MINNEAPOLIS -- The final day of the 2014 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Swimming and Diving Championships began Saturday morning with the final preliminary session of the meet. Several stars continued to shine, as numerous swimmers to already claim individual championships this weekend at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center put themselves in position for more success Saturday night.

| SESSION 5 RESULTS | PHOTOS: MEN - WOMEN | ARCHIVED VIDEO | 

The Gustavus women have been the story of the meet thus far, dominating the top spots on the podium and rewriting the MIAC and meet record books, and Friday morning's session was no exception. Senior Alissa Tinklenberg - the 2013 MIAC Women's Swimmer-of-the-Year met the 2013 NCAA selection cut with her time of 2:01.92 to lead the women's 200-yard backstroke field. Tinklenberg is seeking her third-straight title in the event; she captured her third-straight 100-back title Friday with a new MIAC record, and won the 50-yard freestyle title Thursday night.

Another Gustie, Jenny Strom, set herself up for more success as well, as her B-cut time of 2:19.76 led the women's 200-yard breaststroke prelims. Strom is the defending champ, and has already won her third-straight 100-breast title in addition to the 500-yard freestyle championship. Fellow Gustie Katie Olson met the 2013 NCAA selection time with a 51.37 to lead the women's 100-yard freestyle prelim. First-year Gustavus standout Dani Klunk led the women's 200-yard butterfly field with a time of 2:09.26. Klunk won the 200-yard individual medley Thursday, and was second in the 100-fly Friday in her breakout MIAC performance.

Saint John's J.D. Quinby competes in the men's 200-yard backstroke prelims Friday morning. (Photo by Matt Higgins, MIAC)

The St. Olaf men also had a great morning as they seek their second-straight MIAC team title. Star junior Michael Gratz finished with the best time in the men's 100-yard freestyle Friday morning, as his time of 44.85 met the 2013 NCAA selection standard. Gratz was the 100-free champ in 2012, and he won the men's 200-yard individual medley with a new MIAC record Thursday, and added his second-straight title in the 100-yard backstroke Friday.

Another Ole - freshman Nick Wilkerson led the men's 200-yard breaststroke field with a B-cut time of 2:03.28. Teammate Colby Kubat also met the B-cut in fifth place, and Kubat is seeking a career sweep in the event as the four-time defending champ. Kubat won his fourth-straight title in the men's 100-yard breaststroke Friday night, so he's looking to add one more title to a tremendous career.

St. Olaf got another great performance from sophomore Billy Brebrick. The MIAC record-holder and defending champion in the men's 200-yard butterfly led the prelim field Friday with a time of 1:54.05. He edged out St. Thomas' Mike Lanz, who finished second. The two had a memorable duel Friday in the 100-fly, as Lanz edged Brebrick with a new MIAC record time.

On the diving board, success continued for 2013 MIAC Men's Diver-of-the-Year Nick Johnson of St. Thomas. Johnson met the 2013 NCAA selection cut with his score of 469.05 to build a 39-point lead on the men's 3-meter board. St. Olaf's Scott Hodgson is second with 430.70 points and Gustavus' Bennet Woltjer sits in third with a time of 369.45. Johnson is the defending champ, and won the 2014 1-meter title Thursday.

The women had their preliminary round Friday morning on the 1-meter board, highlighted by another great performance by Macalester's Renee Jordan. The reigning MIAC Women's Diver-of-the-Year scored the best mark of the prelims with 247.10 points. St. Thomas' Casey Nightingale posted the second-best score of 229.35, and Jordan's teammate Hunter Hedenberg was third with 218.10. Jordan won the 3-meter title Friday, and Hedenberg is the 1-meter defending champ. 

The Carleton men had a great morning in the men's 200-yard backstroke. Freshman Aaron Schwab led the field with a time of 1:53.35 and teammate Jonathan Brodie came in third. Gustavus' Dante Colucci finished second in the event.

There were several other women's highlights Friday morning. St. Olaf's Carolyn Bernhardt met the B cut in the 200-back. Carleton's Milana Socha and Ole Maddie Lee finished 2-3 in the 100-free. Socha is seeking her third top-three finish of the meet, and Lee won the 200-free title earlier this weekend. In the 200-breast, St. Thomas' Emily Punyko and St. Olaf's Maggie Boling both had B-cut performances. Tommie first-year Courtney Grunewald swam the second-best time in the 200-fly, and Saint Benedict junior Laura Peterson will be seeded third in that event Friday night.

St. Thomas' Nick Johnson competes in Friday's men's 3-meter diving preliminary round. (Photo by Matt Higgins, MIAC)

On the men's side, the 200-yard breaststroke was a star-studded affair Friday morning. In addition to Wilkerson and Kubat's performances, Gustavus' Elliot Hoekstra, Carleton's Evan Harris and another Gustie, Jake Stern, finished second, third, and fourth, respectively, and all met the NCAA B cut.

The 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships will conclude with the sixth and final session Saturday night (Feb. 15) at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. The doors will open at 3 p.m. to allow fans to watch the mile prelims. The finals will begin at 6:30 p.m., and there will be an awards ceremony at the conclusion of the meet to honor the team champions, Swimmers-, Divers- and Coaches-of-the-Year and the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. Tickets for the final session cost $8 for adults, $4 for students and children 5 and under are admitted free. MIAC passes will be honored; no other passes or discounts will be accepted.

If fans can't make it to Minneapolis, there are several ways they can track the action from afar. The MIAC has again teamed up with Webcast America to offer a live video/audio webcast of all six sessions. Webcast America will also offer archives of the sessions on its website for on-demand viewing, or purchase on DVD. There will also be "live" results available online with times and scores updated shortly following each event.

Complete information and coverage of the 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships can be found on the MIAC's event home page. Throughout the championships, the page will include the event schedules, venue information, ticket information, psych sheets, heat sheets, results, recaps, photo galleries, highlight videos, helpful links and more. Fans can connect throughout the meet via social media, using the official hashtag #MIACSD on Twitter.

Gustavus Adolphus College and Hamline University are serving as the host institutions for the 2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships. Twin Cities Orthopedics will again provide athletic training and medical services. The Commons Hotel is the official hotel partner of the MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships, and Pure Blue Swim provided medals for All-MIAC performers.

2014 MIAC Swimming and Diving Championships - Session 5
| Results | Photos: Men - Women | Archived Video | Event Home Page | Session 6 Heat Sheet |