MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In their final team meets before the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships, the St. Olaf College men's and women's swimming and diving teams recorded nine top-10 finishes at the Minnesota First Chance Meet on Saturday at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
At the two-day, three-session meet, the St. Olaf women posted seven top-10 finishes and the men added two. The meet included two NCAA Division I programs and marked the final competition of the season for the portions of St. Olaf's rosters who will not compete at the MIAC Championships.
On Friday evening, sophomore
Lexi Cucchiaro and first year
Paige Steenblock started the meet with a pair of fourth-place finishes, as Cucchiaro was fourth in the 100-yard butterfly (1:01.17) and Steenblock was fourth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:14.79). Steenblock's time was the second-fastest among NCAA Division III competitors, while Cucchiaro's was third.
Steenblock registered St. Olaf's best finish of the weekend on Saturday morning by touching the wall second in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 18:33.73, which was the top time among NCAA Division III swimmers. Senior
Annika Cleven and junior
Rachel Stumpf gave the Oles two more fourth-place performances, as Cleven took fourth in the 400-yard individual medley (4:54.84) and Stumpf joined Steenblock in the top four in the 1,650-yard freestyle (19:10.92).
Senior
Tim Rizzo recorded the highest finish of the weekend for the St. Olaf men with an eighth-place showing in the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.49) on Saturday morning, while junior
Travis Miller added a ninth-place swim in the 1,650-yard freestyle (20:17.60).
To close out the meet on Saturday evening, sophomore
Ellen Varley was fifth among NCAA Division III competitors and 10th overall in the 200-yard backstroke (2:19.64). The Oles' 400-yard freestyle relay of first year
Rachael Olson, senior
Brydie Stewart, Stumpf, and senior
Allison Purdum clocked in at 4:00.80 to place 10th.
The three-day MIAC Championships begin on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. back at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota. The final two days include prelim sessions at 10:30 a.m. and finals sessions at 6:30 p.m.
