SAINT PETER, Minn. – Following their first MIAC Championship sweep in 16 years, the Gustavus swimming & diving teams are ready to dive into a new season, beginning competition on Nov. 2 at Luther and Morningside.

"We're very excited for the upcoming season," said Head Coach Jon Carlson '88 in his 35th year leading both the men's and women's programs. "We have a great group of freshmen coming in, as well as a very good group of swimmers and divers returning with experience that should combine to put us in a great position to battle for the conference championship."

Last season, Carlson's team won both MIAC titles, with the men claiming their fifth in a row, while the women won their first since 2015. The Gusties claimed a total of 57 All-Conference awards at the MIAC meet, as well as Co-Men's Swimmer of the Year, Men's and Women's Rookie of the Year, and Men's Coach of the Year. Each team sent one to the national meet, as Matt Strom '24 and Lucy Peterson '24 capped off their senior years in Greensboro, N.C.

On the men's side, Peyton Richardson (5th, Crystal Lake, Ill.)  is the most notable returner, as the reigning MIAC Swimmer of the Year is looking to make the most of his final year of collegiate swimming. 

"We're excited to have Peyton back for an additional year," commented Carlson. "He wanted to take advantage of the year he lost to COVID, and he's back and as determined as ever. He had a great summer of training and we're excited to see him get one last run through collegiate swimming."

Last season, Richardson and Strom tied for the most points in the men's individual events at the MIAC meet. Richardson won the 100 fly (48.78), 200 fly (1:51.49), and 200 IM (1:50.35), and was a part of the Gusties' victorious 200 medley (1:30.24), 400 freestyle (3:04.05), 800 freestyle (6:45.08), and 400 medley (3:23.52) relay teams. He's a MIAC Champion 16 times over throughout his career, and was an All-American in the 400 IM in 2020-21. 

On the women's side, the loss of Lucy Peterson will certainly be felt, as the 2024 graduate competed in the last four NCAA championship meets. Carlson expects Marit Isaacson (Sr., St. Paul, Minn.) to step into a major role for the team, though, especially with national championship experience already under her belt.

"It will be great to have Marit back for a full season. We thought she had an outstanding year last year after living and studying in Patagonia for the fall semester, so I think a full season will be great for her and for our team."

Other returners to note include Rookies of the Year Logan Cyr (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Stella Anderson Moye (So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.), who both earned the honor from the Gustavus Athletics Department as well. Cyr, along with Brendan Collins (Maple Grove, Minn.), Aiden Shermak (Bloomington, Minn.), Teddy Solensky (Jamestown, N.D.), and Braden Ripken (Blaine, Minn.) are all heading into their sophomore seasons after swimming to MIAC accolades in their first season of collegiate competition. For the women, Anderson Moye, Olivia Koeneman (So., Mankato, Minn.), Hadley Wartner (So., Minneapolis, Minn.), and Lindsay Sundby (Jr., Randolph, Minn.) are just a few of Carlson's younger core that will look to repeat their feat last season.

"The team is pretty fired up. They're driven to repeat what they were able to accomplish last season, and we're excited to bring on the new first-years to make that happen."

The Gusties will lean on the experience of divers Ryan Lester (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) and Gabriella Stoudt (Jr., Maple Plain, Minn.), with Carlson expecting his first-years to also make an impact. 

"I know the divers are really excited to have a new coach. We lost a lot in graduation, but we bring back some talent as well as a solid group of freshmen. We're very excited to have Ty Hoffman join our staff as a new diving coach. He brings a wealth of experience to our program, as well as a history of NCAA qualifiers, and adding him to our staff will be great for our divers and our team."

Hoffman joins the Gusties after previously serving as an assistant coach for the Franklin College swimming & diving program in Franklin, Ind. With experience in the field spanning over 18 years, Hoffman has coached 24 athletes to NCAA Division III Regionals and two to nationals, both earning All-America honors. Hoffman is joined by recent grad Teegan Jass '24 on the staff, who will spend a year with the Gustie swim team as an assistant coach before attending medical school.

The Gusties officially open their season with meets at Luther and Morningside on the road Saturday. From there, both teams will swim against some of the top competition in the country, including two match-ups with UW-Stevens Point and a trip to the University of Minnesota's MN Challenge in February. The Gusties will size up their conference competition throughout the season as well, before competing at the MIAC Championships Feb. 19-22.

"We're excited to get started with Luther and Morningside. We haven't swam Luther in awhile, and it will be a great way to kick off our season.

"A lot of teams improved in the conference, especially in terms of recruiting. St. Olaf, Saint John's, and Saint Benedict really recruited well this season. Carleton had a great year last season, and is only going to get better, as well as the women of Macalester, who return a very young, talented team. St. Catherine always has high-end talent that will battle for a MIAC Championship, so we're really looking forward to swimming in an extremely competitive conference this season."

Carlson hopes that his team's mix of leadership and young talent will lead them to success, especially at the national level.

"We have great leaders on this team, and I think they're going to have a big impact in continuing to make Gustavus a program that swimmers and divers want to be a part of. We have individuals and relays that will be right on the cusp of qualifying for nationals, and that will be our focus from the end of September to our conference meet – trying to get the best performances we can out of everybody, especially our elite swimmers and divers."

Both Iowa meets on Saturday have a noon start and will be live streamed. The Gusties will host their home opener the following weekend against Stevens Point, followed by their MIAC-opening dual against St. Olaf on Nov. 16.