The Blugold swimming and diving teams dropped two dual meets this weekend to Div. II opponent Saint Cloud St. University and host UW-Stevens Point.
Coach Jerry Kollross is in his second year as head coach, and while his first recruiting class shows a lot of promise, going up against a WIAC powerhouse like the Stevens Point Pointers made it clear that there is still a large gap to overcome.
Men’s
The men’s side lost 202-41 to St. Cloud State and 181-62 to Stevens Point. The losses bring the Blugolds’ record to 3-3 overall.
Sophomore Kenny Ritt placed well for Eau Claire in the diving events. He finished third on the one-meter board with a score of 229.50 and fourth on the three-meter board with a score of 224.55.
The swimmers also turned in a couple of fourth-place finishes. Junior Brian Jordan swam a 2:11.55 200-yard butterfly, and the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Jordan, freshman Duane Mateski, sophomore Brett Olsen and junior captain Pat Finley’s time of 3:24.79 was also good enough for fourth place.
Women’s
The women suffered a 180-63 defeat at the hands of St. Cloud State and 180-63 to Stevens Point. Like the men, the women’s team now sits at 3-3 for the season.
Freshman Angie Bakula continued her season-long dominance of the 1,000-yard freestyle, winning the event by nearly three seconds. Her time of 10:58.37 beat her previous best by nearly ten seconds. She also won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:22.70, cutting three seconds off her best time.
Sophomore Ann Grossklaus, Bakula, freshmen Megan Finley and Megan Lindner swam a 3:49.91 400-yard freestyle relay, good enough for third place. Sophomore Mari Bodensteiner finished the 200-yard backstroke in fourth place with a time of 2:20.30.
Senior captain Sarah Myers placed fourth in the one-meter diving event with a score of 216.20.
The Blugolds have one more meet to build up momentum before the WIAC Conference Relays. Friday’s home meet against UW-River Falls – a team the Blugolds have already defeated this season – starts at 5:30 p.m.
-Rob Peterson
