SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –The No. 22 Augustana women's swimming team opens up the postseason on Wednesday at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Championships. The four-day event will take place Feb. 12-15 at the BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center in Bismarck, North Dakota. The University of Mary is the host school for the championships this year. 

Quotable
"We are excited to travel to Bismarck for our upcoming NSIC Championships." Head coach Lindsie Micko said. "Led by our first-ever senior class, we've had a special year and feel like we can compete very well in all of the individual events as well as relays. I'm looking forward to a fast 4 days of racing!"

The Meet
The morning session will take place at 10 a.m. each day with the evening finals taking place at 5:30 p.m. each night. The schedule of the events can be found here.

The Competition
No. 13 ranked Sioux Falls will bring competition with the early season NSIC Swimmer of the week Chantal Kasch recording times in the 100 and 200 breast to ensure the top spot. Teammates Lizzy Spaans and Johnson Ella will also be in the mix. St. Cloud State, the NSIC preseason favorite, will also bring competition to the table with the likes of Chelsea Gehrke and the diving team. Eight teams will be competing in the NSIC Championships.

The Vikings
The Augustana swimming team entered the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) top-25 in January, checking in at No. 22 with 23 points. Previous NSIC Swimmer of the Week Destini Oehlertz will look to continue her dominance in the freestyle events. 

The Vikings 800 freestyle relay of senior Emma Miller, junior Taylor Beagle, junior Kelsey Gilbert, and senior Destini Oehlertz will be have their eyes set on repeating as champions.  Beagle will also be a heavy favorite to defend her 1650 freestyle title from last year.  

Swimmer To Watch
Junior Taylor Beagle returns as the first swimmer in program history to earn All-American status (1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle) most recently recording a pair of titles in the 200 yard IM and 500 yard freestyle in the dual meet against Nebraska-Kearney.

--GoAugie.com--