Matt Mintz swam a team season best and was rewarded with a possible berth in the national meet, and UW-W coach Joel Rollings was named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Swim Coach of the Year on the final day of competition of the 2009 WIAC championship at Schroeder YMCA in Brown Deer, Wisconsin Saturday.
WIAC swimming and diving championship web site
UW-Whitewater finished third in the meet. Team scores were UW-Stevens Point 999.5, UW-La Crosse 751.5, UW-Whitewater 555.5, UW-Eau Claire 483.5, UW-Oshkosh 244, and UW-River Falls 192.
Mintz finished second in the 1650 freestyle in 16:28.62, a team season best and National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III championship "B" qualifier. Andy Hanney also added a second place, in the 200 backstroke, with his school record time of 1:54.97. Other UW-W top finishes in Saturday's events included Mike Huffman, sixth in the 100 freestyle in 46.80; William Thanholt, ninth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:17.22; Kevin Everson, sixth in the 200 butterfly in 2:07.12; and David Tatro, ninth on the three meter board with 366.6 points. All of those performances were team season bests.
The 400 freestyle relay of Huffman, Eric Nord, Matt Wiswell, and Bill Stenavich combined to place third in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:07.41 -- another school record.
Rollings' honor is the seventh time that a UW-W coach has earned WIAC swim coach of the year honors. Joan Domitrz, now the Warhawk assistant, was men's co-coach of the year in 1999, Bob Fiskum was the WIAC women's swim coach of the year in 1982, 1984 and 1988; and Domitrz added the women's coach of the year honor to her shelf in 1989 and 1994.
For additional information: Joel Rollings, UW-W coach