The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's swimming & diving team won eight of the 13 events en route to a pair of wins Friday at the Lewellen Aquatic Center.
Five different individuals each claimed a win to go with Milwaukee's winning relay for wins over IUPUI and host Ball State. The Panthers topped the Cardinals, 171-71, and took down the Jaguars, 156-86.
"This was another good night for us," head coach Kyle Clements said. "The men have been on a roll the past couple weeks and have really carried that momentum into each race this semester. We're starting to turn that corner and become a really fast team. It's exciting to see."
Max Gatzke got the winning ways started for Milwaukee. The newcomer first topped the field in the 1000 free to win the first individual event of the night. Gatzke touched the wall in 9:37.14 for first, with senior Kenny Stelpflug second at 9:45.26.
Gatzke later also won the 500 to lead UWM to the top-four spots overall. Gatzke was first at 4:43.17, with Nic Halverson, Tim Halverson and Stelpflug all right behind as Milwaukee continues to flex its muscle in distance events.
T. Halverson claimed a win in the 200 free on the night, posting a winning time of 1:43.63, over half a second ahead of the next swimming.
N. Halverson also grabbed a gold medal on the night. The junior came in first in the 400 IM with a strong time of 4:12.38.
The Panthers went 1-2 in the 50 free. Mike Lucchesi won the event in 21.23, with junior Tanner Nimke right behind at 21.73 for second.
Lucchesi wasn't done there. The senior later topped the first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.59. This marks the second-straight week he has won both events in the same meet.
K.J. Heger took the top spot on the one-meter board in diving with a winning score of 314.65. Heger also finished runner-up on the three-meter board with a combined score of 328.90.
In the 100 backstroke, freshman Kyle Gerum finished second overall at 53.23, just ahead of sophomore Evan Kuker at 53.47 for third.
Sophomore Nick Menninga led the way in the 100 freestyle at 46.96 for second overall.
With the meet already well in hand, the Panthers went out in style, taking the top spot in the 200 free relay. Lucchesi, Erik Wahlgren, Nimke and Menninga combined to post a time of 1:24.75 for the win.
Milwaukee continues its three-meet road swing to wrap up the season next week when it heads to Green Bay for a dual meet with the Phoenix at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee won seven events in a long road meet against a pair of tough opponents at the Lewellen Aquatic Center Friday.
Milwaukee took down a tough IUPUI squad, 156-86, before suffering a narrow loss to host Ball State, 128-114.
"We had some very good performances tonight," head coach Kyle Clements said. "It's nice to see the team come back from our training trip and continue to swim that much faster. We're starting to turn that corner and become a really fast team. It's exciting to see."
UWM got things going right from the first individual meet. Natalie Johnson led the way for Milwaukee with a win the 1000 freestyle in 10:34.11, just edging out teammate Alena Bodnaruk, who took second.
Johnson wasn't done there though. The defending Horizon League Newcomer of the Year also took the top spot in the 500 free at the end of the meet in 5:06.84, with Bodnaruk coming in third.
The sophomore had one more swim up her sleeve as she again led the Panthers in the 200 free. Johnson touched the wall at 1:57.64 for third overall, just ahead of classmate Mandie Siehs at 1:57.91.
Siehs later just missed a win of her own in the 100 free, posting a time of 53.56 for second overall.
For the second-straight meet, senior Anna Yontz topped the field in the 50 free. Yontz won the event at 24.08, nearly half a second ahead of second place in the sprint event.
For the third-straight meet, junior Rachel Margis swept both diving boards on the day. One week after breaking the school record on one-meter, Margis just missed repeating that feat but still won with a score of 272.20. She also was first on three-meter at 282.85.
Freshman Sara Bentley notched another win for UWM. Bentley stood atop the podium in the 100 backstroke at 57.93 for a close win.
Milwaukee's 200 free relay also grabbed a win on the night. Yontz, Sierra Townsend, Arica Smith and Siehs teamed up to take the top spot with a winning time of 1:36.85.
Other notable swims on the night came from Townsend (fourth in the 100 fly) and Natalie O'Connell (second in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 400 IM).
Milwaukee continues its three-meet road swing to wrap up the season next week when it heads to Green Bay for a dual meet with the Phoenix at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
