http://miac-online.org/news/2012/2/16/SWIM_0216122632.aspx

MINNEAPOLIS -- The first finals session at the 2012 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships saw the two defending team champions state their opening arguments to repeat, but after one day and two sessions, it appears both will receive heavy competition. The Gustavus women grabbed a slim lead over St. Olaf in their quest for a third-straight title, while defending men's champion St. Olaf is tied with St. Thomas atop the standings.

After one day of competition, the Oles and the Tommies are as close as it gets with 222 points each and two more days to decide the title. Each team captured one individual title and one relay title Thursday night, at the second of six sessions held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center throughout the weekend. The Saint John's and Gustavus men are also in the mix, at 167 and 160 points, respectively. Carleton sits in fifth after one day with 109 points, Saint Mary's 60 points have it in sixth place, Macalester is in seventh (54) with Hamline (24) rounding out the field.

The Gusties - who are gunning for their fifth title in six years and third in a row - started strong with 173 points in Thursday's first finals session. However, The Oles sit just 11 points with 162, and three other teams are also in striking distance. The rest of the formidable top five features Saint Benedict (134), Carleton (129) and St. Thomas (127). St. Catherine (80), Macalester (63), Saint Mary's (46), Concordia (41), Augsburg (30) and Hamline (14) round out the rest of the field.

The night started strong for the St. Thomas men, as Nick Johnson (449.45) edged St. Olaf's Ian Straehley (423.70) and met the NCAA 2011 Selection Time for the individual championship on the 1-meter diving board, with Saint John's Wes Schlichting in a close third place (420.95). The Tommies followed with a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:22.91 to claim victory in the first two men's events of the evening.

However, St. Olaf finished strong with freshman Michael Gratz (1:50.61) edging teammate Colby Kubat (1:51.45) in the top two spots of the 200-yard individual medley, and those two also helped the Oles win the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:23.30. Gratz met the NCAA 'A' standard in the 200-IM, while Kubat and the 400-free relay team met the 2011 NCAA Selection Time.

Other highlights from the men's events included Erik Klontz following up the MIAC Championship record he set in the morning preliminary session with a first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle. His Thursday night time of 20.30 didn't quite best the 20.18 he swam in the morning, but it did meet the 'A' standard. Saint John's Josh Seaburg swam to victory in the men's 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:33.17, while Gustavus' Billy Schultze met the 'B' standard in the 200-IM with a third-place finish and a time of 1:54.30 and St. Thomas' Ben Henrickson finished second in the 50-free in 20.84 and also met the 'B' mark.

The women's competition opened with a pair of 2011 champions successfully defending their titles. The Gustavus 200-yard freestyle relay repeated in first place with a winning time of 1:34.05 to get the Gusties' quest for a 3-peat off to a great start, and St. Olaf junior Meghan Weiss edged Alissa Tinklenberg to claim her second-straight title in the 500-yard freestyle. Weiss (4:57.40) and Tinklenberg (4:58.42) both met the 2011 Selection Time in the process.

The Oles added another win in the next event when junior Lydia Feldman met the 'B' standard with a time of 2:08.38 to win the 200-yard individual medley. Carleton's Sophie Pilhofer edged out defending champ Kelsey Lucia of Gustavus by just 0.02 seconds to claim victory in the 50-yard freestyle. Pilhofer’s time of 23.81 and Lucia's 23.83 both met the 'B' qualifying standard. St. Thomas ended the evening in style, winning the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:52.70. Both the Tommies and second-place St. Olaf (3:53.14) met the 2011 Selection Time in the race.

Following each race, all eight finalists were honored with a podium awards ceremony during Thursday night's session, and the top three finishers in each event received MIAC All-Conference honors and received medals for their achievement. Thursday's updated team scores and All-Conference honorees in each event are listed below, and complete results from the session are available online here. Photos from Thursday's session are also available here, and can be purchased right off the MIAC site.

The MIAC Championship continue Friday with two more sessions, followed by the final two on Saturday. The preliminary round begins at 10:30 a.m. with the finals set to start Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. All remaining sessions will be broadcast live online by Webcast America (click here) and all will also have live results available.

