Championship Preview: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

The 2008-09 MIAC Women's Swimming & Diving Championships begin this Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center. Hosted by Gustavus Adolphus College, the 2008-09 Championships will run in conjunction with the MIAC Men's Championships this Thursday, February 19 to Saturday, February 21. The daily meet schedule will feature preliminary events in the morning sessions and finals during the evening sessions.

A great deal of parity amongst the 11 MIAC teams will be showcased throughout the weekend. 2007-08 MIAC Champion Gustavus, St. Olaf, Carleton, Saint Benedict, and St. Thomas look to have the best shot at capturing the conference championship, but the final standings are more unpredictible than ever before. Hamline, Macalester, St. Catherine, Concordia, Saint Mary's, and Augsburg will all enter the Championships with talented individuals who could lead their teams to higher than expected team finishes.

Augsburg
Coach: Tricia Wallace (2nd season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 11th

The Augsburg College women's swimming team concludes its sixth season of varsity competition at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships this weekend. Under second-year head coach Tricia Wallace, the Auggies are a young squad, with just two returners and seven competitors in their first seasons of intercollegiate swimming.

This season, Augsburg has been led by newcomer Julie Zollner (FY, Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS), who has recorded the top finishes for the Auggies in several meets, including two top-six finishes in backstroke events at the Macalester Invitational on Jan. 30-31, the team's last competition before the MIAC championships. Her season-best is a 32.85-second effort in the 50-yard backstroke and 1:12.13 in the 100-yard backstroke.

Senior Stephanie Storlie (SR, Moorhead, Minn.) is a four-year veteran of the Augsburg program, and has shown continued improvement in several events.

Carleton
Coach: Andy Clark (16th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 3rd

The Carleton College men’s swimming and diving team placed third at last year’s MIAC Championships, the program’s best finish ever at the event. The Knights enter the 2009 conference meet having recorded 13 successive top-four finishes at the conference meet.

The Knights are once again led by senior Ted Marschall (Burnsville, Minn..), the 2008 MIAC Swimmer of the Year and the defending conference champion and meet-record holder in the 200 breaststroke and the 200- and 400-yard individual medley events.

He is a six-time All-American, including second-place finishes during the 2008 national meet in both the 200-yard and 400-yard individual medley races and a fourth-place showing in the 200 breaststroke. Marschall has also been twice named All-American honorable mention and figures to be a key component on Carleton’s relay teams.

Diver John Knapp(Sr./Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) shared Diver of the Year honors in 2008 and is an All-MIAC performer on both the one- and three-meter boards the last three years. He has recorded NCAA qualifying score on the three-meter board. Fellow diver Eric Brenner (So./Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) earned all-conference distinction on both boards as a rookie.

Seniors Jared Plotz (Hutchinson, Minn.), Ryan Terrien (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) and Elliot Bartis (McLean, Va./Langley) will again be called up to score points in the backstroke and freestyle sprints, while add to the team’s depth in the relays.

Sophomore Andrew Mering (Baraboo, Wis.) finished fifth in the 200 backstroke last year and advanced to the consolation finals in his other two individual events.

The Knights’ performance in the relay events will be critical if they want to repeat last season’s finish when they leapfrogged St. Thomas with strong showings in the weekend’s final two events, the 3-meter diving competition and the 400 freestyle relay.

On the women's side, the Knights finished third last season and will challenge for the top spot in the conference once again. Leading the way are the Alexander sisters: Becky, Kate and Maggie. The oldest, Becky Alexander (Sr./Tigard, Ore../Tualatin), has twice won the 100 freestyle and captured the 100 backstroke as a sophomore at the MIAC Championships.

Kate Alexander (Jr./Tigard, Ore./Tualatin) is the reigning two-time MIAC Swimmer of the Year. At last year’s conference meet, Kate won the 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, 400 IM, and had a leg of Carleton’s winning 200 medley. Overall she has earned All-America honorable mention a total of five times, including three individual races (200 breaststroke, 200 and 400 IM). She enters this year’s meet with the top time in the MIAC for the 100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM.

