Bennies end season at MIAC Championships

The CSB swim and dive team competed in the MIAC Championships Feb. 14-17 at the Jean Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

The Bennies placed sixth out of nine teams in the MIAC.

The 200-yard freestyle relay was an All-MIAC performance and placed second. In addition to two All-MIAC honors, on the very first race of the conference meet, CSB’s 200-yard medley relay set a new school record with a time that earned them a fourth-place finish.

First-year diver Ella Kowalczyk was very pleased with how well she performed at the meet. She made finals and got on the podium with her eighth-place finish for the 3-meter dive, which was a new event for her. Kowalczyk was even prouder of her team for their performances over the four days and support they showed one another. She cites the team’s support and the overall environment of the meet as influencing her performance.

“As a first-year, it was very intimidating for me to be up alongside so many upperclassmen and insanely good divers both from my team and the other teams, but the atmosphere of MIACs was so supportive and spirited that I can’t wait to go back,” Kowalczyk said via email.

Kowalczyk recounts the highlight of her freshman season was the confidence she gained on the new 3-meter board.

“[Diving] coach Elise is so good at pushing her divers to be the best divers and people they can be. I am so thankful to her for making this freshman season such a success for me,” Kowalczyk said.

Senior swimmer Emi Wagner was also excited about her individual performances at the MIACs. Wagner recorded another All-MIAC performance with her second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle. Wagner’s race is the second-fastest time in program history and broke the school record. Wagner is very proud of her team and the effort they put into the meet.

“I’m so proud of everyone, and they all did a great job. I saw lots of improvements and lifetime bests at the meet, which is always amazing to see. We are all so supportive of each other and proud of our hard work. We could not have ended the season a better way,” Wagner said.

Wagner’s favorite moment from the MIACs was swimming the 100-yard breaststroke in the first heat of finals with teammate Megan Bartels. They went into the race hoping to drop more time, and both did, finishing in ninth and 10th place.

“It was a really cool moment for both of us and a memory I will hold on to for a really long time,” Wagner said.

Being her senior season, Wagner is very grateful for everything this program has brought her. “It’s been everything for me. Although it’s a lot of commitment, it has helped shape me into the person I am today. I am very thankful for the many opportunities I have had to compete against so many amazing women and my coaches who believed in me every step of the way. I am very happy to have helped lead this team one last time,” Wagner said.

First-year swimmer Mary Morris said this was her favorite meet to date. Morris recorded a 10th-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke and a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. However, it was Morris’ fourth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke, right alongside teammate Claire Canfield who took fifth, that stuck out to her the most.

“Claire was in lane seven and I was in lane eight, so she was the only person I could see during the race, and we ended up getting almost the exact same splits throughout the whole race. As freshmen, to be placed so high at the MIAC meet was very exciting. It was so exciting to swim right next to my best friend, and I don’t think I’m going to stop reliving this moment until next season,” Morris said.

Morris looks forward to a lot in the years to come.

“I’m excited to keep getting more personal best times and more MIAC meets in the future. I’m looking forward to being with the team again because I already miss swimming. I am also very excited for the new freshman class to come in and experience this,” Morris said.

Head coach Mandy Wolvert was very happy with her team’s performance at the MIAC Championships.

“The team is always striving for better results, but we are so happy with how they raced and dove. We had so many great time drops and scores, which made it a great finish to the season,” Wolvert said via email.

Wolvert had many swimmers and performances to recognize.

“We kicked the meet off by breaking the 200 Medley Relay school record. That was a great way to set the bar for the meet. And having our 200 Free Relay come in second in the MIAC was exciting. Canfield and Morris went into finals for the 200 Backstroke in seventh and eighth and finished in fourth and fifth, both clocking lifetime best times with huge time drops,” Wolvert said.

Wolvert said her favorite moment from the MIAC Championships was the seven swimmers in the 100-yard breaststroke. Seven CSB athletes entered into preliminaries, and all seven finished with time drops and lifetime best times.

“I’ve never seen that before, and it was fun to see them all have that kind of success,” Wolvert said.