The Milwaukee women’s swimming and diving team secured second place at the Horizon League Championships for the second consecutive year. The event, held in Indianapolis, saw Kyle Clements named Women’s Coach of the Year once again. Meanwhile, the men’s team achieved a fourth-place finish, marking their best performance since 2015, with Gunnar Seversen earning Freshman of the Meet honors.
The women’s team concluded the weekend with 655 points, while the men garnered 414 points. Reflecting on the competition, Clements stated, “I’ve been to a lot of swim meets through the years, but this one will go down as one of the fastest and most competitive ones of my career.” He praised his team’s efforts, noting that their achievements would be evident on their record board and in history books.
Seversen excelled in the 1650 freestyle event by setting a new school record with a time of 15:26.51 to secure second place. In other notable performances for the women’s team, Mara Freeman finished second in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:00.69, followed by Skylar Ruggles who placed fifth at 2:01.96.
Janelle Schulz added another podium finish in the women’s 100 freestyle with a time of 50.37 for second place. Christiana Brooks also reached the finals and finished eighth with a time of 51.24.
Charlie House was among the top performers for Milwaukee’s men’s team, setting his second school record during this meet with a fifth-place finish in the 100 freestyle at 44.21.
In her first collegiate season, Maddi Hayashi claimed runner-up status in the women’s 200 butterfly with a freshman program-best time of 2:01.50. Natalie DiProspero also competed in this event final and secured seventh place with her time of 2:04.62.
Caleb Carlisle ended his impressive freshman season by finishing third in his event at a time of 1:47.47 during another race where first-year athletes made significant contributions; Alvin Valkki set another program-best prelim time for Milwaukee before securing eighth overall after completing his finals run at two minutes plus change (2:01).
Hanna DeGrace came eighth among women competitors clocking an impressive mark around two twenty-three point eleven seconds while Gabrielle LePine won consolation rounds timing slightly over two-twenty-eight seconds
Clements acknowledged some challenges faced throughout these championships but commended athletes’ resilience saying they continued stepping up when needed despite not everything going perfectly according to plan—adding how proud he is alongside Alex Hallam & Todd Hill regarding where their programs stand today thanks largely due efforts from every roster member involved therein.”
The women’s relay quartet comprising LePine alongside Brooks/Schulz/Hudson ensured Panthers ended proceedings memorably via another established milestone record coupled w/a well-deserved podium spot – completing respective race times spanning roughly three-twenty-two-seven-zero marks respectively! Julie Rebek notably shone atop three-meter diving board standings following closely behind eventual winner whilst achieving commendable scores exceeding two fifty-three points
Concluding remarks saw Clements affirm ongoing pride felt towards Panther legacy declaring emphatically yet sincerely amidst celebrations observed amongst attendees present “Today like every day is great day being part such remarkable community!”
