UW-Eau Claire swim team takes titles over the weekend

    The Blugolds squared off against UW-Stevens Point with the women prevailing and the men falling short

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    With two meets under the swim team’s belt, the Blugolds are showing early season promise.

    The UW-Eau Claire swim team hosted UW-Stevens Point in a dual meet in which the women came out on top with a score of 144-98, while the men fell to the Pointers 162-78.

    The women had first-place finishes across the board on Saturday en route to another team victory after their defeat of conference foe UW-Oshkosh last weekend.

    Jessica Short, a junior and team captain, said she was proud of how the team came together this weekend after trailing early on.

    “Stevens Point has a very strong diving program,” Short said. “So it was inspiring to see us come together at the end and overtake them for the win. Everyone is swimming and diving extremely well for this early in the season and we will only improve with more training behind us.”

    The ladies dominated the 1000-yard freestyle as Kate Stensberg, a first-year competitor, took first place with a time of 11:30.93. Finishing second in the event was Sari Mailey, a senior, at 11:35.70.

    Blugolds taking first and second in their events became a trend for the women on Saturday.

    Rachael Streit, a first-year competitor, dominated the 200-yard freestyle, winning the event in a time of 2:06.07. Stensberg, Mailey and Streit continued their top-tier swims as they were the top three in the 500-yard free, finishing in 5:37.34, 5:37.64 and 5:44.43, respectively.

    Continuing in top-of-the-leaderboard fashion, Emily Ries, a first-year competitor, won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 25.96. Brittany Farr, a junior, finished right behind her in second place with a time of 26.75.

    Short had a day full of titles, winning both the 200-yard IM (2:14.61) and the 100-yard freestyle (55.75).

    Sophomores Amanda Wiedoff and Lily Lengvenis went 1-2 in the 200-yard backstroke, finishing at 2:20.10 and 2:20.57, respectively.

    Camille Madsen, a junior, claimed the top spot in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:43.34. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Short, Farr, Ries and Molly Quinlan, a senior, took first place with a time of 1:43.39.

    Caleb Odmark, a captain for the men’s swim team, said the team’s workout and practice regimen sets them up for later in the year, rather than for early season meets. While he said a grueling week of practice can leave the body sore for meets like Saturday, it will pay off in the long run.

    “Essentially we learn how to swim tired,” Odmark said. “So at the end of the year when we’re tired we drop more time than any other team in the conference as a whole.”

    With sore and tired bodies, the men did not disappoint.

    Collin Miller, a sophomore, had a strong showing as he took first place in both the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.58 and the 100-yard freestyle in 47.96. His brother, Dayton, a senior, won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:17.51.

    Dylan Glumac-Berberich, a sophomore, won the one-meter dive with a score of 291.75 which officially qualifies him for the NCAA national meet.

    With the season still in its infant stages, Assistant Coach Nick Hora said keeping up a good attitude when things aren’t going the best is an area he would like to see his team improve on, moving forward.

    “The biggest thing is staying positive,” Hora said. “After a bad swim, just being able to forget about the present and look to the future is something we can work on.”

    The Blugolds will have a plethora of chances to get better and prove themselves in pursuit of a conference championship as the season continues. The next competition for Eau Claire is on the road Saturday at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.