ST. PAUL, MINN. – The St. Catherine University swimmers and divers had a tremendous three days at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Swimming and Diving Championships last weekend. Several swimmers and divers recorded career and season best performances during the three day meet, helping the Wildcats place in the top six for the seventh consecutive year. One of the strongest performers for St. Kate’s this weekend was none other than Alissa Ellingson (Eagan, Minn. / Eagan). For her performances on the biggest stage of the season, Ellingson has been named Wildcat Athlete of the Week.
Ellingson was impressive throughout the entire week of competition, as she qualified for the “A” finals in every individual race she competed in. On day two, the first year finished fifth in both the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke races and recorded a season and career best time of 1:07.28 in the 100 breaststroke.
Ellingson was the star for the Wildcats, though, on the final day of competition. In her premiere event, the 200 butterfly, Ellingson made waves in the preliminary rounds when she finished with the second fastest time of competing swimmers. Then, in the finals, Ellingson proved she was one of the top swimmers in the MIAC, and was awarded her first ever MIAC All-Conference honor, for her second place finish in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:13.94.
Ellingson also was part of St. Kate’s 200 freestle, 400 individual medley, and 400 freestyle relay teams. All three relay teams had strong showings, and the 400 freestyle team finished sixth behind impressive swims from all four participants.
Thanks to Ellingson and several other strong performances, St. Kate’s finished the championship with 296 points, which was good for a sixth place finish amongst MIAC teams. The Wildcats were 114 points ahead of Macalester, who placed seventh with an overall team score of 182, and just 30 points behind fifth place finisher Saint Benedict. Both St. Thomas men's and women's teams won the events for their respective gender.
For more information about the 2016 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championship, visit the
MIAC Swimming and Diving Championship page.