Maggie Alexander (Fy./Tigard, Ore./Tualatin) could join her siblings as MIAC champions as soon as this weekend. She holds the MIAC’s best time in 200 freestyle and the second-best time in the MIAC in the 500 freestyle.

Kale Zicafoose (So./Omaha, Neb./Westside) is the defending 200 backstroke champion and went to Nationals in that event. Zicafoose again has the top time in the MIAC in the 200 backstroke this year.

Last year, Kaarin Taylor (Sr./Gainesville, Fla.) won the 100 butterfly and finished second in the 200 fly. She looks to be on pace for similar results this year as she currently has the top time in the 100 butterfly and the second best time in the 200 butterfly, which is a Knight dominated event. Carleton has the top five times posted in the MIAC this year in the 200 butterfly.

Other Carleton swimmers to be on the lookout for are: Mia Zutz (Jr./Middleton, Wis.), Louise Buckler (So./Blaine, Minn./St. Paul Academy) and Kelsey Ihinger (Jr./Eden Prairie, Minn.)

Zutz placed third in last year’s 100 breaststroke and is seeded fifth in the 100 and 200 this season. Buckler has top-ten times in the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Ihinger in is that group of Knights that has done so well at the 200 fly, with the fourth-best time in the MIAC, but it is five seconds better than the next non-Carleton swimmer.

The Knights will look to perform well in the relays again this year after winning three of last year’s races: the 200 and 400 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay.

Concordia
Coach: Julie Lucier (10th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 9th

Concordia enters the 2008-09 MIAC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship Meet looking to continue their progress of seasonal development. The Cobbers have steadily improved throughout the year and are hoping to eclipse last year’s team total of 130 points.

The recipe for success for this year’s team will be the same as in year’s past as Concordia will add a robust diving crew to a young swimming stock that should make a solid dish at the championship meet.

Once again Concordia diving coach Pat Anderson has assembled a top-flight crew of athletes. The Cobbers have six divers ranked in the top 12 in the 1-meter diving competition in the MIAC heading into the championship meet and all six are ranked in the top 10 in the 3-meter. The diving team is led by the tandem of Lauren Trudeau (Jr., Stillwater, Minn./Chisago Lakes HS) and Amy Glubzinski (So., Novi, Mich.). Both athletes are ranked in the top seven at each board. Trudeau is ranked second in 1-meter and seventh in 3-meter and has won at least one diving competition in all six of the team’s dual meets this season. Glubzinski is ranked second in the 3-meter and fifth in the 1-meter. She should be a factor in both events but has a better chance to earn one of the top spots in the 3-meter competition.

On the swimming side, Concordia is led by sophomore Katie Coleman (Marshall, Minn.). She is currently ranked in the top 20 in the conference in the 200-yard backstroke and the 1650-yard freestyle and is also ranked 22nd in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle. Coleman is coming off a pair of multiple-team invites where she posted a trio of top five finishes.

Other Cobber athletes that could be in contention at the conference meet include senior Shaina Fossum (Minnetonka, Minn.) who is ranked in the top 20 in the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 1,650-yard freestyle. She is also in the top 25 in the 400-yard individual medley. Her sister, Stacie Fossum (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.), will be the team’s top threat in the breaststroke events as she is in the top 30 in both the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Aleina Weisz (Williston, N.D.) will carry the torch in the backstroke. She is currently ranked in the top 20 in the 100-yard backstroke. The other top 25 swimmer for the Cobbers is freshman Lindsay Mitlyng (Marshall, Minn.) who has posted quality times in the 200-yard butterfly.

Gustavus
Coach: Jon Carlson (19th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 1st

The Gustavus men's swimming team is looking forward to the opportunity to compete for another MIAC Championship this weekend at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.  The Gusties will be hoping to win their second straight title and seventh in the last eight years.  It appears that once again the Gusties and Oles are the primary contenders for the title, however Gustie Head Coach Jon Carlson feels that this meet will be different than in recent years because of the depth of talent on teams throughout the conference.

