MANKATO, Minn. --- The Minnesota State women's swimming and diving team will host a pair of home duals against Augustana and Sioux Falls the next two weeks.

MSU will host Augustana this Saturday, before taking on Sioux Falls on Saturday, Jan. 25. Both duals are scheduled for 1 p.m. at Highland Pool.

The Mavericks then travel to MSU Moorhead on Saturday, Feb. 1, before heading to the NSIC Championships on Feb. 12 in West Faro, N.D.

Where We're At: Minnesota State owns a 7-1 record in dual action this season, including wins over NSIC foes Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State.

In their most recent outing at the Rochester Invitational, the Mavericks finished first out of 10 teams, including NSIC rivals Augustana, St. Cloud State and MSU Moorhead.

Freshman Averi Larsen won the 200 IM, while freshman Savannah Acker won the 200 backstroke and the 400 IM events. In total, the Mavericks turned in 22 top-three finishes at the Rochester Invitational.

Provisional Qualifying Times: Several Minnesota State swimmers have recorded NCAA provisional qualifying times this season.

Savannah Acker
200 Backstroke – 2:02.72

Maija Carriveau
50 Freestyle – 23.71

Abby Gronholz
100 Backstroke – 55.79

Averi Larsen
50 Freestyle – 23.66
100 Freestyle – 51.40

Concerning the Vikings: Augustana owns a 0-1 record in dual competition this season and most recently competed against South Dakota State.

At the Rochester Invitational, Augustana finished second at the event with 1,699 points. The Vikings finished first in 12 events and recorded a total of 19 top-three finishes.

In total, three Augustana swimmers and two relay teams have recorded NCAA automatic or provisional qualifying times

Bryn Greenwaldt
50 Freestyle – 22.11 (auto)
100 Freestyle – 50.51
100 Backstroke – 54.70

Nesrine Jelliti
100 Breaststroke – 1:02.26

Makoa Montgomery
50 Freestyle  - 23.77

200 Medley Relay – 1:41.22

200 Freestyle Relay – 1:32.76

Concerning the Cougars: Sioux Falls enters the week the owner of a 2-1 dual record.

In their most recent outing, the Cougars finished first at the Dragon Invite as they tallied 1,096.5 points and won 11 of 22 events.

USF has two swimmers who have combined to turn in three NCAA provisional qualifying times this season.

Charlotte Gibbs
200 Freestyle – 1:51.89
500 Freestyle – 5:00.40

Alessia Moro
500 Freestyle – 5:04.13

NSIC Championships: The four-day NSIC Swimming and Diving Championships begin on Feb. 12 and will be held at the Hulbert Aquatic Center in West Fargo, N.D. Swimming prelims will take place at 10 a.m. each day, with finals set to follow at 5:30 p.m. Diving prelims will be held on Thursday and Saturday at 1 p.m., with the finals following later that evening.

Dating back to the 2016-17 season, Minnesota State has finished second or better at all eight of the NSIC Championships, including first place finishes in 2018, 2021 and 2022. Last season, MSU finished second at the NSIC Championships with 865.5 points.

2023-24 All-NSIC Honorees on 2024-25 Team
Klair Bradley – 200 Breaststroke (2nd, 2:20.57)
Alexandra Gorecki – 400 IM (2nd, 4:33.12) | 200 backstroke (2nd, 2:03.33)
Abby Gronholz – 200 medley relay (1st, 1:43.56) | 400 medley relay (2nd, 3:46.57) | 100 backstroke (2nd, 54.02), 200 backstroke (1st,2:02.05)
Olivia Hudoba - 200 Freestyle Relay (2nd, 1:34.54)
Elise Mishmash – 200 medley relay (1st, 1:43.56) | 400 medley relay (2nd, 3:46.57), 200 Freestyle Relay (2nd, 1:34.54)
Claudia Schwartz – 200 medley relay (1st, 1:43.56) | 100 butterfly (3rd, 56.53) | 400 medley relay (2nd, 3:46.57)

NSIC Athletes of the Week: The duo of senior Aspen Warnygora and freshman Averi Larsen have combined to earn six NSIC weekly awards this season.

Warnygora has been named the NSIC Diver of the Week four times this season (Oct. 22, Nov. 12, Nov. 17 & Dec. 10). She has been named the NSIC Diver of the Week five times during her career at MSU.

Larsen has been named the NSIC Swimmer of the Week twice this season on Nov. 5 and Nov. 19.

NCAA Championships: The four-day NCAA Championships begin on March 12 and will be held at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.

Presently, Minnesota State is projected by Swimcloud to finish 15th at the NCAA Championships as it has amassed 604.23 points. Several NSIC teams are currently ranked in the top-50.

14. Augustana – 609.99
15. Minnesota State – 604.23
23. St. Cloud State – 581.58
30. Sioux Falls – 562.70
43. Concordia-St. Paul – 529.41