Fact or Fiction… Amundson on GAC’s Relays

Amundson wasn’t on the relay last year. Gustavus has the talent and the depth to win the event without him, AND they could challenge the Oles in the 400 Medley, which is likely the relay he would sit if he is on the 800. All signs point to fiction. The ONLY way I can possibly see Amundson on the 8 Free is if, as a senior, he wants to go after the MIAC record and Carlson says go for it. But at the end of the day this is fiction.

They don’t need Amundson on the relay, they won it without him last year and they will want to fight for every inch of that 400 MR… but wait just a gosh darn minute that is pure fact sweetheart. The 800 FR is the longest thing from a sure thing that there is in D3, and Carlson is not going to mess around letting those pesky Olies get close. Amundson swims it, GAC breaks the record and this fact will prove true.

I agree with Lee. Carlson is not going to take a chance on the 800 FR for an apportunity to MAYBE win a Med. I believe Carlson saw his mistake last year when that relay just about slipped away.
And that would be a momentum turner. If GAC wre to have a chance at a relay, it would be the 200 Med. I don’t feel they can make up the ground they will lose in the breast in the 400 med. But in the 200, they wouldn’t lose that much. And Hagameyer at about 6′ 7″ can allmost reach across the pool in the first leg of the backstroke. So, in my opinion, Amundson will swim the 3 freestyle relays and possibly give up an individual event to anchor the 200 med. That’s how I see t. Amundson gives up the 200 Frestyle and swims the 50, 100 Free and 4 relays.

I believe you mean 5 relays… and while i see that as more possible than sitting the 400 MR, i still don’t see it. I don’t know if Jon is more concerned about winning the race or getting the relay in and still having a good shot at winning the meet. While i do believe in the big MO in swimming, i do NOT believe an event at the end of the day has that big of an effect on it, especially considering this: the first event the next day to get back on track will be the 1650, in which GAC will go 1-2.

I don’t think that JC will care that much about getting the 400 Medley into nationals. If he gets the 200 med into nationals then he will have the people at the big meet. They don’t have to qualify in the 400 medley to swim it. As long as they got the guys at the meet already. Besides most of that relay will get into the national meet on there own credentials. Hagemeyer, Amundson, and Ziegler will get in on Individual swims. Only the breastroker will need help getting into the meet and he will get in on the 200 med.

Anyone who says Jon doesn’t care about getting a relay into NCAA’s doesnt know Jon that well. He takes pride in qualifying as many relays and individuals in as many events as he can, even if they previously qualified in other events. Several years ago (I can’t remember if it was two or three) he was super proud that GAC qualified all five relays (one of only a very few how did that) and bragged about it the whole next year. Jon will try to make all five relays as fast as they can go.

Actually I think he was more proud that 2 years ago all 5 of his relays were all-american. That is hard to do and if I am not mistaken only a couple teams accomplished that in Holland Michigan.

@Procrastinator wrote:

Actually I think he was more proud that 2 years ago all 5 of his relays were all-american. That is hard to do and if I am not mistaken only a couple teams accomplished that in Holland Michigan.

Officially, Emory and Gustavus were the ONLY men’s teams to do it. That’s pretty impressive.

I think the point everyone is missing is that Amundson was 4th last year in the 200 free, behind 3 Gusties. Then they had Stewart lead off in a time 1:41.84 that would have been second, making Amundson the 5th fastest 200 freestyler on the team. Wakefield, who was a freshman, was no on it either (who had a faster time the Amundson), they put Pokorski on it (he was on the relay the year before). All of those swimmers return and all of them on the relay were young (freshman or sophomores I believe).

Here is Fact, Amundson does not swim the 800 free relay, especially if he is the Fifth fastest on the team. Even if he was the third fastest, the drop off to the next kid is small in the 200 A couple tenths, half a second). The drop of from his 100 (not to mention when he anchors) to the next is more significant a full second, maybe more, which is more significant in a short race then a long race). He will not do five relays at Conference (maybe nationals but I doubt it), because of the points. If he is fourth in the 200 again that is 15 points. Gustavus will be 2nd in the medlays at worst and should win the 800 relay again without Amundson. There is no benefit from putting him on 5 relays, especially in what could be a tight team race. They get more points if he swim 3 individuals and four relays.

I think that it does not matter who Gustavus puts on the relay. Olaf is going to win that relay this year. They barely lost the race 2 years in a row now and i think this is the year that they will win it again.

Thank you ACT, there is no reason to take Amundson off the 400 Med to put him on the 800 when there are 2+ guys who go just as fast if not faster then him, and GAC would lose too much ground in the Med if he didn’t swim it.

Well, I guess we will just have to wait and see what JC actually does this year at the conference meet. He is the one that gets to make the ultimate decision.