Brebrick ’16 and Schnaith ’16 named MIAC athletes of week
The St. Olaf men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams defeated Gustavus Adolphus College on Friday, Nov. 9 at Skoglund Center. The men won 195-99, while the women emerged with a 169-131 victory.
Billy Brebrick ’16 dominated in the men’s competition, winning all three of his individual events and helping teammates Evan Griffith ’15, Colby Kubat ’14 and Tanner Roe ’15 to a first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. Brebrick’s performance in the 200-yard butterfly was especially notable: His time of 1:54.24 marks the third best in school history. Brebrick also won the 100-yard butterfly 51.27 and the 100-yard freestyle 47.28. For his successes, Brebrick was named the season’s first MIAC men’s swimming and diving athlete of the week.
Overall, the men won 13 of 16 events at the meet. Last season, they finished second in the MIAC, beating out third-place Gustavus.
In the women’s competition, Abbey Schnaith ’16 showcased her talent, winning both the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard backstroke. She also placed second in the 100-yard backstroke. Finally, Schnaith’s freestyle leg of the 200-yard medley relay helped teammates Carolyn Bernhardt ’14, Megan Gaylord ’16 and Lydia Feldman ’13 achieve a first-place finish – as well as a Skoglund Center record. The relay’s time of 1:48.39 was .15 seconds away from a school record. Schnaith was named MIAC women’s swimming and diving athlete of the week for her performance.
Meghan Weiss ’13 also dominated in her races, winning the 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle. She helped teammates Bernhardt, Laura Begin ’14 and Marla Thomforde ’16 finish second in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
The women won 10 of 16 events throughout the meet. Gustavus, perennially a powerhouse, edged St. Olaf for the MIAC Championship last season.
The Ole swimmers will take the rest of November off, while the divers travel to St. Paul, Minn. for the Roger Ahlman Invitational on Nov. 17.
