Swim & Dive Says Goodbye to Seniors

The UW-Whitewater Men’s Swim & Dive team (3-4) suffered a crushing defeat to UW-Eau Claire (4-1) at the Williams Center Pool by a score of 201-52. Only two of the Warhawks ever graduated, Joe Wenzel and Ryan Corfield.

Called one of the best players in the WIAC by Whitewater head coach Elise Knosch, Eau Claire finished first in all men’s events. The Warhawks scored his seven second-place finishes and the Blugolds swept the top three in his four of the 13 contested events. In Whitewater, no one competed in the 200-yard breaststroke.

Freshman Ethan Bergman was one of the Warhawks’ biggest contributors. In his 100 yard butterfly he came second, in 100 yard freestyle he came fourth, in 200 yard freestyle relay he came second, in 200 yard medley his relay he came third in his team became.

Finishing second ahead of Bergman in the 100-yard freestyle was freshman Dom Schlueter with a time of 54.27. Schlueter said he was just 0.05 seconds short of taking first place in the event.

Schlueter and Bergman, teaming with Anthony Murozovski and Donnie Grammer, placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:28.22, more than 0.8 seconds behind the leading team in Eau Claire. rice field.

Despite having a surprisingly large freshman class on the team, with eight of the 17 athletes on the roster, Saturday’s swim meet focused on the team’s seniors. Ryan Corfield and Joe Wenzel.

Corfield was able to make his mark on the day by swimming the second leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay. Corfield, Matt Saipin, Ethan Koons and David Cummings placed him fifth in the event, finishing in 1:33.29. Wenzel swam his 50-yard freestyle.

The two seniors had unique college athletics experiences while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When COVID hit, it wasn’t fun,” Wenzel said. “I definitely lost a lot of motivation and stuff.

Wenzel has expressed a love for the sport and the culture of Warhawk swimming that makes the team feel like one big family.

Despite a tough day in the pool for Warhawks head coach Elise Knosch, we found some positives as the team now has its sights on the WIAC Championship.

“Seeing many season bests and personal bests after all the hard training today should be a huge confidence boost for our team.

The Warhawks will next compete in the pools at the WIAC Championship in Milwaukee on Wednesday, February 15, with the championship running through Saturday, February 18.