2008 Woodie Awards
'Hawks swim past Titans, but sinks to to Norse
Chris Kuhagen
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
After convincing victories the previous week, the men's swimming and diving team experienced a setback in its matchup with the Luther College Norse, but bounced back to soundly defeat the UW-Oshkosh Titans.
The double dual meet was dominated by Luther College, who soundly defeated both UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh. The Warhawks got a glimpse of UW-Oshkosh at the Sprint Invite the previous weekend.
"We knew what we were up against heading into the weekend," freshman and backstroke specialist Andy Hanney said. "We knew the weaknesses of Oshkosh and understood that Luther would offer a stiff test."
The 'Hawks would go on to defeat the Titans, 72-41, in its first dual of the day. Head Coach Joel Rollings has been pleased with his team's performances against the Titans this season, but indicates that the Titans have closed the gap between the teams.
"They are getting better and will be a problem a year or two down the line," Rollings said. "These early meets have given us the opportunity to try new techniques, which will help us when preparing for the year end conference tournament."
However, the momentum did not stay with the 'Hawks when they battled the Norse. UW-Whitewater fell 35-78, in a meet which Rollings knew would give his team a good gauge as to where the 'Hawks stand when compared to other top teams in Division III.
"Luther is a very tough team. They are usually in the Top 20 in Division III, and have very solid sprinters," Rollings said. "It's hard to beat them solely on the relays, because they are so talented on the sprints."
One of the highlights on the day was freshman Matt Mintz, who put forth his best performance in his young career. He also won three events to help boost the 'Hawks' point total. Mintz finished the day with first place finishes in two individual events, the 1650 freestyle and 500-yard freestyle races, and was a member on the first place 200-yard freestyle relay team.
Hanney, who placed second in the 400 individual medley and 100-yard backstroke, indicates the team has to keep preparing for the challenges that will be presented to them.
"It is still too early to know how good we really are, but these invites are helping us in seeing what we need to work on in practice," Hanney said.
The 'Hawks will continue its road swing Friday and Saturday when the team competes in the Chicago University Invite.
The double dual meet was dominated by Luther College, who soundly defeated both UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh. The Warhawks got a glimpse of UW-Oshkosh at the Sprint Invite the previous weekend.
"We knew what we were up against heading into the weekend," freshman and backstroke specialist Andy Hanney said. "We knew the weaknesses of Oshkosh and understood that Luther would offer a stiff test."
The 'Hawks would go on to defeat the Titans, 72-41, in its first dual of the day. Head Coach Joel Rollings has been pleased with his team's performances against the Titans this season, but indicates that the Titans have closed the gap between the teams.
"They are getting better and will be a problem a year or two down the line," Rollings said. "These early meets have given us the opportunity to try new techniques, which will help us when preparing for the year end conference tournament."
However, the momentum did not stay with the 'Hawks when they battled the Norse. UW-Whitewater fell 35-78, in a meet which Rollings knew would give his team a good gauge as to where the 'Hawks stand when compared to other top teams in Division III.
"Luther is a very tough team. They are usually in the Top 20 in Division III, and have very solid sprinters," Rollings said. "It's hard to beat them solely on the relays, because they are so talented on the sprints."
One of the highlights on the day was freshman Matt Mintz, who put forth his best performance in his young career. He also won three events to help boost the 'Hawks' point total. Mintz finished the day with first place finishes in two individual events, the 1650 freestyle and 500-yard freestyle races, and was a member on the first place 200-yard freestyle relay team.
Hanney, who placed second in the 400 individual medley and 100-yard backstroke, indicates the team has to keep preparing for the challenges that will be presented to them.
"It is still too early to know how good we really are, but these invites are helping us in seeing what we need to work on in practice," Hanney said.
The 'Hawks will continue its road swing Friday and Saturday when the team competes in the Chicago University Invite.
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