Titans To Perform At WIAC Championship
Alex Jernberg owns all three of UW-Oshkosh's top 16 seeds for this weekend's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Swimming & Diving Championship (presented by Culver's) in Brown Deer.
Competition in the four-day meet begins Wednesday (Feb. 16) and concludes Saturday (Feb. 19) at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center. Sessions start at 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. on both Thursday (Feb. 17) and Friday (Feb. 18), and 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday.
UW-Stevens Point is serving as the host institution for the 59th men's championship that will be held concurrently with the 50th women's championship. Both championships will feature student-athletes from UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater. Medals will be awarded to the top eight finishers in each of the individual events and to the individuals comprising the top three relay teams.
UW-Stevens Point is the defending WIAC champion after the 2021 championship was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Pointers scored 964 points at the 2020 championship to win their 21st straight title and 24th overall.
The Pointers were followed in the team listings by second-place UW-Eau Claire with 807 points, third-place UW-Whitewater with 571, fourth-place UW-La Crosse with 407 and fifth-place UW-Oshkosh with 325. UW-Oshkosh's point total was its highest since the 2005 championship.
UW-Stevens Point's 24 first-place finishes rank second behind UW-Eau Claire's 25 titles, while UW-La Crosse has collected four championships. Former WIAC programs to win titles include UW-Platteville with four and UW-Milwaukee with one.
Jernberg, a senior, earned the eighth seed for this year's 1,650-yard freestyle after swimming to a time of 17:27.22 during a dual meet against UW-La Crosse on Jan. 22. He is also seeded 13th in the 500-yard freestyle and 15th in the 100-yard breaststrokes with times of 4:55.41 and 1:01.22, respectively.
Jernberg finished fourth in the 1,650-yard freestyle, eighth in the 500-yard freestyle and 12th in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 2020 championship. He also placed fourth in the 1,650-yard freestyle, fifth in the 500-yard freestyle and 15th in the 100-yard breaststroke at the 2019 league championship.
This year's championship features eight student-athletes who have combined to win 11 individual and 15 relay first-place medals at previous league meets.
UW-Eau Claire's Hans Hover is the most decorated returnee with four individual titles and four relay first-place finishes to his credit, while competing for UW-La Crosse. At the 2019 championship, he was victorious in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly, while helping the 200-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard freestyle relay, 800-yard freestyle relay and 200-yard medley relay teams to titles. Hover added a 200-yard backstroke championship in 2018.
UW-Eau Claire's Michael Bylander won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2020 with a conference meet record time of 2:00.87. He also contributed to the first-place 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard medley relay teams. Bylander was joined on both relays by Sam Ryf. At the 2019 championship, Bylander helped the 400-yard medley relay team to victory.
UW-Stevens Point's Sam Young owns three individual championship medals and two relay titles. He is the two-time defending champion in the 400-yard individual medley and added the 200-yard breaststroke in 2019. In relay events at the 2020 championship, Young helped the 400-yard freestyle relay and 800-yard freestyle relay teams to first-place finishes. He was joined on the teams by Jacob Larsen and Will Lennertz, respectively.
Larsen added a 200-yard medley relay crown, as well as a 100-yard butterfly title, in 2020.
The Pointers' Alec Jeffers is the defending champion in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke, while William Buhler contributed to the first-place 200-yard medley relay squad at the 2020 championship.