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March 01, 2005
Hamline swim teams finish seventh at MIAC championships
Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams had a strong performance at the MIAC championships, where Hamline finished seventh this year, a one-spot improvement for both teams compared to a year ago.
Women’s team
The women’s team finished in seventh, with 230 points, only nine points behind sixth-place Concordia.
St. Olaf won the championship with a score of 777 points, and Carleton came in second with 668.5 points.
Senior Adrianne Walls had the best finish out of any of the Pipers, placing forth in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 18:11. Walls had her personal best in her mile event.
Hamline first-year Aly Janzen was fifth in the same event, and Piper Linsi Ulstad touched the wall in 16th place.
Janzen ended up making the finals in all three of her events and was top-eight in the 200 butterfly.
Head coach Andy Hanson said of Janzen, “She’s arguably the best swimmer on this team and was our top recruit. We’re very happy she choose to come to Hamline, and she is a very amazing athlete.”
Sophomore Lindsey Swanson finished fifth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:32.44, and senior Thyra Jagger was sixth in the one-meter dive.
First-year Dana Ketcher also did well, placing 13th in the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 55:09.
Men’s team
The men’s team also placed seventh in the meet by scoring 196.5 points, while Gustavus won the team championship with 876 points, and St. Olaf came in second with 820.
Julian Borgia and Jake Kruger led the men’s team, with Borgia placing fourth in the three-meter dive and Kruger placing sixth in the same event.
Sophomore Ryan Beckman placed 14th in the 200-yard backstroke, and junior John Burgess touched the wall in 16th place in the 100-yard freestyle event. Beckman made the finals in two of his three events and is described by Hanson as a “hard worker and very strong swimmer.”
Hamline seniors Ed Allgeyer and Matt Couglin finished their careers on the right note. Allgeyer went lifetime-best in all his events, and Coughlin also went lifetime-best in all his events.
Reflecting back on the season and on their goals, Hanson said, “This is what I hoped for with what we had
this year. Everyone was dropping times, and we’re not just about swimming fast, we are also about good people.”
Hamline’s teams will return nearly intact next season, as they only graduate three men and two women, but those seniors will be greatly missed by the whole squad.
“The seniors were about dedication and hard work. They left us with a legacy of strong leadership that will be missed, but they will always be a part of this team,” Hanson said.
The MIAC has always been a very strong conference, and given how fast the times were this year compared to last year’s slower meet, the Pipers’ performance from this season would have likely jumped them into fifth place a year ago. But, in the end, Hanson was proud of Hamline’s conference placing, saying, “I’m absolutely happy.”
Posted by msveum at March 1, 2005 08:11 PM
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