Anderson Breaks 50-Yard Freestyle School Record

Day 1 Prelim Results | Day 1 Finals Results | Interviews | Video of 50-Yard Freestyle

ST. PAUL, Minn. (2/16/12)—For the second straight year, a Concordia senior kicked off the MIAC Championship Meet by breaking a school record. Last year Katie Coleman set the tone for the meet by breaking the first of four program marks. On Thursday Kirsten Anderson rewrote the record books in the 50-yard freestyle.
 
Anderson's new school record helped the Cobbers open the meet with solid individual performances and a career-best 400-yard medley on their way to an eighth-place finish after the first day of competition on Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.   

Anderson kick-started Concordia's MIAC Championship Meet appearance by breaking the school record in the 50-yard freestyle preliminary heats in the morning session.  What made the swim even more dramatic was the fact that it came in a swim off to get into the finals of the event. She recorded a 24.98 in the opening preliminary heat but tied with St. Ben's swimmer Hailey Schweitz for the 16th, and final, spot in Thursday night's championship heats. Anderson then did that .01 better by swimming a 24.97 in the race-off. That time was over .30 better than the old mark of 25.39 set by Amanda Suchanek in 2010.  

Her appearance in the finals of the event was also a team milestone. Anderson became the first Cobber athlete to qualify for the finals in the 50-yard freestyle since Cami Hendrickson back in 2005.

The only other individual to qualify for the finals was senior diver Allison Hall. Hall posted a score of 175.10 in the preliminary portion of the 3-meter event and qualified in eighth place. The finals of the 3-meter diving competition will take place on Friday, Feb. 17. 

The highlight of the evening session for Julie Lucier's crew came in the final race of the night. The 400-yard medley crew of Great Titus, Hannah Winge, Emily Erickson and Anderson all posted career-best times on their leg of the event and finished in a time of 4:19.17.

The Cobbers will continue the three-day competition on Friday when they compete in the preliminary heats beginning at 10:30 a.m. 


Team Scores After Day 1
1. Gustavus - 173   
2. St. Olaf College - 128
3. Saint Benedict - 102   
4. Carleton College - 99
5. University of St. Thomas - 87   
6. St. Catherine University - 52
7. Macalester College - 37   
8. Saint Mary's University - 22
9. Concordia College - 19  
10. Hamline University - 14
11. Augsburg College - 12