Depth in the swimming events has been the strength of the Gustavus teams in its recent success at the conference meet and this year will be no different.  The Gusties look to be particularly strong in the distance swims as they hold three of the top four times of the season in both the 500 free and 1650 free.  Leading the way for Gustavus will be junior Skylar Davis (Palatine, Ill.), sophomore Whitaker Davis (Palatine, Ill.), and sophomore John Rice (Madison, Wis./ Middleton).  Skylar Davis, the two-time defending champion in the 1650, who set the MIAC meet record last season, currently holds the top time this season at 16:09.73.  Whitaker ranks second with a time of 16:39.76, and John Rice ranks fourth with a time of 17:18.98.  In the 500 free, Skylar ranks second with a time of 4:40.15, while two- time defending conference champ Matt Stewart (Burnsville, Minn.) ranks third with a time of 4:41.28, and Whitaker Davis ranks fourth with a time of 4:47.81.

In addition to currently ranking third in he 500 free, Stewart also ranks second in the 200 free (1:42.64), third in the 100 free (47.40), first in the 100 butterfly (51.17), and first in the 200 butterfly (1:54.84).  Stewart, one of the most prolific swimmers in the history of the Gustavus swim program, will also play a critical role in several of the Gustavus relay teams at the meet.

Other key contributors in the meet for Gustavus expect to be senior Tyler Wakefield (Hutchinson, Minn.) in the 50 and 100 free, senior Dave Pearson (Woodbury, Minn./Stillwater) in the 200 and 400 individual medley, sophomore Paul Kirihara (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) in the 100 and 200 backstroke, first year Billy Schultze (Mankato, Minn./East), and first year Josh Seaburg (Moorhead, Minn.) in the 200 butterfly and 400 individual medley.

The Gusties also expect to be very competitive in the relays as they enter the meet with the second fastest times this season in the 200 free relay (1:25.65), the 400 free relay (3:10.5), and the 800 free relay (7:08.95), as well as the second fastest time in the 400 medley relay.

The Gustavus women will head into the 2009 MIAC Championships with a little different expectations after losing a talented senior class from the 2008 squad that won the MIAC title.

Head Coach Jon Carlson feels the team will be competitive, but hopes to contend for another title are not realistic.  The Gusties will be led by junior Carrie Gundersen (Minnetonka, Minn.) the two-time defending champion in the 500 freestyle, Anika Erickson (Jr., Milaca, Minn.) who finished second in both the 100 and 200 breastroke last year, and the talented diving duo of Brit Matzke (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) and Maria Freund (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.).

Gundersen will lead the Gustavus contingent at the meet as the two- time defending 500 free champion currently holds the conference's fastest times in both the 500 free (5:19.90) and the 1650 free (17:51.04).  In the sprints, the Gusties will be led by first year Dajana Vidovic (Coleraine, Minn./Greenway) who has the fifth fastest time this season in the 50 free (25.31) and the sixth fastest time in the 100 free (54.93).

Anika Erickson (Jr., Milaca, MInn.) will once again battle for the top spot in the 100 and 200 breastroke.  She has posted the fourth fastest time this season in the 100 breast (1:09.70) and the second fastest time in the 200 breast (2:29.38).

Coach Carlson feels this team has good balance across all of the events and he will look to his seniors to keep the team focused throughout the meet.  That group includes Emma Espel (Fargo, N.D./North) in the 100 butterfly, Krista Koenen (Willmar, Minn.) in the 100 backstroke, and Emily Amundsen (Plymouth, Minn./Armstrong) in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

The team also expects to have a major impact in the one and three meter diving events thanks to the duo of Brit Matzke (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) and Maria Freund (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.).  Entering the conference meet, Matzke ranks first on the one-meter board (361.35) and second on the three-meter board (319.15), while Freund ranks first on the three-meter board (355.70) and third on the one-meter board (316.35).  In addition, first year Alicia Alvarado ranks second on the one-meter board (329.65).

