Staff Writer- Nathan Swanson

The Gustavus Swim & Dive teams were successful as the Men beat Saint John’s 173-126, and the Women beat Saint Benedict 191-107, Saturday, Jan. 17th at home in the Vic Gustafson pool. It was a Senior Day celebration for the Senior swimmers as they were recognized for their work and dedication to the program over their years here as Gusties. “Being on the Gustavus Swim & Dive program has allowed me to create lifelong friendships, manage my time effectively, and allow me to become a better person over the past few years,” Senior Brandon Wilcek said. 

For the men’s team, First-year Mason Deitering came in second place for the 1000 and 500 freestyle events, with times of 10:21.84 and 4:59.01, respectively. This was the top finish for the team in these events. Junior Braden Ripken had the top finish for Gustavus in the 200 freestyle, winning first place with a time of 47.72. In his 50 freestyle, he also had the top finish for the Gusties, coming in second place with a time of 21.82. First-year Aidynn Havermann swam in the 200 freestyle, leading the Gusties and finishing as the runner-up. He was just .04 seconds behind the winner with a time of 1:46.65. In the 100 backstroke, First-year Declan Vahey and Junior Matthew Lillejord placed in first and second place, respectively. Vahey swam the 100 backstroke with a time of 53.53, and Lillejord finished with a time of 56.96. Havermann also led Gustavus in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:00.01, with Sophomore Josh Wallin finishing the event shortly after with a time of 2:01.13. Wilcek won the 100 breaststroke, touching the wall at 1:00.09. Sophomore Mason Cote swam in the 200 breaststroke, coming in second place with a time of 2:15.81, which led Gustauvs in the event. In the 200 butterfly, Sophomore Jacob Robischon came in first place with a time of 2:00.92, and First-year Britton Patee came in as the runner-up swimmer with a time of 2:02.28. Junior Aiden Carlson and Robischon swam the 100 butterfly, coming in first and second place, respectively. Carlson finished with a time of 53.46, and Robischon finished with a time of 54.02. Havermann led the Gusties in the 400 IM, coming in second place with a time of 4:16.39. In the diving events, Senior Trevor Johnson led the Gusties, where he got third place in the 3-meter (307.00) and fourth place in the 1-meter (347.85). Overall, the team won the 200 medley relay, finishing with a time of 1:37.38, as well as the 400 freestyle relay, finishing with a time of 3:11.44. 

For the Women’s team, Sophomore Geneva Fackler won the 1000 freestyle event, finishing with a time of 11:20.71. Sophomore Teresa Gatti followed as the runner-up in the event with a time of 11:25.80. Fackler won the 500 freestyle, touching the wall at 5:30.09 just .21 seconds faster than First-year Emmi Heers, and she also had the top Gustavus time in the 100 freestyle. She came in second place with a time of 55.51 which was just .25 seconds before the next swimmer. In the 200 freestyle, First-year Leah Felton placed second with a time of 2:00.50, which led the Gusties and was .41 seconds faster than the next swimmer. Sophomore Katelyn Siers placed in second in the 50 freestyle, which led the Gusties with a time of 25.34. Gatti won the 200 breaststroke swimming with a time of 2:16.93, with Junior Kendall Coppersmith coming in as runner-up with a time of 2:18.64. In the 100 backstroke, First-year Joely Anderson won the event with a time of 1:02.39, which was followed by Gatti, who came in second with a time of 1:03.53. Leading the Gusties in the 100 breaststroke was Senior Lindsey Sundby, who finished as a runner-up with a time of 1:12.43. She also placed third in the 200 breaststroke at 2:39.62, which led Gustavus in the event. Junior Madison Witte came in first place in the 100 butterfly at 1:01.65, which was followed by Junior Stella Anderson Moye at 1:02.67. Finishing in second place and leading Gustavus in the event, Junior Hadley Warner swam the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:28.14. First-year Annika Beck got first in the 400 IM with a time of 4:53.35, and this was followed by Sophomore Sommer Krause, who came in as a runner-up at 5:01.27. In the diving events, Senior Gabriella Stoudt won the 3-meter and 1-meter dives with scores of 437.00 and 438.40, respectively. Junior Erin Hall came in as runner-up in the 1-meter dive with a score of 416.60. The dives from Stoudt and Hall were NCAA-qualifying scores. The team won both their relays, the 200 medley and the 400 freestyle in 1:52.24 and 3:41.85, respectively. 

Overall, it was an incredible day for the Swim Team as a whole, and the Seniors who really got to soak in the moment. “What I appreciated about Senior Day was the wonderful support from the whole team, our coaches, and parents,” Wilcek said. Looking ahead, Gustavus Swim & Dive will compete in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at the UW-Stevens Point Invite. This two-day event will begin on Friday, Jan. 23rd at 9:30 a.m.