Minnesota Posts Dominant Win Over Division II Opponent University of Tampa

University of Minnesota vs. University of Tampa

• January 5th, 2024
• Riseman Aquatic Center, Tampa, Florida
• Short Course Yards (SCY)
• Full Meet Results (PDF)
• Team Scores
  • Women: Minnesota 209, Tampa 52
  • Men: Minnesota 183, Tampa 79

In both team’s first competition of the year, Minnesota took on one of the top programs in Division II at their home pool, the Riseman Aquatic Center. The Golden Gophers were dominant in the meet, winning nearly every event on both sides of the meet.

Based on mid-season time-scoring projections, the Tampa men are projected to win the NCAA Division II Championships, while the women are projected to finish 4th (based on swimming points only).

Men’s Meet Recap

The Minnesota men opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay, although the Tampa men were close behind. The Minnesota team of Casey Stowe, Kaiser Neverman, Davide Maria Harabagiu, and Connor Groya combined for a time of 1:29.72 while Tampa was just behind in 1:29.84.

Minnesota carried their momentum into the 1000 free, with William Christenson leading a 1-2-3 finish for the Golden Gophers. Christenson touched in 9:19.80, while Bar Soloveychik (9:25.83) took second and Chris Nagy (9:30.83) took third. Christenson later picked up a second event win by taking the top spot in the 400 IM (3:54.33).

While Soloveychik finished as the runner-up in the 1000, he picked up a pair of event titles later in the meet. He claimed the top spot in the 200 free (1:39.30) before adding a dominant win in the 500 free with a time of 4:27.36.

Soloveychik is one of the Golden Gopher’s top returning swimmers from a year ago, with the junior having contested both the 500 and 1650 freestyles at the 2023 NCAA Championships. With Minnesota having graduated their only individual point scorer from the meet, Max McHugh, Soloveychik scoring individual points for the team will be a big boost as for the program.

Minnesota picked up a pair of wins in the 100 back and 100 breast, with Ian Steffan taking the back and Josh Johnston claiming gold in the breast. Steffan touched with a time of 50.47 while Johnston took the breast in 57.11

Johnston would later pick up a second event win in the 200 breast later in the meet, winning with a time of 2:04.58.

Tampa picked up their first win of the meet in the 50 free, with the team sweeping the top four spots in the event. The top spot in the event went to graduate transfer Blake Moran. Moran touched in 20.55, just ahead of teammate Ian Cooper.

Both Moran and Cooper are recent additions to the program, having both represented Florida State up until this school year.

Minnesota got back on top in the 100 free, with Kaiser Neverman taking the top spot. The only swimmer under 45.0 in the event, Neverman took the win in 44.57. Moran (45.80) and Cooper (46.33) rounded out the top-three in the event.

Tampa picked up their second win of the day one event later in the 200 back, with Santi Corredor grabbing gold. In a close race with Minnesota’s Dez Sachtjen, Corredor took the top spot in 1:49.14. Sachtjen was just behind him in 1:49.61.

Tampa snagged its third and final title of the meet in the 100 fly, with Adrian Aguilar narrowly grabbing the win. Another recent addition for the Spartans from Florida State, Aguilar touched at 49.06.

Minnesota closed the meet with a winning time of 3:02.32 in the 400 free relay.

Women’s Meet Recap

The Minnesota women were especially dominant, not only claiming gold in every race but taking second as well.

The Golden Gophers opened the meet with the team of Paula Rodriguez Rivero, Ava Goodno, Morgan Thomas, and Hannah Cornish taking the top spot in the 200 medley relay. The quartet finished with a time of 1:45.33, over two seconds ahead of the Minnesota B-team.

After helping her team to gold in the medley relay, freshman Morgan Thomas added a pair of individual wins as well. In the 50 free, Thomas was the only swimmer to finish the event under 24.0, touching in a time of 23.62 for gold. She followed that performance with an equally dominant time in the 100 free, winning in 50.95.

Thomas was followed in both races by fellow Minnesota freshman Mina Kaljevic. Kaljevic touched at 24.52 in the 50 and 52.75 in the 100.

The pair also combined with Cornish and Ava Yablonski to close the meet out with a win in the 400 free relay, touching at 3:29.66. Yablonksi also claimed the individual title in the 100 back (56.93).

The 1000 free saw teammates Katie McCarthy and Megan Van Berkom battle for the top spot. Trailing after the first 900, McCarthy outsplit Van Berkom over the final 100 yards to win in 10:09.75. Van Berkom was .05 behind in 10:09.80.

While Van Berkom fell short in the 1000, she picked up a pair of individual titles in the 200 fly and 400 IM. She took the 200 fly title in 2:01.60 and the 400 IM in 4:21.67.

A member of the US National team, Van Berkom competed in both events last season at the 2023 NCAA Championships. While she missed finals in the fly, she finished in sixth in the 400 IM.

Also contributing a pair of event titles on the day was freshman Jade Roghair. Roghair swept the mid-distance freestyle races, topping the field in both the 200 free (1:53.79) and 500 free (5:03.25).

After swimming the breaststroke leg of Minnesota’s 200 medley relay, Goodno added an individual title in the 100 breast as well. She claimed that win by nearly two seconds over teammate Ava Gustafson, touching at 1:06.17.

The pair, along with teammate Grace Drabot, would later face off in the 200 breast, with Gustafson coming out ahead. Just .32 separated the trio, with Gustafson touching with the fastest time of 2:24.00.

Faith Johnson came away with the title in the 200 back, touching at 2:03.70.

Freshman Claire Reinke took the top spot in the 100 fly, winning in 56.22.