The St. Olaf Women’s Swim and Dive team competed at the 2026 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships at the University of Minnesota from Feb. 11 to Feb. 14. After a third-place finish at the 2025 MIAC Championships, the team was looking to raise their scores for a higher standing at this competition.
The championships are always meaningful for seniors, especially now that they have competed in their last collegiate competition. Captain of the team, Paige Steenblock ’26, won multiple events over the course of the competition. These included her third back-to-back MIAC title in the 400-yard individual medley (IM), third place in the 200-yard IM, and fifth in the 200-yard breaststroke.
In an interview with The Olaf Messenger, Steenblock said that while winning the 400-yard IM for the third time in three years took a lot mentally and physically, it was a “high point in her swimming career.”
Steenblock moved to Northfield as a child, where she was enrolled in swim lessons, having the opportunity to swim with all of St. Olaf Swim and Dive Head Coach Bob Hauck’s children. When starting college, Steenblock was excited to swim with high school teammates and be coached by Hauck.
Though swimming can feel like an individual sport — even if you compete with teammates — the sportsmanship on the St. Olaf Swim and Dive team is great, and the team approaches all events like a celebration regardless of where the swimmer is on the final podium. Steenblock said it always feels like a celebration to cheer her teammates on, and she loves watching them reach their goals. She also commented on being able to swim for Hauck again, stating that he is “a fantastic coach and human being.”
Outside of swimming for the team, Steenblock teaches swim lessons in Northfield and is majoring in biology on the pre-med track with a concentration in neuroscience. She plans on taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) this spring and is excited to see what the future holds. After years of swimming, Steenblock is ready to begin reevaluating some expectations and possibly take a small break from the sport.
