EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's and women's swimming and diving teams swept UW-Whitewater in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) dual on Saturday at the McPhee Pool. The Blugold women prevailed 228-56, and the men won 221-64.
UW-Eau Claire honored its seniors during its final home event of the season.
"Today was all about our seniors," Blugolds head coach
Annie Ryder said. "We talk a lot as a team about honoring your teammates with your effort and they certainly did that today. They swam incredibly well and put themselves in a really good position to be successful come championship season which is just around the corner. We are truly grateful for the commitment, dedication and leadership the seniors have brought to our team over the past four years and we were excited to celebrate them today."
Some NCAA zone cuts on the diving board helped the Blugold men clinch their victory.
Ben Koller (Sr. - Savage, Minn./Shakopee) and
Blake Wallen (Fr. - Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) both achieved zone cuts on the three-meter board, with Koller scoring a 293.55 and Wallen close behind at 288.80. Koller also had a zone cut on the one-meter board with a score of 285.50.
Ben Keller (Sr. - Cedarburg, Wis.) won three events for the Blugold men: the 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly.
Zhander Rowley (So. - Janesville, Wis./Parker) the two breaststroke events, and
Kadin Denner (Jr. - Aurora, Colo.) won both the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard IM.
Kaden Zink (Fr. - Watertown, S.D.) did well in the distance events, winning the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyles.
The Blugold men also swept both of the relay events in the dual.
The UW-Eau Claire women were led by three swimmers that won multiple individual events.
Kiara Bissen (Jr. - Madison, Wis./Memorial) won the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard breaststroke.
Molly Hosack (So. - Cedarburg, Wis.) swept the distance events, winning the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyles.
Elaina Plonis (Jr. - Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower) won both the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events.
The Blugold women also won both relay events.
Jordan Kuhn (So. - Waukesha, Wis./West) won the one-meter diving competition and
Rachel Kachinsky (Sr. - New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) prevailed on the three-meter board.
The UW-Eau Claire women are now 6-1 in duals this season and 4-0 in the WIAC, while the men are 5-1 overall and 4-0 in conference action. The Blugolds return to action with the Gustie Challenge on Friday, February 2 at Gustavus Adolphus College. The competition is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
