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GRINNELL, Iowa – The Grinnell College women’s swimming and diving team hopes to earn its fourth consecutive conference title when it hosts the 2016 Midwest Conference Swimming and Diving Championship this weekend.
Championship Page
The Pioneers’ depth will be the key to defending their title. Grinnell has just the top time in only three individual events, but have multiple women in the top-10 of every single individual event including the 400-yard individual medley where sophomore Maria Venneri has the best time (4:49.11), and the Pioneers have six of the top seven competitors in the event.
Beth Tsuha has the best time in the 500-yard freestyle (5:17.22) and the 100-yard freestyle (54.50) entering the final weekend of the conference schedule. Maddy Pesch will also be counted on to score big points for the favorites as she ranks second in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke. Pioneer divers Summer White, Tiffany Nguyen and Katie Parrish are also ranked 1-2-3 in the league on the three-meter boards, while Nguyen and White are ranked second and third, respectively, on the one-meter boards.
The Pioneers should also have considerable success in the relays, as they have the top times in the league in the 400-yard freestyle (3:42.36), 800-yard freestyle (8:09.71), and 400-yard medley (4:06.11), with Tsuha being a part of all three.
Emma Goral of Ripon College might be the MWC’s best swimmer and should also make a significant mark on this year’s championship. Goral enters this weekend with the best marks in the conference in five individual events including the 100-yard individual medley (1:03.97), 200-yard butterfly (2:09.86), 100-yard butterfly (58.72), 1,000-yard freestyle (11:06.86), 200-yard freestyle (1:57.57).
Lawrence University’s Hayley Cardinal has been a force so far this winter, earning MWC Performer of the Week honors four times. The Viking senior ranks as the top entrant in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:28.36), 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.78) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:12.57).
The Carroll University lineup will feature Val Julian, who has the fastest time in the 50-yard freestyle (25.00) and the second-best mark in the 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly. Junior Alyssa Szczepaniak and sophomore Marissa Stacy will also be key contributors for the Pioneers. Julian, Whitney Kieley, Maddie Strutz, and Morgan Stokes also could earn gold medals in the 200-yard freestyle relay as they enter the championship with a time of 1:40.16. Julian, Szczepaniak, Hannah Roraff and stokes also have the top time in the 200-yard medley (1:52.31).
Lake Forest College’s Lilly McCarthy leads the pack in the 1,650-yard freestyle, while Emily Bowens is aiming to top the podium in the 200-yard backstroke as she has the best time in the league by over three seconds. Bowens could also medal in the 100-yard backstroke as she is the only swimmer in the league to break the one minute mark.
Monmouth College’s Allie Vallance is the league’s top diver off of the one-meter board and has already qualified for the NCAA Regional Diving meet.
Knox College’s Madeline Bruce will be the Prairie Fire’s top representative. Bruce is ranked in the top-10 in the 50-yard freestyle, 1,000-yard freestyle and the 200-yard butterfly.
Action at Grinnell begins at 10:00 a.m. Friday morning and continues until Sunday evening.