The Milwaukee men's and women's swimming & diving teams will be back at home Saturday, hosting Green Bay in the final home meet of the regular season at Klotsche Natatorium.
The meet is set to get underway at 3:30 p.m., which is a change from the original time of 1 p.m.
SENIOR STYLE
Milwaukee will honor its senior class Saturday at the meet. Congratulations to the following Panthers who are participating in their final home contest:
Women:
Brianna Homontowski,
Angela Kordik,
Kelen McDaniels,
Molly Meland,
Riley Melendy,
Paige Murphy,
McKenzie Sanchez,
Amber Secrist,
Natalie Sepic, and
Bri Zablocki.
Men:
Jack Garcia,
Ben Huynh,
Jared Kleczka,
Jonathan Kollen,
Carson Niemiec,
Mason Schoof, and
Jacob Weber.
LAST TIME IN THE POOL
The Milwaukee men's and women's swimming & diving teams returned to action January 15, battling the University of Chicago in their first dual meet of 2023 from Myers-McLoraine Pool. The Panthers, who had been off since competing at the IUPUI House of Champions Invitational in late November, came up short on both sides despite several strong performances.
The MKE women fell to the Maroons by a final score of 194-106, while the men were defeated by a final score of 182-116. The very strong opponents (women ranked No. 3 in the CSCAA Top 25/men ranked No. 4) both kept their season records unbeaten with the victories.
Jay Jensen led the way for Milwaukee, coming up as the only double winner on the afternoon. Jensen claimed the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:43.79 and the 1,000 freestyle in 9:44.62. The men's team also had a great day in the diving events, topping each board (
Adam St. John/1M and
Jared Kleczka/3M).
Nik Wheeler also won the 200 butterfly.
The women saw four individual victories and one relay champ, as well as a strong effort from
Julie Rebek on the diving boards, who finished second in each (269.25/1M and 269.70/3M).
Mara Freeman,
Giulia Guerra-Montes,
Makaila Scheiblein, and
Erika Thomas all claimed first-place showings, as did the 200 medley relay team of Freeman, Scheiblein, Thomas, and
Kelen McDaniels.
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
The Green Bay men are 3-2 in dual meet action on the season, most recently falling to Northern Michigan, 160-138, Jan. 20. The team was voted No. 6 in the preseason league poll. The Phoenix women are 2-3, with a 196-104 loss to Northern Michigan its most recent decision. The GB women also were sixth in the league poll.
SERIES HISTORY
The MKE men check in at 15-13 in the all-time series and have won two of the past three. A year ago, the Panthers claimed a 163-134 victory, finishing with seven individual victories against the Phoenix, along with six runner-up finishes.
Jack Garcia collected a pair of individual wins for Milwaukee, placing first in the 500 freestyle at 4:41.76 and 1000 free at 9:39.69. On the women's side, the Panthers have held the upper hand for a few years following a long run of dominance by GB. The Phoenix do lead 19-13 all-time, but Milwaukee has claimed wins in 10 of the last 11 meetings, including a dominant 227-69 performance last winter. The Panthers tallied 12 individual victories and had several others place second in the win.
Bella Passamani and
Allie Buytendorp each recorded a pair of individual victories to lead Milwaukee. Passamani finished first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:56.19 and touched the wall in the 500 free at 5:16.73. Buytendorp placed first in the 200 butterfly (2:12.09) and 200 backstroke (2:10.78).
UP NEXT
The Panthers close out the regular season with a busy weekend, hitting the road to battle St. Thomas Feb. 3 and Stevens Point Feb. 4. The meet against the Tommies is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
