MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – First year
Tim Rizzo was the conference champion in the 500-yard freestyle and the St. Olaf College men's and women's swimming & diving teams both sit in fourth after day two of the 2020 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Swimming & Diving Championships held on Thursday at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
Rizzo recorded an NCAA B qualification time of 4:32.31, which is the third-fastest in program history, on his way to winning the 500 free by over three-and-a-half seconds. Junior
Marissa Wolff added a runner-up finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a 2019 NCAA selection time of 4:58.12 for the top finish of the day for the Ole women.
Rizzo's MIAC title in the 500-yard freestyle marked the second in a row for the St. Olaf men in the event, as sophomore
Sjon Greseth took home the title last year. Greseth won the B final in the event on Thursday with a time of 4:42.18.
In the women's 500-yard freestyle, Wolff finished second to Maggie Menso of St. Catherine, who took home her second-straight title in the event (4:56.87). Wolff less than a second and a half behind Menso and was over seven seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.
The St. Olaf women placed three in the top eight in the 200-yard individual medley, as junior
Maya Knutson was fourth (2:08.98), senior
Helen Jensen was sixth (2:09.52) and first year
Annika Cleven was eighth (2:11.92). Knutson's time is fourth in program history, while Jensen's was fourth and Cleven's was one spot outside the top 10.
First year
Maria Newton added a third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.93 seconds in the finals. Newton's time of 23.87 seconds in the prelims to win her heat was the first sub-24-second time in the MIAC this season and ranks fourth on St. Olaf's all-time list in the event.
In the men's 50-yard freestyle, senior
Ian Kretzmann took eighth in 21.73 seconds after qualifying for the A final with a time of 21.49 seconds in the morning.
St. Olaf was third in both the men's and women's 400-yard medley relays, as
John Loepfe, Kretzmann, Rizzo and Greseth clocked in at 3:26.42 for the men and Cleven,
Sophia Nevin, Newton and Knutson checked in at 3:55.12 for the women. Both relays earned All-MIAC honors with the third-place showings.
Rizzo, Wolff and Newton collected all-conference honors as a result of their top-three individual performances, while Knutson and Jensen earned Honorable Mention All-MIAC honors by finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 200 IM.
As a team, the Ole women are fourth with 171 points, trailing St. Catherine (244), Gustavus (243) and St. Thomas (237) in a top three separated by just seven points after three sessions. The St. Olaf men are also fourth with 145 points, with Gustavus (337), St. Thomas (252) and Saint John's (200) in the top three.
The meet continues on Friday, Feb. 14 with prelims at 10:30 a.m. and finals at 6:30 p.m.
