UW-La Crosse Men Capture First WIAC Title Since 1971, Ending 53-Year Drought

2026 WIAC Championships

• February 18-21, 2026
• Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center, Brown Deer, WI
• SCY (25 yards)
• Full Results

Men’s Final Scores:

1. UW-La Crosse- 891
2. UW-Eau Claire- 781
3. UW-Stevens Point- 677
4. UW-Whitewater- 488
5. UW Oshkosh- 288

For the first time in 53 seasons, the Eagles of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse hoisted the WIAC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship title. This win marked the 5th win in school history, and the first men’s title for head coach Steve Mohs, who was fittingly named the WIAC men’s coach of the year following the historic win.

The championships opened with the Eagles in 3rd place, following a school-record-setting 200 medley relay from Jacob Ketterling, Tyler Hartmann, Jonah Elfers, and Jesse Hammes in 1:30.13, which earned a 3rd-place finish and clipped their 2025 mark of 1:30.36. Gavin LaBeau, Davin Evans, Caleb Jondle, and Preston Nygaard also nabbed 3rd in the 800 free relay in 6:53.76.

Day two would see the Eagles move up a spot to 2nd, as Ketterling, a senior, would become UW-La Crosse’s first 200 IM WIAC champion since 2010, winning in 1:49.06. It would not take long for the Eagles to get their 2nd taste at championship gold, as Hartmann, a junior, would win the 50 free in 20.70.

Capping off night two, the relay of Coby Zander, Nygaard, Ketterling, and Hartmann won the 400 medley relay, setting a new program and WIAC record in 3:17.62. This time demolished their former program record of 3:21.25 from last season, and topped the 2018 WIAC record of 3:17.77 previously held by UW-Stevens Point. This was the first Eagles 400 medley relay to win a WIAC title in 12 years.

By the conclusion of day three, the Eagles were in the lead, just 35 points ahead of UW-Eau Claire. Nygaard took home the 100 breast title in 54.57, breaking his own school record of 54.57 from prelims of the event. Nygaard is the first Eagle to be crowned the 100 breast champion since Matt Diehl in 2010. The relay success continued with a 200 free relay win in 1:21.51, as Hartmann, Hammes, Nygaard, and Ketterling claimed the event title for the 4th consecutive season.

Ketterling and Nygaard returned to the winners’ circle on day four, with Ketterling winning the 200 backstroke in 1:51.25, and Nygaard completed the breaststroke sweep with his win in the 200 breast in 1:58.85, the first 200 breast win for UW-La Crosse since 2008. These performances helped secure the Eagle men their first men’s team title since 1971. In addition to Mohs’ coach of the year award, Ketterling was awarded the WIAC Co-Swimmer of the Meet, while Nygaard was named the WIAC Newcomer of the Year.