Both the men’s and women’s Wisconsin Swim and Dive teams have been off to a strong start since their first meet Oct. 21. The men’s team started 2-1 with wins over Arizona and No. 25 Minnesota but suffered a tough road loss to No. 5 Arizona State.
Junior Jake Newmark has dominated the 500-meter freestyle, winning the event at each of the first three competitions and posting one of the fastest times in the nation this season. Last year, he broke the school record for the 200-meter freestyle, while finishing just short of this same title in the 500-meter freestyle.
Senior Wes Jekel will look to break some records as well. He is the current school record holder in both the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter individual medley school records and will look to improve on those times this season. Against Minnesota, Jekel threw down an impressive four victories, winning the 100-meter and 200-meter backstroke, 200 individual medley and 200-meter medley relay.
So far this season, Wisconsin’s sprinting depth has been impressive. Against Arizona and Minnesota, the Badgers took the top two spots in the 50-meter freestyle. Against ASU, the 200-meter freestyle relay dropped a quick 1:18.30, their fastest time this season.
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The women’s team holds an undefeated 3-0 record against the same three schools.
Junior Phoebe Bacon continues to shine for the Badgers as she has proven herself as a versatile competitor. Across the three meets, she has victories in the 200-meter freestyle, 100 fly, 100 and 200-meter back and several relays. At last year’s NCAA championship, Bacon placed second in the nation in the 200-meter backstroke. Senior Elizabeth Moore has fared well in the breaststroke events, winning both the 100 and 200-meter against Minnesota.
One top female swimmer to watch this season is sophomore Paige McKenna. At last year’s Big Ten Championship, she won the 500 and 1650-meter freestyle.
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McKenna’s successful postseason persisted with a win in the 1650-meter at the with a Wisconsin team record. She finished in sixth in the 500-meter at the same event.
In April, McKenna underwent surgery for a torn labrum in her hip. The surgery limited her practice time during the offseason, and she did not compete during the summer. But her injury hasn’t slowed her too much this season as she has already won the 1000-meter against Arizona State and Minnesota.
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The next meet for the Badgers will be the Minnesota Invitational on Nov. 30. This meet means big competition with Texas and Cal among the teams headed to Minneapolis. It will be an important weekend for Newmark, Jekel, Bacon, McKenna and the rest of the Wisconsin Swim and Dive teams as we will get to see how they perform against tougher opponents.
