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Swimming and Diving Announce Captains for 2018-19 Season
9/14/2018 4:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
The University of Minnesota men's and women's swimming and diving programs are set for the 2018-19 campaign and have now announced their captains for the upcoming season.
The women's swim and dive program will be led by a trio of seniors in Chantal Nack, Kaia Grobe and Morgan Justus, while the men will be headed by Tuomas Pokkinen and Nick Plachinski.
"We have tremendous leadership on this team and our captains are a true representation of this," said head coach Kelly Kremer. "I trust this group and know they will stand up for our culture every day. I am excited to work with them. I greatly appreciate the responsibility they have taken for themselves, and the accountability they are willing to share with their teammates as we strive to compete with the best swimming and diving teams in the country."
Nack will return as a captain for her final Gopher campaign. A native of Mankato, Minn., Nack is coming off of an All-American season where she was a part of the Gopher 800 free relay that set a school record at the NCAA Championships with a time of 6:56.40. Nack was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2017 and 2018.
Grobe, a native of Victoria, Minn., is a three-year letterwinner for the Gophers and has excelled for Minnesota in and out of the pool. Grobe was a relay alternate for the Gophers at the 2016 NCAA Championships and last season at the 2018 Big Ten Championships set personal bests in the 50 free and 100 fly. Grobe is a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award winner and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Morgan Justus is a three-year letterwinner with the women's dive team and enters her senior year after a successful 2017-18 campaign. A native of Grand Rapids, Minn., Justus earned All-American Honorable Mention status last season at the NCAA Championships after finishing 12th in the platform dive. She is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten team member and was an Outstanding Student-Athlete award recipient.
Pokkinen and Plachinski will lead the way for the men this season. A junior from Espoo, Finland, Pokkinen was a part of two Gopher record setting relays, including the 400 free relay that recorded a record time of 2:51.06 at the NCAA Championships in 2017. Pokkinen has competed at two NCAA Championships, earned All-American Honorable Mention status and is an Outstanding Student-Athlete award recipient.
A native of Cedarburg, Wisc., Plachinski is a distance freestyle swimmer for the Gophers. Plachinski most recently represented the Gophers at the 2018 Speedo Sectionals in Iowa City this summer, taking bronze in the 800-meter free with a time of 8:19.27. The senior set a personal best in the 1650-yard free at the 2017 Big Ten Championships with a time of 15:21.42 and was named an Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a sophomore.
The Gopher swimming and diving programs will begin their seasons with the Alumni Meet on Sept., 28 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
The women's swim and dive program will be led by a trio of seniors in Chantal Nack, Kaia Grobe and Morgan Justus, while the men will be headed by Tuomas Pokkinen and Nick Plachinski.
"We have tremendous leadership on this team and our captains are a true representation of this," said head coach Kelly Kremer. "I trust this group and know they will stand up for our culture every day. I am excited to work with them. I greatly appreciate the responsibility they have taken for themselves, and the accountability they are willing to share with their teammates as we strive to compete with the best swimming and diving teams in the country."
Nack will return as a captain for her final Gopher campaign. A native of Mankato, Minn., Nack is coming off of an All-American season where she was a part of the Gopher 800 free relay that set a school record at the NCAA Championships with a time of 6:56.40. Nack was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2017 and 2018.
Grobe, a native of Victoria, Minn., is a three-year letterwinner for the Gophers and has excelled for Minnesota in and out of the pool. Grobe was a relay alternate for the Gophers at the 2016 NCAA Championships and last season at the 2018 Big Ten Championships set personal bests in the 50 free and 100 fly. Grobe is a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award winner and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Morgan Justus is a three-year letterwinner with the women's dive team and enters her senior year after a successful 2017-18 campaign. A native of Grand Rapids, Minn., Justus earned All-American Honorable Mention status last season at the NCAA Championships after finishing 12th in the platform dive. She is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten team member and was an Outstanding Student-Athlete award recipient.
Pokkinen and Plachinski will lead the way for the men this season. A junior from Espoo, Finland, Pokkinen was a part of two Gopher record setting relays, including the 400 free relay that recorded a record time of 2:51.06 at the NCAA Championships in 2017. Pokkinen has competed at two NCAA Championships, earned All-American Honorable Mention status and is an Outstanding Student-Athlete award recipient.
A native of Cedarburg, Wisc., Plachinski is a distance freestyle swimmer for the Gophers. Plachinski most recently represented the Gophers at the 2018 Speedo Sectionals in Iowa City this summer, taking bronze in the 800-meter free with a time of 8:19.27. The senior set a personal best in the 1650-yard free at the 2017 Big Ten Championships with a time of 15:21.42 and was named an Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a sophomore.
The Gopher swimming and diving programs will begin their seasons with the Alumni Meet on Sept., 28 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
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