Hardwick Breaks School Record In Backstroke

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (2/19/15)—The first day of the MIAC Championship Meet just kept getting better for Concordia until the final race of the night when sophomore Libby Hardwick broke the school record in the 100-yard backstroke as part of the 400-yard medley relay.

Hardwick was a part of a Cobber team that produced 100-percent lifetime best times during the preliminary heats in the morning and a pair of relay teams that cut several seconds off season best times in the night session.

Concordia finished the first day of the conference meet by scoring 40 team points and is in eighth place in the overall team standings.

Hardwick was the headliner of the very bright first day for Concordia. She swam a 1:01.27 in the 100-yard backstroke to start the 400-yard individual medley. That time broke the school record of 1:01.82 set by Aleina Weisz back in 2010.

Hardwick's lead leg on the relay helped the Cobbers drop 14 seconds off their previous season best in the event and come away with a ninth-place finish. Hardwick teamed with senior Hannah Winge and freshmen Ann Marie O'Connell and Siri Berry to record a time of 4:15.08 which was only 1.49 seconds off the school record and 2.31 seconds faster than last year's relay in the first day of the MIAC Meet.

The final relay of the night wasn't the only relay quartet to make a splash on Day 1. The 200-yard freestyle team of Joleen Plekkenpol, Sarah Nelson, O'Connell and Berry clocked a time of 1:43.68 to record an eighth-place podium finish. Their finishing time was seven seconds faster than the previous season best.

The day got off to a great start in the preliminary heats as Lily Johnson, Katrina Teskey, Andrea Kittleson and Jordyn Olson all swam lifetime best times in the 500-yard freestyle. Johnson led the group of swimmers by touching the pad at 5:35.58 and coming home in 29th place.

Kittleson then swam a PR in the 200-yard individual medley which was followed by lifetime bests from Berry and Hardwick in the 50-yard freestyle. Kittleson swam a 2:29.64 in the 200-yard IM. Berry sprinted to a 25.93 in the 50-yard free and hardwick was close behind at 26.33. Berry's time is less than a second off the school record (24.97).

Concordia will continue with the conference meet on Friday, Feb. 20 when they swim in the Day 2 prelims beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the University of Minnesota.   


Team Scores After Day 1
1. University of St. Thomas – 240
1. Gustavus - 240  
3. St. Olaf College - 135  
4. Carleton College - 101  
5. College of Saint Benedict - 67  
6. Macalester College - 61  
7. Saint Catherine University - 49  
8. Concordia College Moorhead - 40  
9. Hamline University - 36  
10. Augsburg College - 32  
11. Saint Mary's University - 24