Pointers, Eagles Remain Tight Through Two Days of WIAC Championships

STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin, February 16. UNIVERSITY of Wisconsin-La Crosse's men's team and UW-Stevens Point's women's team hold slim leads following the second of three days of competition at the 2007 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships at UW-Stevens Point.

UW-La Crosse's men's squad has compiled 591 points and holds a two-point lead over seven-time defending champion UW-Stevens Point. The Pointers have totaled 589 points and are followed by UW-Eau Claire (307 points), UW-Whitewater (301 points), UW-Oshkosh (209 points) and UW-River Falls (131 points).

UW-Stevens Point's women's team, the defending conference champion, has totaled 661.50 points. The Pointers are followed by UW-La Crosse (649.50 points), UW-Eau Claire (307.50 points), UW-Whitewater (258 points), UW-Oshkosh (189 points) and UW-River Falls (158.50 points).

UW-Stevens Point's men's team captured four individual titles during the second day of competition. Chase Gross won the 200-yard freestyle for the second straight year with a NCAA "B" qualifying time of 1:42.83, while Ben Gensler also established a "B"-cut mark in winning the 100-yard breaststroke in 58.33. The Pointers' Rob Donisch secured the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.15 and Willie Clapp was victorious in the 100-yard backstroke with a mark of 54.05.

UW-La Crosse's Anthony Schmidt won his second championship in as many days, finishing first in the 400-yard individual medley for the third consecutive season with a NCAA "B" qualifying clocking of 4:10.66. He claimed the 200-yard individual medley title yesterday. The Eagles also won both relay events during Friday's competition. The 200-yard medley relay quartet of Adam Carlson, Cole Swanson, Anthony Wolff and Matthew Diehl finished first with a NCAA "B" qualifying performance of 1:34.21. Diehl, Karl Richters, Joel Coyne and Michael Beilman set a pool record and NCAA "B" qualifying time en route to winning the 800-yard freestyle relay in 6:57.74.

The men's three-meter diving competition will be completed tomorrow.

In the women's race, UW-Stevens Point claimed four individual titles and one relay trophy during the second of competition. The Pointers were led by Abby Strobel, who captured her second title in as many days, winning the 400-yard individual medley in 4:40.67. She claimed the 200-yard individual medley crown yesterday. The Pointers' Meghan Walsh won the 100-yard butterfly for the third straight season with a clocking of 59.90, while Jerica Crook claimed the 200-yard freestyle in 1:57.83 and Kristen Bennett was victorious in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:08.28. Crook, Stephanie Boehme, Bridget Gormley and Alissa Colbert teamed to win the 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 7:56.70.

UW-La Crosse's Amanda Medendorp established a conference record in the one-meter diving competition with a score of 453.75, surpassing the previous total of 440.95 set by UW-Eau Claire's Sara Mulatz in 1996. This marked the second straight year Medendorp has won the one-meter event. She also claimed the three-meter board yesterday. The Eagles' Kristi Parker secured the 100-yard backstroke with a NCAA "B" qualifying mark of 59.94. She also teamed with Brianna Peyer, Kelly Hackbarth and Clare Hathaway to set a pool record and establish a NCAA "B" performance with a time of 1:48.50 in the 200-yard medley relay.

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