Swim and dive break records
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams wrapped up their regular season with their conference championships over the past two weeks.
The women’s team brought home their third consecutive NSIC championship in Fargo, North Dakota, after four days of competition from Feb. 12–15 with a total of 2,275 points. The Vikings placed first in numerous events and held top-10 finishes with several all-conference honors.
Senior Maija Kangas was awarded the NSIC Elite 18 Award for the second year in a row, which is based on both the highest academic standards and competition.
“I think a lot of times academics and athletics are so separate,” Kangas said. “Like, it is not an easy task. To me, that is definitely something that I’m most proud of.”
On day one, junior Bryn Greenwaldt, seniors Nesrine Jelliti, Angelina Chan and Makoa Montgomery placed first in the 200-yard medley relay while setting a NSIC record time of 1:40.17. They also secured first place in the 400-yard medley relay with another NSIC record of 3:24.29. Greenwaldt championed the 50-yard freestyle after setting the NSIC record in the prelims with a time of 22.09. Kangas, Montgomery, seniors Sofia Hein and Amaya Street won the 800-yard freestyle relay. Sophomore Avery Lommel earned first place in the 1-meter dive while also earning diver of the meet honors and all-conference honors.
On day two, Greenwaldt captured first in the 100-yard backstroke with a NSIC record of 52.58. Jelliti won first in the 100-yard breaststroke. Street, Montgomery, Chan and Greenwaldt claimed the title for the 200-yard freestyle relay. Sole diving senior Kate Robbins took second place in the 1-meter dive.
Robbins said she couldn’t have gotten through this season without her teammates and fellow divers, Lommel and David Binsfeld.
“I just feel like they were able to help me see my full potential and where I could actually go,” Robbins said.
The final day Hein, Street, Greenwaldt and Montgomery won the 400-yard freestyle relay. Greenwaldt secured her second individual championship placement in the 200-yard backstroke.
The following week, the men’s team headed to Holland, Michigan, for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championship from Feb. 19–22. They brought home a seventh place overall finish with numerous broken records and a handful of qualifying times.
On the first day of competition, the men broke records in all five of the events they competed in. Seniors Jackson Dircks, Mason Kauffeld, Pedro da Rocha Borin and junior Peyton Bartsch started the day off by making program history in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:29.19, placing them in seventh. To close out the first day of competition, Bartsch and Borin joined junior Isaac Rokusek and freshman Collin Wilcynski for a school record and a fifth place-finish in the 200 free relay. Bartsch, Rokusek and senior Aidan McCusker each set program records during their individual events.
On day two, Dircks, Kauffeld, Borin and Rokusek broke the GLIAC 400-yard medley relay record by .01 seconds.
On the final day, senior swimmer Aeson Akins placed first in the men’s 100-yard backstroke, recording his seasonal best.
Akins said he was proud of his final races of his swimming career that he swam at the championships.
“I gave those races everything I had left since they were the final ones of my career, and I am content with the effort I put in,” Akins said.
Swimmers and divers in the men’s and women’s team wait for NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships selections for qualifying times. Those who make the cut will travel to Indianapolis on March 11–15.
