2008 Woodie Awards
'Hawk swimmers fall to UW-La Crosse
Chris Kuhagen
Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: Web Extras
Although freshmen Matt Mintz and Courtney Jenkins each notched first place and registered season best times in their respective 1,000-yard freestyle competitions, both the men's and women's swimming and diving teams fell to the UW-La Crosse Eagles Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles, who are a Division III men's powerhouse, soared past Mintz's 'Hawks, 142-99; while the Eagle women, who are ranked No. 22, devoured the Warhawks 179-62.
Head Coach Joel Rollings, who saw his teams end their respective regular seasons with consecutive losses, said he knew UW-La Crosse would be challenging, but was looking for individuals who had the push to drop their times.
"UW-La Crosse is well coached and has many quality swimmers, so it was a great challenge for our minds and bodies," Rollings said. "The Eagles are always ranked in the country, so it was nice to see our team come out with solid performances."
Even though UW-La Crosse ran away with the victory on the men's side, the 'Hawks (6-3) tallied six season best performances.
While the team was led by the first place finishes from senior captain Kyle Boers and Mintz, many other 'Hawks put forth their best efforts of the season.
Boers, who has already punched his ticket for Nationals in March, totaled 18 points en route to capturing a season best 250.65 points in the 3-meter dive.
After winning the 1,000-yard freestyle earlier in the day, Mintz concluded the dual as a member of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team, along with sophomore Eric Nord, and freshmen Matt Wiswell and Nate Glover.
"I thought we swam very well against a tough opponent," Mintz said. "With the conference meet looming, we will be going into taper mode, as we will be doing less yards and will be getting more rest, so we have enough energy to reach all of our goals at conference."
As the Eagles proved to be a grueling test for the men, the women had a hard time mustering a first place finish.
After Jenkins began the meet with a first place finish in the 1,000-yard freestyle, no other 'Hawk could grasp onto a top honor.
The Eagles, who are a Division III men's powerhouse, soared past Mintz's 'Hawks, 142-99; while the Eagle women, who are ranked No. 22, devoured the Warhawks 179-62.
Head Coach Joel Rollings, who saw his teams end their respective regular seasons with consecutive losses, said he knew UW-La Crosse would be challenging, but was looking for individuals who had the push to drop their times.
"UW-La Crosse is well coached and has many quality swimmers, so it was a great challenge for our minds and bodies," Rollings said. "The Eagles are always ranked in the country, so it was nice to see our team come out with solid performances."
Even though UW-La Crosse ran away with the victory on the men's side, the 'Hawks (6-3) tallied six season best performances.
While the team was led by the first place finishes from senior captain Kyle Boers and Mintz, many other 'Hawks put forth their best efforts of the season.
Boers, who has already punched his ticket for Nationals in March, totaled 18 points en route to capturing a season best 250.65 points in the 3-meter dive.
After winning the 1,000-yard freestyle earlier in the day, Mintz concluded the dual as a member of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team, along with sophomore Eric Nord, and freshmen Matt Wiswell and Nate Glover.
"I thought we swam very well against a tough opponent," Mintz said. "With the conference meet looming, we will be going into taper mode, as we will be doing less yards and will be getting more rest, so we have enough energy to reach all of our goals at conference."
As the Eagles proved to be a grueling test for the men, the women had a hard time mustering a first place finish.
After Jenkins began the meet with a first place finish in the 1,000-yard freestyle, no other 'Hawk could grasp onto a top honor.
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