BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Saint John’s senior Brayden Slavik (Green Isle, Minn./Chaska) and junior Cody Watts (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) were named the MIAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Athletes of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
The honor is the seventh of Slavik’s career and the fourth – and second-consecutive – for Watts.
Slavik won three individual events – the 100- (52.43) and 200-yard (1:57.13) backstrokes, and 200-yard individual medley (1:58.25) – and was the first leg of SJU’s first-place 200-yard medley relay in the Johnnies’ triangular win over Hamline and Minnesota-Morris on Saturday (Oct. 18) in Collegeville.
The reigning MIAC Swimmer of the Year and a 2024 All-American (honorable mention with a 15th-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle), Slavik broke three program records, including two of his own, to win the 400-yard individual medley (4:00.12), 500-yard freestyle (4:29.49) and 1,650-yard freestyle (15:32.98) at the 2024 MIAC Championships. He is a six-time MIAC champion (five individual and one relay) and 10-time All-MIAC honoree (top three at the conference meet).
Watts swept the competition, finishing first on both the 1- and 3-meter dives in Saturday’s triangular win. He totaled a 240.45 on the 1-meter and a 216.15 on the 3-meter.
A College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-America second-team honoree last season, Watts participated at the NCAA Regional, where he finished 10th in the 1-meter dive (392.50) and 15th on the 3-meter board (361.95). He collected his second All-MIAC honor with a third-place score in the 1-meter dive at the MIAC Championships for the second year in a row.
The duo and the rest of the Johnnies travel to face Macalester for a 1 p.m. dual meet this Saturday, Oct. 25, in St. Paul.
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