Brown Deer, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's swimming & diving team captured its 22nd Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships (presented by Culver's) Saturday night at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center.
The 22 league championships are the most in WIAC history and UWL's first title since 2022. UW-Eau Claire has won 21 WIAC Championships.
It is the third WIAC Championship under UWL head coach
Steve Mohs, who was named the WIAC Coach of the Year Saturday.
The Eagles finished with 1,018 points on Saturday while UW-Eau Claire was second with 855. UW-Stevens Point placed third (520) followed by UW-Oshkosh (406) and UW-Whitewater (332).
UWL's
Jordy Hahlen captured the 200 backstroke title (2:03.48) on Saturday with
Autumn Seebach second (2:04.81). Seebach won the crown in 2022.
Libby Cleveland placed second (52.78) in the 100 freestyle while
Reilly Eiynck was sixth (53.57) and
Ava Pulvermacher eighth (53.83).
UWL had five of the top-seven finishers in the 200 breaststroke on Saturday as
Lily Rosenau placed second (2:24.81),
Makenzie Wallace third (2:24.98),
Zoey Rank fourth (2:25.06),
Natalie Austin sixth (2:26.69) and
Callie Klepp seventh (2:26.99).
The Eagles had their third individual finish second in Saturday's finals as
Maddy Albert-Nelson was second (2:08.71) in the 200 butterfly.
Emily Schoenbrodt placed third (2:10.12) with
Abi Schauske seventh (2:19.95) and
Shefali Ramakrishnan eighth (2:20.65).
Amelia Olson was fifth (18:12.51) in the 1,650 freestyle.
UWL's 400 freestyle relay of Eiynck, Pulvermacher, Schoenbrodt and Cleveland finished second (3:31.28) Saturday.
At the conclusion of the championships, Rank was named the WIAC Newcomer of the Year while
Joanne Banaszak earned the WIAC Diver of the Meet for the second straight season. She swept the one and three-meter diving titles at this year's championships. Along with finishing fourth in the 200 breaststroke, Rank won the 200 I.M. and finished second in the 100 breaststroke. She was also on UWL's winning 200 and 400 medley relays.
UWL returns to action Friday, February 28 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Central Diving Regional at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
