INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Milwaukee men's and women's swimming & diving teams continued to post season-best times across every event Friday at the House of Champions Invitational, finishing the session in third place on the women's side and fourth place on the men's side.
 
The large event features the host Jaguars as well as Butler, Green Bay, UIndy, Lewis, UIC, and the Panthers.
 
Day-two action featured two relays, diving, and the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 100 backstroke for individual events. Following morning preliminaries, Milwaukee combined to send 31 swimmers on to finals action in the evening, more than twice as many as they did Thursday.
 
For the full results and placing of the morning preliminaries, click HERE.
 
Highlights from Friday included runner-up finishes from Mara Freeman and Jared Kleczka, strong swims from Makaila Scheiblein and Hayden Christiansen, as well as three separate consolation championship titles.
 
Freeman just missed out on the crown in the 100 backstroke, touching the wall in a season-best 55.98 to narrowly miss first (55.29).
 
Kleczka recorded an NCAA zone-qualifying score on the three-meter board, finishing runner-up with a point total of 332.25.
 
Scheiblein placed a strong fourth in the 100 breaststroke in a season-best 1:04.40, while Christiansen improved from eighth in the preliminaries to fourth in the A-finals in a season-best showing of 50.43.
 
Nik Wheeler claimed the consolation title in the 100 butterfly in 49.01, Giulia Guerra-Montes in the 400 IM in 4:31.71, and Molly Meland in the 100 backstroke in 58.17, improving three spots from the morning prelims. All three claimed B-final victories with their best times of the season.
 
Erika Thomas led the way in the 100 fly, one of four Panthers in the A or B finals. Thomas touched the wall in 56.42 for fifth place, Bri Zablocki in 57.65 for 12^th, Meland in 57.75 for 13^th, and Kelen McDaniels in a time of 58.37 for 16^th place.
 
The men also had two in the B-finals in the 100 fly: Zach McClellan (49.88/12^th) and Christensen (50.30/16^th).
 
Jay Jensen took almost 10 seconds off his prior season-best time in the 400 IM to take fourth, finishing in 4:00.91. Vince Chiappetta (10^th in 4:08.24) and Brady Cawthon (14^th in 4:16.78) also earned a spot in the consolation finals.
 
The 200 freestyle was big on both sides, starting with the women. Meghan Jagdfeld placed seventh (1:53.48), Allie Buytendorp 10^th (1:54.37), and Jenna Fistler 13^th (1:56.65).
 
On the men's side the B-finals was almost all MKE – placing six straight swimmers with a difference of under five seconds from 11^th to 16^th place. Andrew Innerebner started the wave in 1:42.65. He was followed by Mason Schoof (1:42.77), Jonathan Kollen (1:44.07), Emery Reszka (1:44.33), Jackson Hodek (1:44.60), and Jack Garcia (1:47.66).
 
Freeman and Meland highlighted the 100 back, but teammates Riley Melendy (11^th in 59.03) and Brianna Vanden Burgt (15^th in 59.73) also earned spots in the B-finals.
 
Kleczka was not the only MKE diver to perform well. Adam St. John placed sixth with 281.70 points, while on the women's side, Julie Rebek was fifth on the 1-meter (234.60) and McKenzie Sanchez was seventh with 227.30.
 
The three-day event concludes Saturday, again set for 9 a.m. CST prelims and finals starting at 5 p.m. CST.