By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
South Dakota State vs. St. Thomas vs. Minnesota
- October 18, 2024
- Minneapolis, MN
- 25 Yards (SCY)
- Scores
- Women
- #23 Minnesota, 250 – South Dakota State, 50
- #23 Minnesota, 253 – St. Thomas, 47
- South Dakota State, 154.5 – St. Thomas, 145.5
- Men
- #21 Minnesota, 251 – South Dakota State, 49
- #21 Minnesota, 251 – St. Thomas, 47
- South Dakota State, 151 – St. Thomas, 147
- Women
- Full Results
A week removed from packing the Jean K. Freeman Pool with over 1,000 fans and setting a dual meet attendance record during their meet against Army, the Minnesota men and women stayed undefeated in the 2024-25 season by posting commanding wins over Summit League programs South Dakota State and St. Thomas on senior night.
Another record went down for the Golden Gophers this weekend, this time on the boards. Sophomore YuTong Wang set a program record in the 1-meter with 435.15 points, surpassing the former record of 420.35 by 14.80 points. Wang, who scored 22 points at the 2024 NCAA championships, won the 3-meter as well, posting 430.95 points.
It was a dominant weekend for the Golden Gophers as they posted at least a 1-2 finish in every event. For the men, seniors Joey Tepper, Kaiser Neverman, and Josh Johnston led the way by each winning two individual events.
Tepper, a transfer from Tennessee, has been a strong addition for the Golden Gophers through the first weeks of the season. He began his meet by crushing the 400 IM field. He swam a 4:53.54 and was the only swimmer in the field under the four-minute mark. After placing second as part of a 1-2-3 Minnesota finish in the 200 fly (1:49.47), Tepper swam a lifetime best 1:46.56 to win the 200 backstroke.
Neverman collected the 200 butterfly win with a 1:48.23, then swam a lifetime best 48.40 to win the 100 IM. Johnston swept the breaststrokes for the Golden Gophers, swimming 55.16/2:01.39 in the 100/200 breaststroke.
After graduating Megan Van Berkom, the Minnesota women are looking for swimmers to take the next step and point points on the board along with their divers Elna Widerstrom and Viviana Del Angel. But the Golden Gophers had no trouble scoring this weekend, winning both their duals by over 200 points to keep their season perfect. The women’s team was led by Anja Kaljevic, Mina Kaljevic, and Jade Roghair, who each won two events. A. Kaljevic won the 100 breast/100 free (1:05.94/52.25) while M. Kaljevic won the 50 freestyle/100 butterfly (23.87/56.05). Roghair controlled the 200/500 free (1:51.91/5:00.58).
The #21 men and #23 ranked Minnesota teams were too much for the mid-major programs to handle, but the duel between the Summit League rivals was quite close. South Dakota prevailed on both the men’s and women’s sides, coming down to nine points on the women’s side (154.5-145.5) and four on the men’s (151-47).
Other Individual Event Winners:
- Joe Polyak, freshman (MINN) — 200 free, 1:41.38
- Ava Yablonki, junior (MINN) — 100 back, 54.93
- Matt McDonald, senior (MINN) — 100 back, 50.04
- Faith Johnson, junior (MINN) — 200 fly, 2:04.56
- Davide Habagiu, sophomore (MINN) — 50 free, 21.15
- Elna Widerstrom, sophomore (MINN) — 1 meter, 306.10/3-meter, 354.65
- Lovro Serdarevic, junior (MINN) — 100 free, 45.42
- Elise Jacobs, sophomore (MINN) — 200 back, 2:01.70
- Georgia Kahler, freshman (MINN) — 200 breast, 2:20.77
- Bar Soloveychik, senior (MINN) — 500 free, 4:26.78
- Connor Groya, junior (MINN) — 100 fly, 49.63
- Claire Reinke, sophomore (MINN) — 100 IM, 58.29
Up Next
Minnesota hosts their alumni meet next weekend before returning to league action on Nov. 9 when they travel to Wisconsin. St. Thomas is back in competition on Oct. 25 as they travel to Saint Ambrose University. South Dakota State home opener has been postponed; now, they next race Nov. 1-2 at the Husky Extravaganza hosted by St. Cloud.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: YuTong Wang Sets School Record As Minnesota Sweeps South Dakota State and St. Thomas