The Milwaukee Panthers swim and dive teams concluded their participation in the Horizon League Championships at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis on Saturday. The women’s team finished second for the third consecutive year, earning 641 points, while the men’s team placed fourth with 438 points, repeating last year’s result.
“It’s hard to summarize what this week is like for the team,” said head coach Kyle Clements. “The highs and lows, the records and places, the smiles and tears are just some of the things happening down on deck. All I know for sure is I am proud of everyone that makes up this team. It isn’t always easy or fun, but we do it anyway. We do for the opportunity to race. We do it to see if we can go faster than ever before. We do it for a chance to do something special.”
During the final day of competition, Sam Lorenz set a new Horizon League Championships record in the 200 backstroke with a Division I A cut time of 1:41.60 in the consolation final. The men’s 4×400 freestyle relay team—Charlie House, Lorenz, Caleb Carlisle, and Gunnar Seversen—set a program record by finishing third with a time of 2:52.93.
Caleb Carlisle secured fifth place in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:46.96. Andrew Jones posted his personal best in the 200 breaststroke at 2:01.19 as Milwaukee’s top finisher in that event.
On the women’s side, Maddi Hayashi won her second individual title at these championships by taking first place in the 200 butterfly (2:01.71). Erika Thomas also performed well in this event, finishing fifth (2:04.16).
The women’s 4×400 freestyle relay squad—Gabrielle LePine, Brielle Laube, Mara Freeman, and Christiana Brooks—broke a school record and finished second with a time of 3:22.18.
Brooks claimed another victory by winning the 100 freestyle with her career-best time of 49.98 seconds; Laube reached eighth place (51.51) in that event’s finals.
Freeman was Milwaukee’s top performer in the women’s 200 backstroke (fifth place; 2:01.50), while Nadia Switalski took sixth place in the women’s 200 breaststroke (2:22.19).
“I really believe we did something special,” added Clements. “The women winning all those events and finishing top two again, and the men breaking all those records and sending their first athlete ever to NCAAs. Couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
Event champions from Milwaukee included Gabrielle LePine (50 freestyle – 22.74; 100 breaststroke -1:01.68), Christiana Brooks (100 freestyle -49.98), Maddi Hayashi (100 butterfly -54.88; 200 butterfly -2:01.71), as well as relay teams who won both medley and freestyle relays among women competitors.
Sam Lorenz was an event champion for men’s swimming after qualifying for NCAA competition by winning the men’s 100 backstroke with a time of 45.81 seconds.
The Milwaukee Panthers Women’s Swimming & Diving Team competes seasonally as part of NCAA Division I within the Horizon League. The program represents University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletics and helps student-athletes balance academic responsibilities alongside athletic commitments (official website). As part of its mission, it contributes to enhancing university sports traditions through collegiate competitions (official website).
