St. Kate’s Jordyn Wentzel Breaks NCAA D3 Record By Over a Second at MIACs

2022 MIAC Swimming & Diving Championships

• February 16-19, 2022
• Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), prelims/finals
• Full Meet Results
• Final Team Scores

St. Catherine’s (MN) senior Jordyn Wentzel broke her own NCAA Division III Record in the women’s 200 breaststroke as part of leading her team to a second-straight MIAC title this weekend.

The school, known colloquially as St. Kate’s, has won the last two titles in 2020 and now 2022, with the 2021 championship being canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wentzel swam 2:10.66 to win the 200 breaststroke, which took more than a second off her old NCAA Division III Record in the event. She swam the old record of 2:11.85 at the 2020 MIAC Championship meet.

In spite of being a second-and-a-half faster than any other swimmer in NCAA Division III history in the event, the redshirt junior Wentzel has never won an NCAA title. As a freshman in 2019, she finished 2nd in 2:12.33 behind only the then-D3 Championship Record holder KT Kustritz of Denison.

In 2020, the NCAA D3 Championships were canceled before they began with the onrush of the COVID-19 pandemic that would eventually grip the world, and in 2021, the championships were canceled again.

With two years of pent up taper, and training, Wentzel crushed her old record. At the 150 yard mark, she was 1.82 seconds ahead of record pace. While she gave some of that back over the last 50 yards, there was still plenty of room for her to hold on for the title.

Splits Comparison:

Wentzel also won the 200 IM in a new MIAC Record of 1:59.47, which makes her the 4th-best swimmer in D3 history. She picked up another win in the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.15, which is a new Championship Record, though it’s just-slower than her 1:00.72 league record set at NCAAs in 2019 as a freshman.

Wentzel, who is also the MIAC Record holder in the 200 free, 400 IM, and 200 fly, also swam on four champion St. Kate’s relays.

Her results earned her Women’s Swimmer of the Meet honors for the third consecutive championship.

Full MIAC Press Release is Below:

MINNEAPOLIS – The St. Catherine University Wildcats are once again women’s swimming & diving champions of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The Wildcats led from start to finish, totaling 809 points to win the second conference title in program history at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota on Saturday night.

Gustavus placed second at the meet with 714 points, followed by St. Olaf in third with 504, Carleton in fourth with 430.5, Saint Benedict in fifth with 417.5, Macalester in sixth with 305, Hamline in seventh with 164, Concordia in eighth with 125, and Augsburg in ninth with 108.

St. Catherine senior Jordyn Wentzel was selected by MIAC coaches as the Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the third consecutive championship, while Hamline junior Courtney Broyles was named the Women’s Diver of the Year. St. Catherine coach Justin Zook was recognized by his peers as the Women’s Swimming & Diving Coach of the Year.

| SESSION 7 RESULTS | COMPLETE RESULTS | TEAM SCORES | PHOTOS |

Following each of Saturday evening’s competitions, a short awards ceremony was held to honor the top eight finishers. The top three finishers in each event received medals and automatically earn All-Conference honors, while individual finishers 4-6 and the fourth-place relay team earned honorable mention distinction. Saturday’s All-Conference honorees are listed below.

RECORD-BREAKERS
Saturday
St. Catherine senior Jordyn Wentzel broke her own NCAA Division III record in the women’s 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:10.66 in finals. Wentzel set the record two years ago with a time of 2:11.85 at the 2020 MIAC Championships.

St. Catherine senior Maggie Menso broke her own MIAC and meet records in the women’s 1650 freestyle with a time of 16:43.43 in finals. Menso had previously set the meet record (16:52.62) at the 2019 MIAC Championships and the overall MIAC record (16:47.83) earlier during the 2018-19 season.

The St. Catherine 400 freestyle relay team of Maggie Menso, Annie Voss, Macy Klein, and Jordyn Wentzel broke the meet record in the event with a finals time of 3:26.23. The previous record of 3:26.77 had stood since 2014.

Concordia first-year Hailey Jaeger set a new program record in the women’s 100 freestyle with a prelim time of 54.64. The previous mark of 55.22 had stood since 2011. Jaeger swam a 54.66 in finals.

Gustavus junior Ellen Hofstede broke her own program record in the women’s 100 freestyle with a finals time of 50.10. Her record coming into the meet was 50.81, set in 2021. She surpassed that mark in prelims with a time of 50.50 before besting it again in finals.

Macalester sophomore Jocelyn Radke broke the Scots’ record in the women’s 100 freestyle with a finals time of 53.34. The previous mark of 53.40 was set in 2017.

Macalester’s 400 freestyle relay team of Carolina Chapon, Anna Rakowski, Olga Merkadeau, and Jocelyn Radke set a new program mark in the women’s event with a time of 3:34.81, surpassing the record of 3:37.36 set earlier this season.

Saint Benedict senior Ana Birklid set a new program standard in the women’s 200 backstroke with a finals time of 2:04.49, breaking the two-year-old mark of 2:05.00 set in 2019.