The Gusties also expect to be very competitive in the relays as they have posted the top time this season in the 200 free relay (1:40.93), as well as the third fastest time in the 800 free relay (8:23.49).

Hamline
Coach: Frank Vaccaro (1st season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 6th
The Pipers will be expecting to receive most of their points from two swimmers who have made a tremendous impact on the Hamline record books as they take to the pool at the MIAC Championships under first year head coach Frank Vaccaro.

Senior Jake Burgess (Maple Grove, Minn.) and junior Will Khoury-Hanold (Kingsford, Mich.) will shoulder much of the Pipers’ expectations this weekend at the University of Minnesota.

The pair sit at or near the top of several Hamline top ten lists. Burgess is the current school record holder in three individual events (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke) and is a member of three record-holding relay teams (400 freestyle, 200 medley, 400 medley). The sprinter is also in the Piper top ten in the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and the 100 breastroke.

Khoury-Hanold is a member of the same three relay record teams as Burgess, and is poised to put his name at the top of a Piper individual record list. He is currently second fastest all-time in the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, and 200 backstroke. Khoury-Hanold also has top ten times in the 100 freestyle and 200 butterfly.

Although the team will lack depth on the roster at this year’s championships, the Pipers will be looking to these two key swimmers to make a splash on the podium throughout the weekend.  

A junior who has made her mark on the school record books and a first-year who has already posted times in the Piper top ten lists will lead the Hamline University women’s swimming and diving team at the MIAC Championships this year.

Under first-year head coach Frank Vacarro, junior Renee Punyko (Duluth, Minn.) is looking to take her two years of experience at this meet and translate it into a spot at the top of the podium. She finished third in the 100 freestyle one year ago, and will be looking to improve upon that.

Punyko has times in the Piper top ten lists for the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke, and 200 individual medley.

Joining Punyko in the top ten lists of the storied Piper swimming program is first-year Marreya Bailey (Brooklyn Park, Minn.). Bailey wasted little time in cracking into the top ten, as she holds spots on the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke lists, and will be looking to add more to her resume by the end of the weekend.

Vaccaro will also look to the Piper relays to add some depth to the Hamline line-up, as Kryslyn Kalkbrenner (Fy., Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Erinn Moriarty (Jr., Cottage Grove, Minn.) have found success this season when teamed up with Punyko and Bailey in the pool.

Vaccaro will be looking for Punyko to have a break-out weekend, and for Bailey to make her presence known on the podium in her debut season, as the Pipers take to the pool at the University of Minnesota.

Macalester
Coach: Bob Pearson (20th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 8th
Despite a small roster size, Macalester is looking to move up from last year’s eighth-place conference finish, and will be looking towards Nathan Young (So., Denver, Colo. / Littleton) to earn a good share of the team’s points.  Young is the defending MIAC champion in both the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke, and also reached the finals last year in the 200-yard individual medley.  He placed 14th in both backstroke events at last year’s national championships.

Jeff Yamashita (So., Honolulu, Hi. / Iolani) is Macalester’s second most-accomplished swimmer and will be asked to score some points in the sprint freestyle and butterfly races.  With three divers, Macalester should score some points on the boards, led by Jens Tameng (So., Portland, Ore. / Catlin Gabel).  Swimmers Paco Venneri (Fy., Los Alamos, N.M. / Los Alamos) and Seth McIntire (Sr., Seattle, Wash. / Garfield) will also be counted on for production.

The Scots women are optimistic they can make a big improvement over last year’s seventh-place finish at the MIAC championships and are looking for diver Annie Flanagan (Sr., Madison, Wis. / East) to lead the way.  Flanagan has set school records and improved on her NCAA qualifying marks in nearly every meet this season, and is a leading contender on both boards.  She was second last year in 3-meter diving and as a sophomore was runner-up on both boards.

