Cramer Leads Cobbers On Final Day At MIAC Meet

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (2/18/23)--- Senior Kaitlin Cramer saved her best for last as she scored team points in the 200-yard backstroke and led Concordia in the final day of the MIAC Championship Meet.

Cramer's career-best times in the 200-yard backstroke helped Concordia finish eighth in the final team standings.  

Cramer qualified for the finals for the first time in her college career when she swam a season-best time of 2:16.43 in the prelims of the 200-yard backstroke to advance to the B finals in 16th place. She earned a spot in the night session by a mere .05 of a second.  

Cramer then wrote an even more perfect Hollywood ending in the final session of the meet when she posted a career-best time. Cramer shaved a full second off her prelims time when she touched the wall in 2:15.40 in the B final.

The other Concordia athlete to score team points on Saturday was sophomore diver Kiernan Darling. Darling posted a score of 327.90 in the 1-meter competition and finished in 11th place. Her score was a 10.5 point improvement over last year at the conference meet when she finished in 16th place.

The biggest time drops of the prelims on Saturday belonged to 13-second trio of Lindsey Biebl, Haley Juetten and Jess Bray.

Biebl dropped over 13-seconds in the 200-yard breaststroke by clocking a time of 2:56.52. Juetten also came away with a 13-second improvement in the same event when she swam a 2:51.31.

Not to be outdone by Biebl or Juetten, Bray cleaned off 13 seconds from her previous season-best time in the 200-yard butterfly. She entered the meet with a qualifying time of 2:55.91 and then cruised past that mark with a mark of 2:42.68 in the prelims.

Hailey Jaeger narrowly missed out on qualifying for the B finals in the 100-yard freestyle. She touched the wall in a season-best time of 55.63 which was only .44 of a second off the final qualifier's time.

The traditional closing event at the MIAC Meet is the 400-yard freestyle relay, and the Cobber quartet of Brienna Timm, Cramer, Bray and Jaeger came from behind and rallied past Hamline and Augsburg to finish in 7th place.

Timm, who earned a spot on the relay team with her time in the prelims, went out in 59.17 in the first leg, and then Bray and Jaeger were able to overcome the Pipers and Auggies down the stretch.

Final MIAC Meet Team Standings
1. Saint Catherine - 686
2. Gustavus - 672
3. Macalester - 563
4. St Olaf - 523
5. St. Benedict - 361
6. Carleton - 357
7. Hamline - 195
8. Concordia - 126
9. Augsburg - 72