Saint Benedict’s 400 freestyle relay team of Jes Milstroh, Lindsay Smutka, Ana Birklid, and Emi Wagner broke the women’s program record in the event with a finals time of 3:33.96. The previous mark of 3:34.11 had stood since 2016.

St. Olaf senior Sophia Nevin broke her own program record in the women’s 200 breaststroke with a prelim time of 2:17.99, then bettered that mark in finals with a time of 2:17.39. The previous school record of 2:19.23 was set in 2019.

St. Olaf senior Maya Knutson set a new Ole record in the women’s 100 freestyle with a finals time of 51.42. The previous record of 51.55 was set in 2017.

Friday
St. Catherine senior Jordyn Wentzel set a new meet record in the women’s 100 breaststroke with a finals time of 1:01.15. Wentzel had previously set the record at the 2020 MIAC Championships when she swam a 1:01.40.

Macalester sophomore Jocelyn Radke broke the program record in the women’s 100 fly during prelims with a time of 58.64. The previous record of 59.17 was set in 2019.

The Scots’ women’s 200 freestyle relay team of Verity Wray-Raabolle, Anna Rakowski, Olga Merkadeau, and Jocelyn Radke also broke the program record in the event with a time of 1:37.65. The previous record of 1:39.69 had stood since 2010.

Saint Benedict senior Ana Birklid set a new program mark in the women’s 200 freestyle with a time of 1:54.05 in finals. The previous record of 1:54.40 had stood since 1999.

St. Olaf senior Sophia Nevin broke her own program record in the women’s 100 breaststroke with a finals time of 1:04.44. Her previous record time was a 1:04.72, set in 2019.

Thursday
St. Catherine senior Maggie Menso broke her own MIAC and meet record in the women’s 500 freestyle with a time of 4:51.21 in finals. Menso’s previous top time in the event was 4:51.31 set at the 2019 MIAC Championships.

St. Catherine senior Jordyn Wentzel became the first woman in MIAC history to swim a sub-two-minute 200 IM, clocking in at 1:59.47 in finals. She previously held both the MIAC and meet records in the event, having clocked a 2:00.94 last winter, as well as a 2:01.59 at the 2020 conference meet. The NCAA record in the event is 1:58.29.

The Wildcats’ 400 medley relay team of Amelia Baxley, Jordyn Wentzel, Emma Svendsen, and Macy Klein broke the MIAC and meet record in the women’s event with a finals time of 3:46.83, breaking the 2014 overall record (03:46.97) and 2020 meet record (03:47.06).

Concordia first-year Hailey Jaeger took down the program record in the women’s 50 freestyle in prelims Thursday with a time of 24.59. The previous mark of 24.97 had stood since 2015. She swam a 24.74 in finals.

Macalester sophomore Jocelyn Radke broke the program record in the women’s 50 free in prelims on Thursday with a time of 23.93, surpassing the previous mark of 24.53 set in 2015. Radke swam a 24.28 in finals.

The Scots’ 400 medley relay team of Verity Wray-Raabolle, Caroline Chapon, Jocelyn Radke, and Olga Merkadeau broke the women’s program record in the event with a finals time of 4:02.43. The previous record of 4:05.55 was set in 2017.

Saint Benedict senior Ana Birklid bested her own program mark in the women’s 200 IM, clocking in an NCAA B Cut time of 2:06.17 in finals. Her previous record was set in December at 2:09.30.

The Bennies’ 400 medley relay squad of Madison Slavik, Ana Birklid, Jes Milstroh, and Emi Wagner broke the women’s program record in the event with a time of 3:56.57 in finals. The previous mark of 3:59.20 had stood since 2012.

St. Catherine senior Macy Klein topped her own program record in the women’s 50 freestyle with a finals time of 23.35. The Wildcats’ previous top time in the event was Klein’s 23.48 in 2019.

Wednesday
The St. Catherine University women’s 800 free relay team broke the MIAC and meet records in the event, as Jordyn Wentzel, Annie Voss, Emma Svendsen, and Maggie Menso combined for a finals time of 7:27.26. The previous mark of 7:29.60 was set by the Wildcats at the 2020 MIAC Championships.

The Scots’ women’s 200 medley relay team of Verity Wray-Raabolle, Caroline Chapon, Olga Merkadeau, and Anna Rakowski broke the school record in the event, touching the wall in 1:48.61. The prior top time of 1:50.23 was set in 2015.

Saint Benedict’s 200 medley relay squad placed fourth in the women’s final with a program-record time of 1:47.77. The team of Madison Slavik, Ana Birklid, Jessica Milstroh, and Emi Wagner surpassed the previous mark of 1:48.11, set in 2014.

2022 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships – Day 4
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Key: M – Meet Record; M* – MIAC Record; R – Repeat Champion; R3 – Three-time Champion, R4 – Four-time Champion; A – NCAA ‘A’ Qualifying Standard; B – NCAA ‘B’ Qualifying Standard; ST19 – 2019 NCAA Selection Time; $ – NCAA Diving Zone 11-Dive Qualifying Score.