2001-02 WIAC Men's Swimming & Diving Headlines

Three Earn Verizon Academic All-District Men's At-Large Honors

RELEASED: Monday, May 20, 2002

Madison, Wis.--Three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District V Men's At-Large Team. UW-La Crosse's Brady Cudd earned first team honors, while UW-Eau Claire's Matt Oglesby and UW-La Crosse's Josh Habeck were second team selections.

Cudd, a senior from River Falls, Wis., is majoring in chemistry with a minor in mathematics and carries a 3.93 grade point average. He has been accepted to the University of Minnesota Graduate School and is enrolled in the Medicinal Chemistry Program in the School of Pharmacy.

Cudd finished second at 141-pounds at this year's national championship for his second career All-America accolade. He placed fifth in 2001. A transfer from the University of Wisconsin, Cudd wrapped up his two-year La Crosse career with a 57-9 record, including 32-4 this year. He is also two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American.

Habeck, a senior wrestler from Schofield, Wis., is a double major in accounting and finance, maintaining a 3.52 grade point average. He was a Verizon Academic All-District First Team selection last year and received the WIAC's Max Sparger Wrestling Scholar-Athlete Award earlier this year.

Habeck earned All-America honors this year with a third-place finish at 133-pounds. It was his second career All-America honor after also placing third in 2001. He is La Crosse's career wins leader with a 125-29 mark, including 37-5 this year. He is a three-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American selection (1999, 2001, 2002).

Oglesby, a senior swimmer from Lake Geneva, Wis. (Big Foot H.S.), is majoring in biology with a 3.27 grade point average. Earlier this year, he earned the WIAC's Max Sparger Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete Award.

Oglesby was a 19-time All-American for the Blugolds and capped off a spectacular career by becoming the 100 backstroke national champion. His time of 49.00 seconds set a school record and fell just short of the NCAA Division III national record of 48.61. With 26 career top-three finishes at the WIAC Championships, Oglesby won a combined 16 league titles competing individually and in relay competition.

A total of 11 student-athletes were named to the first team, while 10 earned second team honors. Individuals earning first team recognition will advance to the national ballot. The at-large squad includes individuals from the sports of ice hockey, swimming, tennis and wrestling.

# # # # #

Three WIAC Schools Finish In Top 25 At NCAA
Men's Swimming and Diving Championship

Oxford, Ohio--Three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) men's swimming and diving teams finished in the top 25 following three days of competition at the NCAA Division III Championship held in Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center. UW-Eau Claire finished 16th with 59 points, while UW-Stevens Point finished 22nd with 44 points and UW-Oshkosh tied for 25th with 26 points.

Kenyon (Ohio) won its 23rd-straight men's swimming title with 589 points. Johns Hopkins (Md.) placed second with 382 points, while Emory (Ga.) was third with 358 points. Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) finished fourth with 269 and Hope (Mich.) was fifth with 262.

Eau Claire was led by Matt Oglesby, who won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 49.00. Oglesby's time was just short of the national record of 48.61 set by Kenyon's Estevao Avila last year. Oglesby finished seventh in the same event last season.

Oglesby becomes the first Blugold to win an NCAA swimming title and only the fifth men's swimmer to claim a national championship. The last male swimmer to win a national championship was Wes Sinclair, who claimed the 1990 NAIA 100 and 200-yard breaststroke crowns.

Oglesby also placed seventh in the 200-yard butterfly (1:52.82) and eighth in the 100-yard butterfly (52.44) to earn All-America honors in both events.

The Blugolds had a pair of relay teams participate at the national meet. Oglesby, Chris Smith, Kyle Gulbrandson and Matt Schuebel teamed to place 12th in the 200-yard medley relay (1:35.12) and 14th in the 400-yard medley relay (3:28.48).

Stevens Point was led by Erik Johnson who placed in three events. His best finish was in the 50-yard freestyle (20.77) where he finished fourth. He also finished seventh in the 100-yard freestyle (45.79) and eighth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:42.19). Johnson claimed All-America honors in all three events. Anthony Harris finished 11th in the 100-yard butterfly (50.59) for the Pointers.

