
“Our team just has to go out there and swim like we’re capable of doing. We have to want to win more than the other schools do. Staying positive is another huge thing that will get us through it. When we get tired, all we have to think about is that the other teams are just as tired as we are. We just need to hang in there a little longer and go for beating whoever is next to you in the water,” Davis said.
Most of all, the men’s team is looking to send the seniors out on top. “The last time we won conference, I was a [first-year]. There is no other feeling like winning that championship. It’s our last year here as seniors, and it would mean so much if we could go out on that note, having another conference championship,” Davis said.
Even though winning the MIAC Championship is the main goal, the Gustie men will also be looking to send swimmers to Nationals. “Every time we go to Nationals, we swim just as fast or even faster than we do at conference, so that will be really fun to see how many guys we can get there,” Davis said.
“I’m going out with the intention of qualifying for Nationals, but as long as I give it my all, the rest will fall into place. The main goal is conference. Nationals is just icing on the cake,” Schultze said.
As for the Gustavus Women’s Swimming and Diving team, it is looking for its second consecutive MIAC Championship and third title in four years. However, the team will also have tough competition with four other schools including St. Olaf, St. Thomas, St. Ben’s and Carleton.
The Gustie women are led by a strong group of upperclassmen with a few standout first-year swimmers. “I’m hoping we win conference this year because we were so strong last year and lost a big part of our team,” Sophomore Carley Mosher said. “The [first-years] coming in have taken their place, and our whole team has taken the opportunity to step up.”
After a strong season, the women will look to capitalize on their success. “This season has been a good one. We had some tough meets, but we got a lot of really good training in, and we’re hoping to see it pay off at this weekend’s meet,” Senior Anika Erickson said.
The women have had many highlights, but team unity is a reason for their success. “It’s a different atmosphere this year, and our [women’s] team is really close with each other. It makes you want to go to practice and enjoy being around everyone,” Mosher said.
“I’m really enjoying seeing this year’s team come together. Because we are such a large team, there is a different dynamic every year, but this year has been great. It’s always fun to watch the [first-years] come into their own and start contributing to the team, both in and out of the pool,” Erickson said.
Even with tough competition in the pool, the Gustie women feel they will have a definite advantage at this weekend’s MIAC Championships and even Nationals. “I think a big part of the meet will be support from the rest of the team and fans that come. In the past the support from everyone has allowed us to step up and do what we need to do. I feel the talent is pretty evenly distributed, but we are so much closer and supportive, which is a big advantage,” Mosher said.
For the seniors, they have the opportunity to hoist their third MIAC Championship. “The MIAC Championship is unlike any other meet I’ve ever been a part of, including high school state and Nationals. It’s one of the most amazing feelings in the world to be able to hold that trophy at the end of those three long days,” Erickson said.
Nevertheless, the Gustie women also will look to send as many swimmers as possible to Nationals in Knoxville, Tenn. and improve on their eighth place finish last year. Both Mosher and Erickson hope to return to Nationals, but they will not look past the importance of the MIAC Championships this weekend. The championships will be held at the Aquatic Center on the University of Minnesota campus on Feb. 17-19.