You are currently viewing historical information. -> Return to current season <- While we strive to provide accurate historical information, there may be some inaccuracies. If you find errors, please email them to sportsinfo@uwec.edu. Please include a source of proof (newspaper, yearbook, etc.) to support your claim. Fri, Sep 20, 2024 No Event(s) Scheduled For Selected Date Men's Swimming and Diving Picks Up First Victory of Season By: Ashley Hofer, Sports Information Student EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (UWECBlugolds.com) - After falling in its first two events, the UW-Eau Claire men's swimming & diving team earned the season's first win in dominating fashion by tallying a 102-44 victory over UW-Oshkosh today at the McPhee Physical Education Center. The Eau Claire team put down the best times in 11 of the 16 events and recorded 35 top-three finishes on the day. Jonathan Poppele (Jr.-Maple Grove, Minn./Wayzata), Corey Groshens (So.-St. Louis Park, Minn./Hopkins), and Ben Epperly (Fr.-Schaumburg, Ill.) all recorded multiple victories in the blowout win. Poppele raced to first in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke competitions with times of 57.94 and 2:05.73. He earned a third win on the night by completing the 400-yard individual medley in 4:39.31 to lead the field. Groshens led the swimmers in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke races, recording finishes of 1:02.33 and 2:16.78 minutes. Fellow Blugolds also finished second and third in both events. Epperly earned his dual victories in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:27.28 and the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 5:13.47. As was the case in many events, the Blugold swimmers swept the top-three positions in both the 500 and 1,650-yard freestyle races. Other top-placing Blugolds included Ben Macalalad (Sr.-Wausau, Wis./East), whose 1:52.16 time earned him the win in the 200-yard freestyle event. Alex Plaetzer (Jr.-Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) also nabbed first place in the 50-yard freestyle. In the diving competitions, lone Blugold diver Nick Badilla (So.-Appleton, Wis./North) picked up a second place finish in the one-meter event with a score of 239.70 and just missed the top three with a fourth place dive in the three-meter competition. The Blugold teams also showed strength at the competition, claiming the top two spots in the 800-yard freestyle relay and the first three places in the 400-yard medley relay. Next Friday, Eau Claire looks to capture another home victory when it hosts UW-River Falls in the McPhee Physical Education Center. Competition will begin at 6 p.m. |