In addition, the MIAC has set up an exclusive Web site for the 2012 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships The site features an event schedule, ticket information, venue information and a map, as well as links to the live broadcast and results and the site will be constantly updated throughout the event with recaps, photos and more.

2012 MIAC Men's Swimming and Diving Championships

Men's Team Scores (after day one)

T1. St. Olaf - 222

T1. St. Thomas - 222

3. Saint John's - 167

4. Gustavus - 160

5. Carleton - 109

6. Saint Mary's - 60

7. Macalester - 54

8. Hamline - 24

2012 MIAC Men's All-Conference Individuals

1-meter diving

1. Nick Johnson (So., St. Thomas) 449.45 ST11

2. Ian Straehley (Sr., St. Olaf) 423.70

3. Wes Schlichting (Saint John's) 420.95

200-yard freestyle relay

1. St. Thomas (1:22.91)

(Michael Hoelterhoff, Max Hubbard, Nathan France, Ben Henrickson)

2. Gustavus (1:23.93)

3. Saint John's (1:24.60)

500-yard freestyle

1. Josh Seaburg (Sr., Saint John's) 4:33.17

2. Spencer Scarth (So., St. Olaf) 4:35.98

3. Sam Rauchwarter (Jr., St. Thomas) 4:36.23

200-yard individual medley

1. Michael Gratz (Fr., St. Olaf) 1:50.61 A

2. Colby Kubat (So., St. Olaf) 1:51.45 ST11

3. Billy Schultze (Sr., Gustavus) 1:54.30 B

50-yard freestyle

1. Erik Klontz (Jr., Carleton) 20.30 A

2. Ben Henrickson (So., St. Thomas) 20.84 B

3. Logan Arnold (Fr., Saint John's) 20.95

400-yard medley relay

1. St. Olaf (3:23.60) ST11

(Evan Griffith, Colby Kubat, Chase Liaboe, Michael Gratz)

2. St. Thomas (3:26.09)

3. Gustavus (3:27.98)

Key:

M - Meet Record; M* - Conference Record; R - Repeat Champion; A - NCAA 'A' Qualifying Standard; B - NCAA 'B' Qualifying Standard; ST11 - 2011 NCAA Selection Time.

2012 MIAC Women's Swimming and Diving Championships

Women's Team Scores (after day one)

1. Gustavus - 173

2. St. Olaf - 128

3. Saint Benedict - 102

4. Carleton - 99

5. St. Thomas - 87

6. St. Catherine - 52

7. Macalester - 37

8. Saint Mary's - 22

9. Concordia - 19

10. Hamline - 14

11. Augsburg - 12

2012 MIAC Women's All-Conference Individuals

200-yard freestyle relay

1. Gustavus (1:34.05) R

(Kelsey Lucia, Sarah Hund, Katie Olson, Alissa Tinklenberg)

2. Carleton (1:35.97)

3. Saint Benedict (1:37.06)

500-yard freestyle

1. Meghan Weiss (Jr., St. Olaf) 4:57.40 ST11 R

2. Alissa Tinklenberg (So., Gustavus) 4:58.42 ST11

3. Maggie Alexander (Sr., Carleton) 5:05.75

200-yard individual medley

1. Lydia Feldman (Jr., St. Olaf) 2:08.38 B

2. Steffanie Jurusik (Jr., St. Catherine) 2:09.73

3. Steph Korba (Sr., Gustavus) 2:11.17

50-yard freestyle

1. Sophie Pilhofer (Jr., Carleton) 23.81 B

2. Kelsey Lucia (Jr., Gustavus) 23.83 B

3. Kristen Beste (So., Saint Benedict) 23.98

400-yard medley relay

1. St. Thomas (3:52.70) ST11

(Hayley Trace, Emily Punyko, Mariann Kukielka, Erin Hogan)

2. St. Olaf (3:53.14) ST11

3. Saint Benedict (3:59.20)

Key:

M - Meet Record; M* - Conference Record; R - Repeat Champion; A - NCAA 'A' Qualifying Standard; B - NCAA 'B' Qualifying Standard; ST11 - 2011 NCAA Selection Time.