Flanagan is backed up by one of the program’s best first-year classes ever and these frosh will be counted on to produce key team points.  Leading Mac’s Class of ’12 is Karoline Hart (Fy., Rexford, N.Y. / Niskayuna), a major challenger in the two breaststroke races.  Hart will enter the meet ranked second this season in the 100-yard breaststroke and third in the 200 breast.  Grace Fleming (Fy., Northampton, Mass.) could be a factor in the distance freestyle races, along with Clare Pillsbury (Fy., Baraboo, Wis.) and Hillary Frey (Fy., Portland, Ore. / St. Mary’s Academy) is ranked in the individual medleys and breaststroke.

Alex Cortes (Sr., Berkeley, Calif. / Head-Royce) is enjoying a strong senior campaign and will provide important leadership to this young team in the sprints and backstroke.  Claire Eder (So., Evanston, Ill. / Evanston Township) could be a point-scorer in the backstroke.

Saint Benedict
Interim Coach: Adam Hainlin (1st season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 4th

The College of Saint Benedict swimming and diving team has had a successful season with many season and personal best times. Senior Stephanie Johnson made the national cut on the one meter board for diving. Senior Kelly Matzen has captured multiple first place finishes this season in the 100 backstroke, 100 and 200 freestyle. Senior Brooke Johnson swam strong in the 50 freestyle, 200 breaststroke and the 200 I.M. Sophomore Katie Lambert is in the top eight of the MIAC ranking for the mile. Seniors Becca Schleicher, Matzen, B. Johnson and first-year Carolyn Triggs had strong finishes in the 400 freestyle relay.

St. Catherine
Coach: Nicole Hempler (7th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 8th

The College of St. Catherine swimming and diving team enters the 2009 MIAC Championships with the goal of continuing their climb up in the MIAC standings.  To carry on that trend the Wildcats are aiming to not only increase the number of individuals scoring, but to raise the level of all 18 athletes that are allowed to compete in the meet.

In individual event competition St. Kate’s is expecting Sarah Moody, Bridget Perkins, Jennifer Lippitt and Sarah Vrudny to be the team’s top placers.

Lippitt, a senior, will also be looking to guide a talented group of first-year swimmers to relay success.  The St. Kate’s pool of relay swimmers includes Mary Walters, Elizabeth Fosse, Ashley Kramka, Perkins, and Vrudny.

Seniors Christa Buhl, Terese Hill, Gina Jagger, and Emily Schmidt have ushered in a new generation of swimmers and divers at St. Kate’s all season long, and they will now be striving for career best performances as they participate in their final collegiate meet.

In addition to moving up in the MIAC standings, Coach Hempler is excited about the possibility of seeing several St. Kate’s school records broken as the Wildcats hit the pool as a team for the final time this season.

Saint John's
Coach: Bill Saxton (11th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 5th
The 2008-09 Saint John’s University swimming and diving team looks to bounce back following a disappointing and uncharacteristic finish at the 2008 MIAC Championships.

Last year, Saint John’s finished fifth out of eight teams at the MIAC Championships under Bill Saxton, who begins his 11th season as head coach of the Johnnies this winter. In the previous 10 seasons under Saxton, the Johnnies had never finished lower than third.

Leading the way for the Johnnies this season are senior captains Mike Dempsey (West Des Moines, Iowa/ Dowling Catholic), Kevin Kubat (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic) and Trent Novotny (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska).

Dempsey (sprint freestyle), Kubat (butterfly/freestyle) and Novotny (breaststroke/sprint freestyle) will each provide a boost to the team in their respective events. At the 2008 MIAC Championships, Kubat finished 11th in the 200-yard butterfly, 12th in the 100-yard butterfly and 15th in the 200-yard individual medley. Novotny finished 12th in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events, while Dempsey claimed 15th place in the 100-yard freestyle.

Another Johnnie to watch for is sophomore diver Marcus Rien (Richmond, Minn./Rocori), who was named the MIAC’s Co-Diver of the Year after claiming the MIAC title in the one-meter dive and second in the three-meter dive last year. Rien became the first Johnnie to win the MIAC title in the one-meter dive since John Deters in 1992.

