859-Mile Season Opener

STORY LINE: Concordia opened the 2018-19 season by participating in a pair of multi-team invites in Nebraska. The Cobbers finished fourth at the College of St. Mary Invite on Friday in Omaha and then came away with a third-place finish at the Midland Invite in Fremont.

AND I WOULD DRIVE 859 MILES: Concordia's final mileage total for the opening weekend was 859. The Cobbers drove 428 miles to get to the College of St. Mary on Friday and then went the scant 32 miles from Omaha to Fremont. CC then got back on the bus after the Midland Invite and hauled it back to Moorhead a total of 399 miles.

FRIDAY FOLLOW-UP: Concordia had three event-winners on Friday at the College of St. Mary Invite. Amy Warren started her sophomore season by winning the 200-yard individual medley. She swam a 2:21.61 and won the race by four seconds. Senior Alaina Dehnke began her final year in maroon and gold by capturing the title in the 500-yard freestyle. She touched the wall in a time of 5:48.28. Dehnke was also fifth in the 200-yard freestyle with a mark of 2:10.69.

Senior Ciara White was runner-up in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:12.58 and also placed ninth in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:15.59. Sophomore Anna Backes had a pair of Top 5 finishes as she was third in the 100-yard freestyle clocking a time of 59.84 and placed fourth in the 200yard freestyle at 2:09.76. Freshman Abby Bartosiewski had an impressive start to her college career as she raced to a 1:07.46, and placed fourth, in the 1:07.46.

SATURDAY STUFF: Alaina Dehnke earned the only event win for the Cobbers on Saturday at the Midland Invite as she earned the weekend double in the 200-yard backstroke. She swam a 2:23.37 to win the event by almost three seconds. Dehnke was also third in the 100-yard backstroke after touching the pad in 1:07.99.

Ciara White had another runner-up finish on Day 2 of the season. She swam a 1:15.85 in the 100-yard breaststroke. White then turned around and posted her second Top 3 finish of the day when she swam a 2:41.76 in the 200-yard breaststroke and finished in third place.

Anna Backes improved on her third and fourth-place finishes on Friday by placing second in the 500-yard freestyle on Saturday. She came home in 5:56.62 and outdistanced the third-place finisher by 12 seconds.      

Amy Warren gave the Cobbers a third runner-up finish. She was second in the 400-yard individual medley in 5:04.29. Warren was also third in the 100-yard freestyle with a final time of 58.98.      

UP NEXT: Concordia will have a much shorter bus ride next weekend when they square off in their first dual meet of the season. The Cobbers will travel to Morris to take on Minn.-Morris on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 1 p.m.