Drive For The MIAC Championship Has Begun

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/18/14)—Maddie Peterson and Lily Johnson helped start Concordia's drive for the MIAC Championship Meet on Friday and Saturday. The pair posted conference meet qualifying times at the annual MSU Moorhead Dragon Open.

Peterson was also one of four Cobber athletes to post a top 5 finish at the meet where Concordia finished in fourth place as a team. CC scored 303 team points in a meet that featured a pair of Division II squads and two Division III teams.

Peterson earned her top 5 finish in the 50-yard backstroke where she swam a 32.72 in the finals and finished in fifth place.        

Libby Hardwick, Jana Hedstrom and Greta Titus were the other three Concordia athletes to record top 5 finishes at the meet. Hardwick placed fourth in the 200-yard backstroke with a finishing time of 2:22.23. Titus was right behind Hardwick in the event. Titus clocked a 2:23.60 and came home in fifth place. Hardwick also came away with a sixth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke. She clocked a 1:06,77 in the finals but had a 1:05.40 in the prelims to qualify for the "A'" final. Hardwick also had a sixth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke and ninth-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley while Titus placed ninth in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:08.88.

Hedstrom earned her top 5 spot in the diving events. She finished the 1-meter event with a total of 354.45 and finished in fifth place. Her final total is a season best for an 11-dive competition in the 1-meter and is the third highest score in the conference.

Johnson earned her MIAC qualifying time in the 1650-yard freestyle when she swam a 21:00.20 on Friday.  

Other top finishers for the Cobbers included Hannah Winge, Jordyn Olson and Andrea Kittleson.

Winge was sixth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:44.07. That time was a full 4-seconds faster than her seed time. Olson swam a season-best 20:21.35 in the 1650-freestyle and placed seventh. That time is only 10.59 seconds off her finals time at last year's MIAC Championship Meet. Kittleson swam almost three seconds faster in the finals of the 200-yard freestyle and placed seventh in a time of 2:09.97.  

Concordia will complete their "regular season" competitions next weekend when they swim at Hamline in a dual meet on Friday, Jan. 24 and then compete in the St. Kate's Invitational on Saturday Jan. 25.