ROCHESTER, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict continued its outstanding start to the season as the Rochester Invite (Minn.) opened on Friday at the Rochester Aquatic Center at the Rochester-Olmstead County Recreation Center Natatorium.

In total, the Bennies had nine career bests as the team placed 7^th among nine teams with 171.5 points. CSB competed against schools from NCAA DI, NCAA DII and NCAA DIII in the competition which continues today in Rochester, Minn. The second day of the competition begins today with prelim at 9:30 a.m. and finals at 5 p.m. Saturday events include 200 free relay (finals only), 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 1-meter diving (finals only) and 400 medley relay (finals only).

Junior Emi Wagner continued to improve her time in the 50 free as she placed 12^th with a finals clocking of 24.82. She had bettered that mark with a season-best 24.57 in the prelims which was just short of her career best of 24.36 at the 2022 MIAC Championships. Also, in the 50 free, junior Jocie Larson was 19^th in the 50 free with a season-best 25.06 in the finals while Rachel Schlueter placed 24^th with a 25.82 in the finals but had a career-best 25.17 in the prelims.

Junior Lindsay Smutka set a career-best in the 100 butterfly in both the prelims and the finals. In the prelims, she cut over a second off her previous 100 butterfly best in 1:01.24 and then cut nearly another second off her time in the finals with a 1:00.33 in placing 17^th. Rosko had a career best mark in the 100 butterfly in placing 21^st. She had a 1:01.16 in the prelims which was nearly three seconds better than her best time this year and in her career. In the finals she swam 1:01.41. Laura Jennings just missed her career-best in the 100 butterfly with a 1:01.89 clocking in the prelims (1:01.84, 2022 MIAC Championships) and placed 23^rd in 1:02.04.

Senior Fiona Rosko had a career best clocking of 2:15.31 in the 200 IM and placed 16^th with her finals clocking of 2:16.46.  Molly Johanson also had a career-best performance in the 200 IM as she clocked a finals time of 2:14.82, which bettered her 2:14.97 clocking at the 2020 MIAC Championships.

In the 500 free, Johanson was 21^st with a clocking of 5:32.50 in C final after going 5:30.32 in the prelims. Laura Jennings was 23^rd as she had a 5:35.14 in the prelims before finishing at 5:33.94.

In the relays, CSB faired well in both 200 medley and 800 free. In the 200 medley relay the squad of Rachel Schlueter (27.91), Megan Bartels (32.36), Lindsay Smutka (26.98) and Jocie Larson (24.92) finished 17^th with a season-best clocking of 1:52.17. The 24.92 50 freestyle clocking in the relay by Larson bettered her career-best of 24.94 at the 2022 MIAC Championships.

CSB also had a 19^th place clocking in the 200 medley of 1:53.23 by a team of Mads Slavik (27.63), Molly Johanson (32.07), Ellie Blattner (29.06) and Emi Wagner (24.47), who had a season-best clocking in the 50 free.

The team of Lauren Sitzman (29.51), Liz Hansen (33.04), Laura Jennings (28.16), and Hannah Tatge (25.41) was 22^nd in 1:56.12, which was .65 better than the season best.

Another CSB team finished 27^th in 2:01.22 with Grace Weberg (30.99), Katie Brewer (36.06), Mary Ridgway (28.23) and Megan Pattee (25.94).

In the 800 free, CSB was 17^th in 8:20.78 with a team of Molly Johanson (2:06.70), Hannah Tatge (2:04.11), Lindsay Smutka (2:01.13) and Rachel Schlueter (2:08.84). In the relay, Smutka, had her career-best 200 free.

CSB also had a 19^th place finish in the 800 free of 8:36.16 with Laura Sitzman (2:06.33), Liz Hansen (2:10.45), Fiona Rosko (2:09.45) and Laura Jennings (2:09.93).

Also, for the Bennies the team of Maddy Ahlquist (2:21.76), Mary Ridgeway (2:12.26), Morgan Stout (2:14.33) and Katie Brewer (2:19.29) was 20^th in 9:07.64. Ridgeway and Brewer had a career-best in their 200 free sections of the race.