BROWN DEER, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's swimming and diving team clinched its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship since 1999 on Saturday. The Blugolds scored 901 points to win the 20th conference title in program history.
The Blugolds' victory made UW-Eau Claire the first program outside of UW-La Crosse to win the WIAC championship since 2011.
UW-Eau Claire won three individual events on the final day of the four-day championship meet. Sydney McCollor (Jr. - St. Paul, Minn./Irondale) became the 1,650-yard freestyle champion with a time of 17:39.16. Ella Weaver (Jr. - McFarland, Wis.) won the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:18.30. Elaina Plonis (So. - Michigan) won the 200-yard butterfly in 2:06.09.
The Blugolds' 901 points edged runner-up UW-La Crosse by 18 points.
Katy Volz (Sr. - Tomahawk, Wis.) was named the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete.
Men finish second
The UW-Eau Claire men's team finished in second place at the WIAC championships. The Blugolds tallied 853 points to finish only 54 points behind champion UW-Stevens Point. It is the third consecutive season the Blugold men earned a second-place finish.
Kadin Denner (So. - Aurora, Colo.) continued his strong showing at the championships by earning another title on Saturday. He finished first in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 15:55.64. Ian Olson (Jr. - Chippewa Falls, Wis.) became the 200-yard breaststroke champion with a time of 2:04.65. Sam Ryf (Sr. - Berlin, Wis.) added to his championship haul with a win in the 200-yard butterfly, clocking in at 1:49.80 to set a new conference meet record. Martin Kocher (Sr. - St. Paul, Minn./Johnson) won the three-meter diving title with a score of 510.15.
Denner was named the Swimmer of the Meet, and Kocher earned Diver of the Meet honors.
Quincy Kabe (Jr. - Buffalo, Minn.) was named the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete.
The Blugolds will be back in the pool at the NCAA Diving Zones, which begin Wednesday, Feb. 22 and continue through Feb. 25.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
