Sophomore Ciara White posted two Top 25 finishes at the U of Minnesota Challenge Meet and also had a seaosn-best time in the 200-yard breastroke.
Sophomore Ciara White posted two Top 25 finishes at the U of Minnesota Challenge Meet and also had a seaosn-best time in the 200-yard breastroke.

Time To Train And Taper

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (2/04/17)--- Concordia cleared the way for the MIAC Championship Meet by finishing off the University of Minnesota Challenge Meet in Minneapolis.

The Cobbers prepared for the conference meet by competing in the same pool that will host the MIAC meet by recording seven Top 25 finishes in a meet that featured athletes from NCAA Divison I, II and III schools.

Like the previous multi-team invites the Cobbers were led by Ciara White and Libby Hardwick who both posted two Top 25 finishes in their top strokes.

White had the top finish of any Cobber at the meet as she placed 10th in the 200-yard breaststroke. She touched the wall in a time of 2:35.97 which was the fourth fastest of any MIAC swimmer in the meet.  Her finishing time is a season best.

White almost had another season-best mark in the 100-yard breaststroke where she swam a 1:11.71 and placed 19th. Her time was only .45 of her fastest mark.

Hardwick pulled the double Top 25 in the backstroke. She finished in 18th place in the 100-yard backstroke and 25th in the 200-yard backstroke. Like White she had a season best time in one event and was close in the second. Hardwick's mark of 1:03.62 in the 100-yard backstroke is her fastest timer of the year by 48 of a second and her time in the 200-yard backstroke was just off her season best.

Alaina Dehnke bettered Hardwick in the 200-yard backstroke by clocking a 2:20.78 and finishing in 21st place. Her time is .76 of a second off her previous season best which is a Top 20 mark in the conference.

Katrina Teskey and Abbey Benson had the other Top 25 finishes for the Cobbers. Teskey swam a 20:08.47 and finished in 11th place in the grueling 1650-yard freestyle. Her time is a season best by over 25 seconds and sets her up for a possible sub 20-minute race at the conference meet.

Benson earned a season-best time in the 200-yard butterfly by coming home in a time of 2:43.11. Her time was good for 20th place in the event.

WHAT'S NEXT:  Concordia will now train and taper for two weeks leading up to the MIAC Conference Meet which will take place on Feb. 16-18 at the same University of Minnesota Aquatic Center Pool.