WIAC Championships Up Next For Swimming & Diving

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Posted: Tuesday, February 13, 2007

EAU CLAIRE - The UW-Eau Claire men's and women's swimming and diving teams prepare for Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships action, which will occur this Thursday through Saturday in Stevens Point.

The prelims begin at 10:30 a.m. while the finals start at 7:45 p.m. each day.

The men's team has a 2-3 conference dual mark while going 3-4 in all duals and 11-6 overall on the season. They have beaten UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh in the WIAC as well as Macalester College (MN) outside the WIAC. WIAC losses have come to UW-Stevens Point, UW-La Crosse, and UW-Whitewater.

The team has taken third at this event for six years. Last year the team had 526 points while the top-place Stevens Point team had 1,017.5. La Crosse took second with a 781.5 tally. The Eagles look to take down Stevens Point this year, having already beaten the Pointers in a dual meet earlier this season that snapped a WIAC dual meet streak that went as far back as 1995.

The Blugolds look to carry over experience from last year's championships, where many returnees had solid finishes. Brian Jordan (Jr.-Madison/West) took fifth in the 500 freestyle, the 1650-yard race, and in the 400 individual medley. Patrick Finley (So.-Waunakee) swam to fourth in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle. Cale Schmidt-Jackson (Sr.-Duluth, MN/East) also grabbed fourth in the 100 backstroke and in the 200 backstroke. Peter Schultz (So.-Oakdale, MN/North) placed fifth in the 200 breaststroke.

Nick Peterson (Sr.-Lake Elmo, MN/North St. Paul) owns many of this year's fastest times, including the 100 backstroke, the 200 backstroke, the 200 individual medley and the 400 individual medley. Finley has been the fastest in the 50 freestyle, the 100 freestyle, and the 200 freestyle. Kris Metje (Fr.-Cape Girardeau, MO/Central) takes the other freestyle races, those being the 500, the 1000, and the 1650. Schmidt-Jackson is the top Blugold in the 100 butterfly and in the 100 breaststroke.

The women have gone 3-2 in WIAC dual meets while swimming to a 4-3 mark for all dual meets. Their overall record is 12-5. The team is on a three-meet winning streak with victories over Macalester College, Whitewater and Oshkosh. The women have also defeated River Falls but have fallen to Stevens Point and La Crosse.

The women also have taken third for a number of years at the championships, with last year's finish being the fourth third-place finish in a row. They collected 545 points while the Pointers had 985 and the Eagles had 938.5.

The women's team looks to fill the shoes of last championship's big point-gainers. The main returnees with solid placements from last year are Emily Diehl (Jr.-Prairie du Sac/Sauk Prairie) and Emily Viau (Sr.-Apple Valley, MN/Eastview). Diehl took fourth in the 200 breaststroke and fifth in the 200 individual medley. Viau finished fifth in the 1650 freestyle. For this year, Viau owns the fastest time in the 200 freestyle, the 500 freestyle, and the 400 individual medley. Diehl has the top spot in the 100 breaststroke, the 200 breaststroke, and the 200 individual medley.

Several other Blugolds have shined throughout the season. Ann Grossklaus (Fr.-Wausau/West) is fastest in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle while Amy Stewart (Fr.-South Milwaukee) is the standard in the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly. Mari Bodensteiner (Fr.-Red Wing, MN) also has the best time in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. Jaclyn Blank (Fr.-Byron, MN) is tops for the 1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle.

The WIAC Championships begin Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and continue through Saturday at Stevens Point.