Blugolds swim well at Minnesota First Chance meet

Posted: Feb 04, 2023

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's and women's swimming teams finished out the Minnesota First Chance meet with a strong showing on Saturday at the University of Minnesota. The Blugolds had several top-five finishes to close out the two-day meet.

Saturday Morning Results | Saturday Night Results

Graham Moore (Fr. - Menasha, Wis./Kimberly) had the top finish for the Blugolds in the morning session. He took third in the men's 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:45.81, with teammate Zach Topritzhofer (Jr. - Chippewa Falls, Wis.) close behind in fourth. Will Chatwin (Jr. - Forest Lake, Minn.) placed seventh in the men's 100-yard backstroke.

Emily Stover (Sr. - Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) and Drew Smith (So. - Morris, Ill./Morris Community) led the Blugold women in the morning session. Stover finished ninth in the women's 200-yard freestyle at 2:01.16, and Smith was ninth in the women's 100-yard backstroke at 1:02.43.

The Blugolds continued to do well in the evening session, with the highlight coming in the men's 400-yard freestyle relay. UW-Eau Claire's team of Chatwin, William Taylor (So. - Albert Lea, Minn.), Ben Keller (Jr. - Cedarburg, Wis.) and Vaughn Kromrey (Sr. - Hudson, Wis.) won the event in a time of 3:15.04, beating out a relay from Division I University of St. Thomas for the title.

Chatwin also placed fourth in the men's 200-yard backstroke, continuing a strong weekend for the junior. Luke Mandli (So. - McFarland, Wis.) also earned a top-10 finish for the Blugold men, placing ninth in the 200-yard breaststroke.

Smith carried over her momentum from the morning session and took fourth in the women's 200-yard backstroke. Josie Bougie (Sr. - Falcon Heights, Minn./Roseville) placed 10th in the women's 200-yard breaststroke. Bella Thovson (Sr. - Hutchinson, Minn.) and Cora Martin (So. - Detroit Lakes, Minn.) placed eighth and ninth, respectively, in the women's 200-yard butterfly. The Blugold women's 400-yard freestyle relay unit of Stover, Bougie, Thovson and Maddy Mjoen (Jr. - Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) took third place.

The Blugolds are now set to begin the postseason with the WIAC Championships next week. The championships, held in Brown Deer, begin Feb. 15 and continue through Feb. 18.

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