Six school records fall at MIAC championships

On Wednesday, Feb. 16, the St. Ben’s swim and dive team began their first day of the MIAC Championships at the University of Minnesota. Overall, the Bennies placed fifth out of nine total teams, the best they have placed since the 2015-16 season.

St. Kate’s won the conference with 809 points, followed by Gustavus in second with 714 points, St. Olaf in third with 504, Carelton in fourth with 430.5 and St. Ben’s in fifth with 417.5.

The Bennie swimmers made a splash in program history at the meet as they recorded many personal bests, top-ten program finishes and school record times.

According to head CSB swim and dive coach Mandy Wolvert, the team earned the most points at the MIAC Championship since the 2011-12 season, with the help of five All-MIAC finishes and an abundance of All-MIAC Honorable Mentions.

In total, three out of five relay records were broken, including the 200 medley, 400 medley and the 400 freestyle. Additionally, senior Ana Birklid broke three individual records, including her own in the 200 individual medley (IM), along with the 200 freestyle and 200 backstroke record.

“My favorite part of the meet was watching people achieve their goals and personal bests. It’s so fun to see smiles at the end of races. They worked hard this season and deserve to celebrate their successes,” Wolvert said.

The 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay all had fourth place finishes. Birklid finished fourth in the 200 IM and the 200 free and second in the 200 backstroke.

“The team was so ready for this meet, and we were incredibly excited to see what all of our training could do for us. We had the usual nerves of a big meet, but the excitement overtook the nerves,” Birklid said.

Another notable performance was junior Fiona Rosko’s third-place finishes in the 200 breaststroke and 400 IM and her fourth-place finished in the 200 fly.

“I swam back-to-back events on Saturday. [My teammates] were incredibly supportive while I raced and did everything they could to help me manage the fatigue…I really wanted to get as many points as I could to give back to them for their amazing support,” Rosko said.

Other strong races included senior Jes Milstroh’s fifth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke, as well as sophomore Emi Wagner’s fifth-place finish in the 50 free. Junior Molly Johanson also finished fourth in the 400 IM and sixth in the 1650 free. Sophomore Laura Jennings finished seventh in the 200 fly.

“It’s important to stay focused and trust the training, especially in big meets like this where the difference between making our goals is literally one hundredth of a second,” Wagner said.

Both Milstroh and Wagner were members of the 200 and 400 medley relays with teammates Madison Slavik and Birklid, and also the 200 free relay with Birklid and sophomore Jocie Larson.

“The best part of my meet was the first record we broke in the 200 medley relay on Wednesday. It was the first race of the meet and to see my teammates’ smiles and hear their cheers was one of the best feelings in the world,” Milstroh said.

Birklid shared in Milstroh’s excitement.

“We have wanted that record for so long, and being able to be a part of a relay school record for the first time was so exciting,” Birklid said.

The Bennies had a successful weekend overall, but the biggest splash in the pool was made by Birklid. Breaking three individual and three relay records is no small feat, and neither is competing in seven events.

“I am most proud of setting the 200-backstroke school record because I truly did not think I could do it. I was incredibly surprised and excited to see that I had it in me,” Birklid said.

While this was the last meet for the seniors on team, their impact on the program and the differences were great.

“I am proud of is how far our team has come. For this last season we were able to overcome so much and just enjoy the last races and practices of our swimming careers. I couldn’t have done it without them,” Milstroh said.