Saint John's swimming and diving opens its 2020-21 season with a dual meet against St. Thomas at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, in the Warner Palaestra Pool. Diving is tentatively scheduled to begin around 2 p.m. – Live Video | Heat Sheets/Schedule of Events

SORRY, NO FANS: Spectators will not be allowed at contests during the winter season. The MIAC released a statement regarding this decision:

"We have a small window for success this winter season. Our COVID Working Group, made up of conference members and medical advisors, supported no spectators for indoor winter sports due to health and safety concerns. This decision, supported by our institutions' athletic directors and presidents, provides our best path forward to successfully and safely conduct winter sports. The decision was not made lightly.  It is critical that we see success in the first few weeks of competition."

THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE: As the schedule currently stands, SJU hosts Hamline for swimming next Friday, Feb. 12, and diving the next morning (Feb. 13), and visit Gustavus Adolphus Feb. 20 for the season finale.  

NO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2021: The NCAA Division III Administrative Committee, acting on behalf of the Division III Management and Presidents Council, approved the recommendation from the Division III Championships Committee to cancel all winter championships due to low participation numbers among member schools. The announcement was made Wednesday night (Feb. 3). 

The Championships Committee decision was based on the results of a winter declaration form distributed to members about their intention to compete this season in a capacity that would permit them to meet the minimum contest requirements to be eligible for championship selection by the established selection dates. The declaration form was sent to Division III athletics directors Jan. 19 and completed by 98% of the membership.

The national championships affected are men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's ice hockey, and wrestling.

JACK IS BACK: Sophomore diver Jack Grabinski (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) returns after completing a decorated freshman season in 2019-20. He was named a CSCAA All-American in April, after the CSCAA Board adjusted the selection criteria for each division due to the cancellation of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. For Division III, all individuals and relays selected to the 2020 NCAA Championships were named All-American. In previous years, the CSCAA awarded All-America honors to the top 16 swimmers and divers in each event at the national meet.  

The 2019-20 MIAC Co-Diver of the Year, Grabinski earned a trip to the NCAA Championships with his fourth-place finish in the 3-meter dive, and seventh-place mark on the 1-meter board, at the NCAA Central Regional in Ohio. The top eight in each event advanced to the national meet.

Grabinski set SJU freshman records in both the 1- and 3-meter dives (six dives and 11) in 2019-20. His score of 505.05 on the 3-meter board at the MIAC Championships was the second-best in school history.

AND SO IS REED: Sophomore Connor Reed (Elk River, Minn.) exceeded the 1-meter mark three times, including his third-place finish (434.05) at the conference meet, to earn a trip to the NCAA Regional with Grabinski. Reed finished 15th (370.35) in the 3-meter dive and 20th (343.00) on the 1-meter board at the regional. 

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: The 2020-21 Saint John's swimming and diving team returns to the pool following a third-place finish at the 2020 MIAC Championships. In head coach Ben Gill's first year at the helm, the Johnnies scored 493 points at the conference meet, which were the most by SJU since the 2015-16 season (527). Diving coach Jon Hazen also earned his second MIAC Diving Coach of the Year Award (first in 2015). 

Five Johnnies scored team points in both the 100- and 200-yard backstrokes. In the 100-yard backstroke, sophomore Joe Koller (Savage, Minn./Shakopee) and senior Mick Olson (Fullerton, Calif./Troy) touched the wall sixth (54.15) and seventh (54.15), respectively. Junior Spencer Atkinson (Litchfield, Minn.) took second in the event's B final, 10th (55.20) overall, while sophomore Beau Brinkman (Wayzata, Minn.) placed 11th (56.13) and junior Trevor Nelson (Helena, Mont./St. Andrew School) finished 13th (57.24). 
The following night in the 200-yard backstroke, Olson led the way in fifth place (1:56.41) and sophomore Ethan Huber (Mitchell, S.D.) followed in eighth (1:57.79). Atkinson and Koller touched the wall 13th (2:01.44) and 14th (2:02.32), respectively, in the B final and Nelson placed 16th (2:06.46).

In the 200-yard individual medley, senior Eli Greenblat (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) finished in eighth (2:00.43) and sophomore Jack Mehus (Fargo, N.D./South) took 16th. Greenblat also took eighth in the 100- (59.68) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:11.73). Huber earned 13 points for the Johnnies with a sixth-place finish (1:43.45) in the 200-yard freestyle. 

Junior Steven Froehle (DuPont, Wash./Steilacoom) claimed seventh (21.70) in the 50-yard freestyle and freshman Beau Brinkman (Wayzata, Minn.) won the event's B final, ninth overall, with a time of 21.67 seconds.