Jacob Wielinski, who swam two seasons with the now-cut University of North Dakota program, is transferring to the University of Missouri. He’ll join the Tigers right away this fall, with two more years of eligibility.
Wielinski is from Mounds View, Minnesota, and he specializes in distance freestyle. At the 2017 WAC Championships this past season, he won the 1650 free conference title and placed highly in the 500 free and 400 IM. His 14:59.09 in the mile made him the only finisher under 15:00 in that event, and he posted a 4:23.98 for 2nd in the 500 and a 3:52.40 for 4th in the 400 IM at the meet. As a freshman, he was 2nd in the mile and 6th in the 500.
Top Times
- 200y free – 1:40.24 (1:38.67 relay)
- 500y free – 4:23.87
- 1000y free – 9:04.66
- 1650y free – 14:59.09
- 400y IM – 3:52.13
Wielinski leaves UND as the program’s best miler and 400 IM’er in history. He has a very similar skill set to incoming freshman Carter Grimes, a Nevada import who is 4:23/15:13 in the 500 and mile and 3:49 in the 400 IM.
Wielinski should be an immediate contributor to the Tigers’ program– his lifetime best in the mile would’ve been good for a 12th place SEC Champs finish last year, along with 15 points. A 14:56 qualified for NCAAs last season, so with a bit of improvement, Wielinski could qualify for nationals for the Tigers, too. His lifetime best is also more than seven seconds faster than the fastest Tiger this past season. That person was Nick Davis, whose 15:06.43 from this past season marks the Missouri program record. Essentially, Wielinski will be the best distance swimmer to ever swim for Mizzou barring any huge improvements from swimmers like Davis and Grimes.
Jacob Wielinski is officially a Tiger?Welcome to Mizzou! #MIZ pic.twitter.com/beEXE6jqhG
— Mizzou Swim & Dive (@MizzouSwimDive) June 5, 2017
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