UWL Captures Ninth Consecutive WIAC Championship

UWL won its ninth straight WIAC title Saturday night.

Brown Deer, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's swimming & diving team captured its ninth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (presented by Culver's) Saturday night at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center.

The Eagles, led by first-year head coach Steve Mohs, finished with 812.5 team points while UW-Eau Claire was second with 777.0. UW-Whitewater placed third (603.5) followed by UW-Stevens Point (559.0) and UW-Oshkosh (369.0).

Mohs was named the WIAC Women's Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the championships.

UWL has now won 20 (1972-73, 1977-78, 2002-05, 2008-09, 2012-20) conference titles in school history, the most in WIAC history. UW-Eau Claire (1980-97, 1999) has 19 championships while UW-Stevens Point has six (2000-01, 2006-07, 2010-11) league crowns and UW-Madison four (1971,1974-1976).

UWL won a pair of individual titles on Saturday as Maria Vaudreuil captured the 200-yard breaststroke (2:23.67) and Sydney Vian the three-meter diving title (429.55 points). It is Vaudreuil's third straight league title in the 200-yard breaststroke. She is the fifth swimmer in WIAC history to capture three consecutive crowns in the event. Vian won her second straight WIAC title in the three-meter diving.

Kaylie Svacina was second (2:27.31) and Samantha Rod sixth (2:31.66) in the 200-yard breaststroke while Elizabeth Konkel finished third (396.45) and Inga Erickson 11th (255.55) in the three-meter diving.

Other top individual finishes on Saturday included Victoria Campbell placing second (53.60), Emily Boettger fourth (53.71), Mikala Leppla sixth (53.97) and Jaime Kloehn ninth (54.70) in the 100-yard freestyle.

Lilly Larsen was second (2:07.75), Sophia Benson fourth (2:10.32) and Amanda Wciorka seventh (2:13.11) in the 200-yard backstroke with Hannah Calhoon 12th (2:15.33)

The Eagles' Ellie Szczupakiewicz finished third (2:12.18) in the 200-yard butterfly with Sarina Le eighth (2:22.58).

Kathleen Casella finished 12th (19:28.42) in the 1,650-yard freestyle.

UWL placed second (3:33.95) in the 400-yard freestyle relay with Leppla, Campbell, Kloehn and Boettger.

UWL returns to action Wednesday, March 18 through Saturday, March 21 at the NCAA Division III Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.