On a day in which the seniors of the Wisconsin swimming and diving program were honored, each of the eight left it all out in the pool of the UW Natatorium and earned a dual meet victory over UW-Green Bay on Saturday.
Highlighted by senior Drew teDuits setting his second pool record in as many days, the UW women’s team earned a 160-130 victory over the Phoenix and the Badger men topped UWGB, 167-126, to cap off the dual meet season.
“I thought we were good today and it’s nice to mix up our lineup a little bit and see what happens. It’s certainly a special day for the seniors,” UW head coach Whitney Hite said. “I’m proud of the seniors, especially since this is my first class going through all four years with me. It’s a special and unique group, and the first time is always special.
“I’ll always remember them. Overall, it was a great day for the whole group.”
Seniors put on a show in the 100-yard backstroke, as teDuits claimed his second pool record of the weekend by breaking an 11-year-old record with a time of 47.45. teDuits set a new UW Natatorium pool record in the 100-yard backstroke Friday evening.
On the women’s side of the 100 backstroke, Ivy Martin and Caroline Palm made a statement of their own, as Martin won in 54.75 and Palm followed close behind to capture second in 56.65.
Seniors Aja Van Hout and Damon Zito dominated the sprint events in an impressive display of seniority. In the 50-yard freestyle, Van Hout touched in 23.28, while Zito nabbed first in 20.62. Van Hout’s time of 50.29 in the 100-yard freestyle claimed first again and Zito touched in 45.21.
Senior Nick Caldwell highlighted his senior day by taking first in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:49.86, while Harrison Tran (1:50.32) took second and Max Dolan (1:52.59) touched third to complete the UW sweep.
In her final 1000-yard freestyle at the Nat, senior Katie Delaney won in dominant fashion with a time of 10:28.97. Josh Anderson followed suit in the men’s heat to win with a time of 9:26.03.
Senior Nick Schafer coasted to a win in the 100-yard breaststroke, narrowly missing the pool record (54.56) with his time of 54.59. The duo of Maria Carlson and Anna Meinholz once again led the Badgers, as Carlson touched first (1:02.03) and Meinholz (1:03.69) followed.
In the 200-yard freestyle, sophomores Dana Grindall (1:51.02) and Chase Kinney (1:52.31) took first and second, respectively. Fellow sophomores Matthew Hutchins (1:38.63) won the men’s heat while Cannon Clifton (1:38.94) finished second.
Hutchins followed up with a win in the 500-yard freestyle, touching in 4:28.50. Not far behind, however, were Sean Maloney (4:36.25) and Ryan Barsanti (4:46.33).
Sophomores also controlled the 200-yard backstroke, as Madeline Hazle won in 2:02.01, Grace Wold touched second (2:06.95) and Brett Pinfold captured the event win (1:46.54) on the men’s side.
The Badgers displayed their depth in the 100-yard butterfly, as Kinney (56.99) paced the women’s heat, followed by Marissa Berg (57.18) and Tamblyn (57.36). For the men, Tran won with a time of 49.15 and Clifton placed second (49.64).
In the 200-yard individual medley, UW completed yet another sweep. Hazle (2:05.58) led the Badgers, followed by Carlson (2:08.04) and Danielle Valley (2:10.09). Pinfold picked up first for the men (1:52.35), while Dolan (1:52.59) took second and Jake Mandli (1:54.14) third.
To close out their careers in the Natatorium, Palm, Martin, Delaney and Van Hout teamed up to win the 200-yard freestyle relay. The senior men of teDuits, Caldwell, Schafer and Zito also went out as champions, winning in 1:22.65.
“I feel very good going into the rest of the season,” Hite said. “We have swam well all year, so the expectation is to continue that so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be very, very good at the end during conference and NCAA championships.
“Our performances all year have proved it and this is a very hardworking team. I’m really excited for the end of what comes next.”
Saturday concluded the dual meet slate for Wisconsin, as the Badgers prepare next for the cha