Oshkosh had a pair of individuals earn All-America status. Chris Hansman placed fifth in three-meter diving (424.95 points) to earn All-America honors. He also finished 17th in the one-meter competition (391.80). Mike Moran added a seventh-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke (57.67) for the Titans to claim All-America standing.

# # # # #

Whitewater, Wis.--The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's swimming and diving team captured its third consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title following completion of competition at the three-day league event.

The Pointers totaled 1190 points to win their fifth title in the last six seasons. UW-La Crosse was second with 959 points, while UW-Eau Claire finished third with 821 points. The Blugolds were followed by UW-Whitewater (687), UW-Oshkosh (463) and UW-River Falls (282).

Erik Johnson claimed three individual titles to lead the Pointers. He won the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle with time of 21.54,46.43 and 1:43.15, respectively. Anthony Harris also claimed an individual crown for the Pointers, winning the 100-yard butterfly in a pool record time of 50.68.

Stevens Point also won three relays at the league championship. The Pointers won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:25.72. Aaron Marshall, Anthony Harris, Scott Bowe and Erik Johnson teamed to win the 400-yard freestyle relay in a pool record time of 3:08.39, while Thad Gunther, Marshall, Harris and Johnson won the 800-yard freestyle relay in 7:02.95.

La Crosse's Paul Noffke won the 200-yard backstroke in 1:56.85, while Ethan Kaercher won the 400-yard individual medley in 4:16.36.

Eau Claire claimed a pair of relay titles and Matt Oglesby won two individual crowns. Oglesby became a two-time conference championship in the 100-yard backstroke in a league record time of 50.99, and the 200-yard individual medley in 1:55.94.

The Blugolds' 200-yard medley relay team of Chris Smith, Kyle Gulbrandson, Matt Schuebel and Harris won in 1:34.15, while Brent Witt, Oglesby, Smith and Gulbrandson teamed to win the 400-yard medley relay in 3:30.09.

Whitewater's John Borta won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:38.94, marking the third time in his career he has won the conference title in the event. He also won the 1650-yard freestyle in 16:32.92, the second time he has won the league event. The Warhawks' Andrew Gilbertson won the 200-yard butterfly in 1:55.62.

Oshkosh's Mike Moran won the 200-yard breaststroke for the second consecutive season with a time of 2:06.77, and also won the 100-yard breaststroke in 57.40. Chris Hansman claimed both diving titles, winning the one-meter event with a score of 448.60 and the three-meter event with 503.90 points.

Eau Claire head coach Rob Welcher garnered the league's Coach of the Year honor.

# # # # #

Eau Claire's Oglesby Named Men's Swimming & Diving
Scholar-Athlete

RELEASED: Thursday, February 28, 2002

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Matt Oglesby has been named the 2001-02 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men's Swimming and Diving Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Oglesby, a senior from Lake Geneva, Wis. (Big Foot Union HS), is majoring in biology with a minor in math and carries a 3.27 grade point average. He is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has received Academic Distinction at UW-Eau Claire five times. Oglesby also was a recipient of the Blugold Super Six Award, which is the highest possible scholastic honor for a UW-Eau Claire student-athlete.

Oglesby helped the Blugolds to a third-place finish at the WIAC championship in Whitewater, Wis. by winning a pair of individual championships. He won the 100-yard backstroke in a conference record time of 50.99 and 200-yard individual medley. Oglesby was also a member of 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay teams that took first. He has claimed 11 individual conference crowns and six relay titles in his career. Oglesby also holds the conference record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 50.11.

Oglesby is a 14-time NCAA Division III All-American and has been named his team's Most Valuable Player three times. He served as a team captain last season and holds the school records in the 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay.

Oglesby is also a member of the Eau Claire Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and becomes the sixth Blugold to win the conference's men's swimming and diving scholar-athlete award.

Also nominated for the scholar-athlete award were: Eau Claire's Nathan McDonald, La Crosse's Michael Devitt, Stevens Point's Nathan Eddingsaas and Whitewater's Keith Kuzera.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is sponsored by Culver's. In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

# # # # #

Back to the WIAC home page

(c) 1999 Board of Regents of the
University of Wisconsin System, All Rights Reserved