Falcon swim, dive team prepares for tough WIAC meet

On Feb. 15 the Falcon swim team will compete in the WIAC meet at UW-Stevens Point.

The team finished the regular season on a high note, with the women’s team beating St. Mary’s 149-111 on Jan. 27.

The men didn’t do quite as well, falling to St. Mary’s by the same score. They were helped by the swimming of sophomore Matt Banz, who was ineligible for fall semester.

“[He] showed that he is a big factor for our men’s team,” Head Coach Bill Henderson said of Banz.

The season began on Oct. 28, with the Falcons hosting Macalester. Macalester won both the men’s and women’s events, but Falcon Michael Brudzinski took the 200-yard individual medley and Mikhael Keyser, Brudzinski, Anthony Orlando and Jacob Moe won the 200-yard medley relay.

On the women’s team Danielle Mandich won the 100- and 200-yard freestyle.

Following a loss to UW-Eau Claire in the second week, the Falcons traveled to Lawrence University for the team’s first away meet. They had a strong showing, but both the men’s and women’s teams couldn’t pull out a win. The women won seven events, led by Sara Cannady and Mandich who won two each.

Jill Lambach, Tracy Crane and diver Jaynell Feider also contributed wins. For the men Orlando won two events and Tyler Ormson one.

On Dec. 3, the Falcons competed in the St. John’s December Invitational. The men’s team came in fourth, but the women beat the University of North Dakota 706-139.

The women swam well across the board, with Mandich, Crane, Ashley Swenty, Joanie Aube and Martha O’Brien each winning one event and Cannady winning two.

The next week the Falcon women won again, beating Augsburg 95-66. Lambach, Mandich, Crane and Alyssa Adair all won an event with Cannady again winning two.

The Falcon men and women continued to swim well the following week, but both lost to Hamline University in very close matches. The men were defeated 135-110 and the women fell 148-135. The men had second place finishes in seven of the events and two wins, by Brudzinski and Ormson. The women did similarly, finishing second in six events and winning six others.

At the St. Kate’s Invitational on Jan. 20, the Falcon men placed second out of three while the women placed fourth out of seven. Banz led the way for the men winning the 200-meter butterfly by a margin of seven seconds and placing second and fourth in two other events. Mandich again swam well, giving the women their only win in the 50-meter freestyle.

At the last meet of the season, the St. Mary’s Invitational, the women took away a win and the men took second. Banz and Keyser finished the strongest for the men with Banz winning three events and Keyser winning two. Brudzinski also contributed a win in the 400 individual medley.

In the women’s winning effort, Cannady won the 200-meter breaststroke and Lambach and Mandich won two events each. Also winning two events was Feider.

“[She has been an] outstanding addition to the team,” Henderson said of Feider.

The Falcons are now preparing for the conference championship Feb. 15-17 at UW-Stevens Point.

Brudzinski said that it has been a great season overall.
“[We are] definitely going to make an impact at this year’s conference,” Brudzinski said.

Cannady said she feels that the season went “extremely well” and that the results at conference will reflect all the hard work they’ve put in over the course of the season.

Henderson said he is hopeful as well.

“Banz, Mandich and Feider should all have excellent chances for making the finals and just about everyone on the team has a good chance for a second swim,“ he said.