Cool Temps & Hot Times In St. Peter
It might have been cold outside but the Cobber swim team was able to heat up the Gustavus pool with impressive times and a near school record.
ST. PETER, Minn. (2/06/21)---Concordia went south for the winter weekend and found warm temperatures and fast times in a triple dual at Gustavus. The Cobbers beat Hamline and Augsburg in dual meets but lost to the host Gusties to finish at 2-1 on the day.
The 118-99 win over Hamline marks the first time since 2016 that the Cobbers have bested the Pipers in a meet. Concordia also beat Augsburg 121-61 which is the third straight time CC has beaten the Auggies in a dual meet.
The team success on Saturday was a direct result of impressive individual times for first-year Anneliesse Bruns' squad. The Cobbers had numerous swimmers earn spots in the finals of events, came away with a second-place relay finish and has one athlete closing in on a school record.
All-in-all it was a California-like performance on a Minnesota day where temperature reached double-digits below zero.
The best event of the day for the Cobbers was saved for the final event. The 200-yard freestyle relay crew of Jessica Bray, Anna Backes, Camille Gunderson and Alex Rasmussen raced to a 1:47.53 which earned them the runner-up spot and shocked the remaining six teams in the race, including the quality competition from Gustavus' 40-person roster.
Concordia's finishing time of 1:47.53 is faster than any time that a CC quartet swam during the pre-MIAC season last year and only 3-seconds off their finals time at the MIAC meet in 2020.
The finishing leg in the 200-free relay featured a torrid pace from Rasmussen. The junior from Fargo North clocked a 25.37 split as the anchor in the race. That time is only .4 seconds off the school record of 24.97 set by Kirsten Anderson in 2012.
Rasmussen also had a pair of Top 5 finishes in individual events on the day. She was third in the individual 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.19. Rasmussen's other Top 5 finish also came in the freestyle where she clocked a 57.11 and placed fourth. She was less than 1-second out of the Top 3 in a race that featured Gusties in the other four top spots in the event.
Backes matched Rasmussen's Top 5 finishes with a third-place spot in the 200-yard freestyle and a fourth-place finish in the 500-yard free. She swam a 2:10.11 in the 200 and a 5:47.27 in the 500 on a very busy day for the senior from Willmar. Her time in the 200 is .11 of a second quicker than her mark from the season's opening meet on Jan. 29 and she also dropped time in the 500.
The 500-yard freestyle was the most exciting individual event for Concordia on the day. Freshman Rachel Anderson started her heat at an average pace but then kicked it into gear in the back half and wound up winning the hear. Her last-half surge was highlighted by a final kick that pushed her past one of the Gustavus swimmers and had her touching the wall first. Anderson finished in a time of 6:01.93 which was good for eighth place in the overall event order.
Not only did Gunderson provide a quality third leg on the 200-freestyle relay but she also recorded a PR in the 100-yard backstroke. The sophomore from Sioux Falls, S.D. won her heat with a time of 1:09.27 which was good for seventh place.
UP NEXT: Concordia will look to continue its winning ways against Augsburg when they host the Auggies in a dual meet on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m.
RECAP SPONSOR: Today's recap sponsor is Bursch Travel. Bursch Travel has been a proud sponsor of Cobber athletics for decades. If you're looking to go some place warm, call the fine folks at Bursch Travel to make the arrangements. They'll have you traveling in style - as only a Cobber fan should!