Although six seniors graduated from the 2007-08 squad, SJU welcomes 13 freshmen to the 32-man roster this year. Saxton is looking for immediate impact from freshman Ty Nimens (Crookston, Minn.), who graduated from Crookston High School but swam for Grand Forks (N.D.) High School and was the 2008 North Dakota Swimmer of the Year. Nimens will compete in the individual medley, butterfly and freestyle.  Saxton will also look to freshman Jesse Otis (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling Catholic) to be strong in the individual medley, freestyle and breaststroke events, while Jimmy Foley (Moorhead, Minn.) will compete in the 200-yard freestyle and the one mile swim.

SJU’s divers will once again be a strong suit for the Johnnies’ hopes to finish strong at the conference meet. In addition to Rien, freshmen Kelley Burg (Grand Forks, N.D./Sacred Heart) and Wes Schlichting (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) will perform in both the one- and three-meter diving events this season. Schlichting finished 10th and ninth at the Minnesota State Class A Championships as a junior and senior for the Storm, respectively, while Burg claimed 10th and fifth places his final two years at the North Dakota Championships.

Saint Mary's
Coach: Eric Lindquist (10th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 7th
The Saint Mary’s University men’s swimming and diving team has been gearing up for the upcoming Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships all season.
 
Everything they have done to this point has been in preparation for this one, three-day event.
 
And coach Eric Lindquist is confident his teams are ready to make a big splash on the conference’s biggest stage.
 
“We’ve been training very, very hard and everyone is pretty geared up (for the conference championships),” said Lindquist. “I’ve been very happy with our performances in the meets that we’ve competed in, and I think everyone is ready to make the conference meet their best of the season.”
 
Leading the way again for the Cardinal men will be junior John Fox (Winona, Minn.), who earned all-conference honors a year ago, shattering the team’s school record en route to an NCAA B provisional mark and a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 58.44. Fox also set school records in the 50 freestyle and the 200 breaststroke at last year’s championships — and Lindquist figures Fox can go even faster this year.
 
“John had a great conference championship last year,” said Lindquist, whose men placed seventh a year ago, while the women were 10th. “He’s focused on making this year even better.”
 
And, Lindquist hopes, Fox won’t be the Cardinals’ lone bright spot.
 
Jennifer Salzman (Hilo, Hawaii), Linda Tierney (Cloquet, Minn.), Rachel Steinkamp (Lakeville, Minn.) and Nikki Farmer (Medford, Wis.) have led the Cardinals’ charge on the women’s side and have all enjoyed solid regular seasons.

Neil Heacox (San Diego, Calif.), Matt Ramey (Centennial, Colo.) and Tim Tysk (St. Paul, Minn.) have all enjoyed solid regular seasons.
 
“I’m excited about the potential of our team,” said Lindquist. “Hopefully we can turn that potential into solid performances.”

St. Olaf
Coach: Dave Hauck (35th season) and Bob Hauck (20th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 2nd

The St. Olaf men's swimming and diving team will try for it s 25th conference title and second in the last three seasons at the 2009 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships.  The Oles finished second last year after winning the title in 2007. St. Olaf won 20 straight title from 1980-1999.

St. Olaf has the league's best times in each of the five relays and owns nine of the top 16 individual bests into the championships.

Two-time 200 IM national champion Nelson Westby will lead the way for the Oles, who are ranked sixth in the latest Collegeswimming.com Top 25 poll.  As of Feb. 11, Westby has the nation's best times in the 100 Breast (54.66) , 200 Breast (1:58.98) and 200 IM (1:50.86). His 200 Breast time is the best in the country by over three seconds and almost ten seconds faster than anyone in the MIAC. Westby, who has twice been named the national swimmer of the week this year, will continue a heavy training regiment prior to the MIAC's in preparation for the NCAA's in March.

The Oles' Jake Koch has the league's top times in the 100 Free (45.87) and 200 Free (1:42.00), the second best 200 IM time and swims on the team's league-leading relays. Koch's 200 IM time (1:51.39) is only behind Westby in all of Division III.  His Free times rank 12th and 21st in the country. The versatile Koch has been on the team's 200 Free, 400 Free, 800 Free, 200 Medley and 400 Medley Relays.

