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Oles dominate over the Tommies

Sawra Karimi
February 4, 2002

The St. Olaf swimming and diving team traveled to the St. Thomas University this past Friday, Febuary 1, to take on the Tommies in a conference dual meet. Both the men and women were successful against the Tommies, with final scores of 69-39 and 73-36, respectively. The finals scores were lower than usual due to the fact that the St. Thomas pool is only fives lanes, therefore, allowing for only two competitors from each team in each event. This limit can change the dynamics of a meet, because team depth is no longer an important factor in the outcome of the meet.

The women weren?t phased by the different format and won 12 out of the 13 events. They once again depended on one another to provide them with competitive races. This was the case in the 1000-yard freestyle were Laura Schutt (Jr., Niles, Ill.) and Jenna Kubat (FY., Des Moines, Iowa) were stroke for stroke for the entire race. In the end it was Schutt who touched the wall first with a winning time of 11:15.71. Kubat was only a tenth of second behind with a time of 11:15.81. Schutt also turned in the top time in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:35.31

Katie Detwiler (FY., Fort Atkinson, Wis.) was another double winner for the Ole women winning the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke, with final times of 2:19.33 and 2:19.76. Detwiler also led off the winning 400-yard medley relay that finished with a time of 4:16.56. Kate Nygaard (Jr., Franktown, Colo.), Katie Buecksler (Jr., Owatonna, Minn.) and Katie Brentz (FY., Arden Hills, Minn.) were also a part of this relay.

Brentz once again took her win in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.12. Other wins for the Oles came from Sonia Karimi (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) in the 200-yard butterfly, who touched the wall six seconds ahead of the runner up. Her time of 2:20.35, was a season best. Sara Champlin (FY., Prescott, Wis.) won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:06.21 and Liz Hathaway (So., Lincoln, Neb.) was the champion in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 57.62.

St. Thomas does not have diving facilities, so the diving competition took place at the St. Catherine?s pool. Jenny Williams (So., Cambridge, Minn.) came back from a month off-campus to win the 3-meter, while Collin Cunningham (FY., University Place, Wash.) had a good day on the 1-meter to finish first.

The men fared as well as the women, winning 10 out of the 13 events. Jake Hvistendahl (So., Minnetonka, Minn.), Eric Palmer (So., Roseville, Minn.), Adam Garret (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.), and Jered McGivern (Sr., Wausau, Wis.) teamed up in the 400-yard medley relay to win with a time of 3:42.15. The Oles have dominated this event through out the year, and have a great chance of winning the event at the conference meet. Palmer was also an individual winner for the Oles. He once again performed well in the 200-yard breaststroke to win with a time of 2:19.12.

Bo Connely (Sr., Hutchinson, Minn.) was champion in the 100-yard freestyle winning with a time of 49.15. He is a tremendous sprinter, and Oles will depend on his talents as they head into the conference meet. Ryan Lussenden (Sr., Morris, Minn.) displayed his versatility with a win in the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.18). Lussenden usually swims breaststroke and the individual medley for the Oles, but he can also be competitive in the freestyle events, as proven by his performance. Jim Chase (Sr., Winnetka, Ill.) swam aggressively to win the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:47.41. Another win on the Ole side came from Drew Vanderwert (FY., St. Paul, Minn.) in the 500-yard freestyle (5:17.15).

The Oles hope they can continue to win events as they take on conference rival Carleton on Saturday, February 9. The talented Carleton team will be a challenge for the Oles, and hopefully, the meet will bring out the best in everyone. The Oles always enjoy this final dual meet against the Knights. It is a great time to test their competitiveness before taking two weeks off to prepare for the conference meet.

Contact Judy Stromayer at 507-786-3315 or stromaye@stolaf.edu.