Five Things to Know: Panthers Wrap Up Regular Season at Stevens Point
 
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The Milwaukee swimming and diving teams are set for a trip to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in a dual against the Pointers for their regular-season finale on Friday, Feb. 1. Here are five things to know as the Panthers prepare for their last competition before the Horizon League Championships.
 
Last Time Out
Twelve seniors took the Klotsche waters for the last time competitively in split victories in a dual against Green Bay. The women dominated the Phoenix 172.5-127.5, while the men fell short 127-173.
 
Senior day proved special for Sara Bentley as she rewrote the record book setting a new pool record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.89 seconds. Bentley had set the same record two years ago, but topped herself once again shaving off almost a full second from the 2016 record (56.79). The senior would go on to win two additional individual events, the 200 backstroke and 200 IM, and helped the 400 medley relay team to a win as well.
 
Kyle Gerum also thrived on senior day with a strong performance winning 50-yard freestyle and earned two second place finishes. In his freestyle event, Gerum ended with a speedy 21.18 time, just ahead of his opponent's time of 21.59.
 
Scouting the Opponent
The DIII powerhouse has accumulated 25 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (WIAC) titles since head coach Al Boelk took over the program in 1997. Last season marked the men's swimming and diving program's 18^th consecutive conference title. In addition to the men's 19 titles, the women have been crowned WIAC champs six times.
 
Recently, the Pointers took the waters against La Crosse with split results. The men defeated the Eagles 162-79 while the women fell 81.5-159.5. UWSP won a total of 12 events in the dual.
 
In the course of the season, Stevens Point has totaled 10 swim/dive WIAC athletes of the week with two senior divers leading the way. Jackie Braun has tallied four, while Owen Gluck has earned three.
 
Diving for Gold
Junior Cassidy Pilo was named Horizon League Diver of the Week for the week of Jan. 29. In the team's win over Green Bay on January 27, Pilo swept the 1-meter and 3-meter dive events. In the 1-meter, Pilo compiled a score of 259.20 – 11.7 points ahead of her competition. With a score of 268.12, Pilo took first place honors as well in the 3-meter.
 
#TBT
In November 2010, Milwaukee took part in a four-team invitational at Stevens Point. The Invite took place in two days and three sessions. The women's team dominated the event with a total of 1,160 points, while the men also scored an impressive 1,140 points. The two teams combined for a total of 19 event wins – 11 on the women's side, eight for the men.
 
A Look Ahead
The dual at Stevens Point serves as a final check-up for the Panthers before the Horizon League Championships that will begin in about two weeks. The championships will take place at Cleveland State and will start on February 21 and run until February 24.