Adam Meyer, the team's Backstroke specialist, owns the MIAC's best times in the 100 Back (51.24), 200 Back (1:52.97) as those times are ninth- and 11th-best in Division III. Meyer also is a part of the team's 200 Medley, 400 Medley and 200 Free Relays.

Chris Bateman will lead the team in the 500 Free, 1000 Free and 400 IM. He has the conference's top times in each and his 400 IM time (4:03.24) ranks eighth in the nation. He also swims on the squad's 800 Free Relay.

Nate Bentley, who swims on the Oles' 200 and 400 Free Relay teams, has top six times in the MIAC in the 200 IM, 400 IM and 500 Free.

The team will also count on Kaegan Recher, Luke Money, Brock Edwards on relays an in their respective events.

Lauren Snyder has three top four time in the league, led by her second-best 1:58.38 in the 200 Free. She has the MIAC's third-best time in the 50 Free and the fourth-best mark in the 200 Free.

Alli Beardsley also has a top five time in the 200 Free (2:00.69) and has the seventh-best time in the 500 Free. Her strength, though, is in the 200 and 400 Individual Medleys where she has the second-best time in each. Beardsley also has a solid sixth-best time in the 200 Breast.

Kjersten Grinde will pace the team in the 100 and 200 Breast, where she has the third and sixth-best times in each.

The team will also look to distance Freestyler Jamie Fredeen. Fredeen ranks third and fourth in the MIAC in the 1000 and 500.

St. Olaf was second in each of the last two MIAC Championships. The team won the 2005-06 title, the 15th in school history. Divers Ian Straehly and Ryan Trostrud have each posted top marks and are expected to score in the MIAC's.

St. Thomas
Coach: Tom Hodgson (30th season)
2007-08 Championship Finish: 4th
Tom Hodgson’s 30th season as Tommie men’s swimming and diving coach has brought some pleasant surprises. Last February, Hodgson was named MIAC Men's Coach of the Year and Women's Co-Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2008 MIAC Championships after his male and female athletes broke 13 of a possible 38 school records at the MIAC meet. The St. Thomas men to fourth place, two spots better than in 2007, and just four points (431-427) behind third-place Carleton. The Toms finished ahead of St. John's for the first time since 1995, broke six school records, and had a second-place relay.

The Toms graduate some big guns in MIAC 50 free champ T.J. Hardy, Tim and Kevin Mullee, and Mitchell Johnson. But the addition of junior transfer Pete Mullee from the University of Minnesota and some other newcomers that include freshman Erik Huls has helped the Tommies have a strong season.

Mullee, a backstroke and sprint free standout, has already broken two UST school records and is ranked either first, second or third in six individual events. Sophomore Andrew Spratt will look to reach All-MIAC honors in the distance races. Huls is seeded fourth in the 50 free, fifth in the 100 fly and ninth in the 100 free. The Tommies are also seeded second in the 200 medley and third in both the 4000 medley and 200 free relays.

The Tommie women placed fifth at the meet and had a rare triple winner in freshman Becca Ney, who broke St. Thomas records in the 50 free (24.16) and 100 free (52.68). A relay disqualification caused a 35-point swing and kept UST from a shot at fourth place. In all the UST women had nine All-MIAC (top three) finishes, including seven individual and two relay. Jena Root broke a school record in the 100 back (58.86) and took third in the 100 back and 200 back. Layla Clauss placed second in the 500 free, and Kristen Jarnes closed her career as she placed third in three-meter diving. UST broke four women's relay records.

Ney and Root lead the 2008-09 Tommies. Ney is seeded first in the 50 and 100 frees, third in the 400 IM, fourth in the 100 back. Root is seeded first in the 100 back, fourth in the 200 back, and seventh in the 100 free. Clauss and Sam Simon are expected to score well in distance races, and Simon is seeded third in the 400 IM.

The Tommies are seeded second in three relays – the 400 free and 200 and 400 medleys.