COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – After an outstanding opening meet performance, the College of Saint Benedict swim and dive team will be back in the pool on Friday, Oct. 27 in a double dual competition with Hamline and Augsburg at 5 p.m. at the Warner Palaestra Pool.

CSB, Augsburg and Hamline will compete in 16 events including the 200 medley and 200 free relays. The teams will also compete in the 1,000 free, 200 free, 100 back, 100 break, 200 fly, to free, 200 back, 200 breast, 500 free, 100 fly, 200 IM and both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards. 

Quick Review
With the return of nine seniors, CSB, which is directed by head coach Mandy Wolvert, is a veteran team that is coming off a fifth-place finish at the MIAC Championships (361 points) in 2023. The Bennies, which have finished in the top-six in the MIAC in each of the past 18 years, earned All-MIAC honors in three individual events and honorable mention All-MIAC in five more events while recording 19 program top-10 marks at the conference championships.

Opener – CSB swims fast falls to Macalester

Sophomore Megan Bartels, junior Lindsay Smutka and senior Emi Wagner captured individual titles to lead a strong opening season performance by the College of Saint Benedict swim and dive team in a dual with Macalester at the Warner Palaestra Pool Oct. 21.The Bennies dropped a 162-131 decision to the Scots but totaled five titles and had 24 top-three finishes. CSB had eight second place finishes while finishing third in nine other events. Bartels was the only CSB swimmer with a pair of individual titles after capturing the 100 breast in 1:14.49 and the 200 breast in 2:39.25.

Wagner, who earned All-MIAC honors in the 50-free a year ago, started the season with an individual title in the 50-free at 25.92. In the race CSB had three of the top four finishers with sophomore Rachel Schlueter finishing second in 26.20. Senior Jocie Larson placed fourth in the same event with a clocking of 26.26.

Smutka captured the 100 back title in 1:01.11 with Schlueter finishing third in 1:02.94. Smutka also led a strong effort by CSB in the 200-back as she took second in 2:16.95. Sophomore Lauren Sitzman was third in 2:19.73 with first-year Claire Canfield placing fourth in 2:20.20 in the same event.

The Bennies won the 200-medley in 1:52.65 as Smutka, Bartels, Schlueter and Wagner raced to the title. CSB was also third in the race at 1:58.32 with a team of Canfield, sophomore Liz Hansen, senior Laura Jennings and sophomore Mikayla Haskamp. The Bennies also placed second in the 200-free relay with Wagner, Larson, Haskamp and Hannah Tatge combining for a clocking of 1:42.85. In the same relay, CSB was fourth in 1:47.75 with a team of first-year Sydney Gustin, Hansen, first-year Josey Jackson and Sitzman.

Haskamp also placed second in the 100 free with a clocking of 56.63 while CSB's Hannah Tatge took fourth in 58.65.

In diving, the Bennies were led by first-year Ella Kowalczyk, who had a 1-meter diving score of 200.25, just 3.70 behind the leader. She was second on the 3-meter board at 190.70 and finished 4.25 behind Macalester's Kate Yehle, who also won the 1-meter board, at 194.95.

The Bennies also had a second-place finish in the 100 fly from Schlueter at 1:04.35 with Jackson grabbing third in 1:05.41. Also, for CSB, senior Laura Jennings was second in the 200 fly in 2:23.66 with Jackson, third, in 2:27.44.

In the 200-IM, Canfield was third in 2:24.40 and Bartels fourth in 2:29.38. Sitzman was third in the 200 free at 2:07.74 with Canfield taking fourth in 2:10.57. Canfield was also third in the 200 IM in 2:24.40 with Bartels fourth in the race at 2:29.38.

Sophomore Morgan Stout had a pair of third place results in the 500-free in 5:46.42 and in the 1000 free in 12:21.95.

Wagner also took third in the 100-breast in 1:15.70. Larson took a third in the 200 breast in 2:47.47.