UW-L in Second-Place After Second Day of WIAC Championships; Diehl Captures 100 Breaststroke

For Immediate Release: Friday, Feb. 20, 2009

Brown Deer, Wis. - The UW-La Crosse men's swimming & diving team remains in second-place after the second day of competition at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships Friday at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center. The Eagles have 457.0 points while UW-Stevens Point leads with 655.5. UW-Whitewater is in third-place (349.5) followed by UW-Eau Claire (252.0), UW-River Falls (133.0) and UW-Oshkosh (126.0).

UW-L's Matt Diehl captured the 100 breaststroke title Friday night with an NCAA Division III "B" qualifying time of 56.80.

The Eagles' 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays both earned "B" national times with second-place finishes. The 200 medley relay was second at 1:33.51. Michael Beilman, Justin Dembski, Jared Krueger and Colin Schmidt were second in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 6:53.77.

Other top individual finishes Friday included Beilman placing fourth (51.03) and Joel Knuesel eighth (52.60) in the 100 butterfly. Beilman's time was a "B" national qualifying mark.

In the 200 freestyle, Dembski placed fourth (1:43.40), Krueger sixth (1:44.19) and Schmidt seventh (1:45.40) while Chad Martin was sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.07). UW-L's Spencer Loch finished fifth in the 100 backstroke (53.70) while Casey Borden was seventh (54.73) and Grayson Hoffmann eighth (55.41).

Kurt Zehel was sixth (4:23.52) and Bill Shuster seventh (4:26.83) in the 400 I.M.

For Friday's complete results, click here.

Action continues Saturday, Feb. 21 with the third and final day of competition of the WIAC Championships.