Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's men's and women's swimming and diving teams participated in the D3 Shootout hosted by the University of Chicago. The competition took place over two days, featuring predominantly teams ranked in the nation's top 25. The Blugold women secured eighth place out of ten teams, finishing behind only those ranked No. 23 or higher. Meanwhile, the men finished tenth among ten teams, with nearly all opponents appearing in the latest top 25 rankings.

"Our kids competed great and many swam best times, which is not the norm for this time of the season with no taper," said Head Coach Annie Ryder.

Each team was permitted to bring its top eight male and female swimmers, along with one diver per team. The Blugolds achieved several top-five finishes, notably led by Kadin Denner from Aurora, Colorado (Cherokee Trail) and Ben Keller from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Both athletes placed third in individual events; Denner in the men's 400-yard individual medley and Keller in the men's 200-yard individual medley. Additionally, Keller finished fifth in the 200-yard butterfly.

On the women's side, Molly Hosack from Cedarburg, Wisconsin delivered two fourth-place performances in both the 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle events.

Blake Wallen from Savage, Minnesota (Prior Lake) earned fourth-place finishes on both one-meter and three-meter diving boards for men’s diving competitions.

Ian Olson from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin achieved a fourth-place finish in the men's 100-yard breaststroke while placing fifth in the 200-yard breaststroke.

Elaina Plonis from Macomb, Michigan (Eisenhower) took fourth place in the women's 200-yard butterfly event.

The Blugold women concluded with a total of 440 points as a team whereas their male counterparts scored a collective tally of 432 points.

Next on their schedule is a dual meet against St. Cloud State at McPhee Center Pool on Friday, November 15 starting at 5 p.m.

Updates about Blugolds' performance throughout this season can be accessed via Blugolds.com or through their app 'Blugold Sports' alongside social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.