Titans To Host Four Men's Swimming & Diving Meets
After producing its best finish at the WIAC Championship in more than a decade last season, the UW-Oshkosh men's swimming & diving team begins the 2019-20 campaign at home against league rival UW-Eau Claire on Oct. 12 in Albee Hall.
The season opener is among four home meets for the Titans, who scored 311 points on their way to finishing fifth at the WIAC Championship a year ago. UW-Oshkosh scored its most points at the league meet since tallying 463 in 2005.
UW-Oshkosh also hosts 20-time defending WIAC champion UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 3 before welcoming both Beloit and St. Norbert colleges to Albee Hall on Jan. 11. The Titans then finish up their home slate against Iowa Central Community College on Jan. 25.
The Titans round out their WIAC dual meets at UW-Whitewater on Nov. 9 and at UW-La Crosse on Jan. 18.
UW-Oshkosh's road schedule includes the Wisconsin College Showcase in Brown Deer on Oct. 19, a dual meet at Carroll University on Oct. 25, the Lawrence University Gene Davis Invitational on Nov. 16, the Carthage College Classic on Dec. 5-7, and dual meets at Lawrence University on Jan. 4 and Ripon College on Feb. 1. UW-Oshkosh's divers are also set to compete Feb. 1 at the University of Illinois at Chicago Diving Invitational.
The WIAC Championship will be held Feb. 13-15 at the Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer while the NCAA Division III Championship will be conducted March 18-21 at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.
Fifth-year UW-Oshkosh head coach Christopher Culp, the 2019 WIAC Coach of the Year, returns seven of the 10 letter winners from last year's team that went 1-7 in dual meets. UW-Oshkosh earned a convincing 139-47 dual victory over Carroll University last year in Albee Hall and came up short in setbacks of 98-96 to Lawrence University and 95-87 to Ripon College a year ago.
The Titans went on to establish nine school records at the WIAC Championship last season.
UW-Oshkosh junior Jarrett Lieder played a role in seven of the new school marks, including program freestyle records at 200, 500, 1,000 and 1,650 yards. He became the first Titan to win the league title in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:24.21. Lieder also swam a leg on record-setting freestyle relay teams at 200, 400 yards and 800-yards.
Junior David Bain returns after setting a program record in the 200-yard backstroke at last year's WIAC Championship.
Junior diver Matt Wilke is back after qualifying for the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship. Wilke placed 13th nationally in the 3-meter diving competition and 16th in the 1-meter event during his first appearance at the national meet.
Senior Michael Gerondale and sophomore Alex Jernberg also return for the Titans after joining Lieder on the record-setting relay squads last season.
Rounding out the UW-Oshkosh returning letter winners are sophomores Cody Else and Matt Holst.