Wisconsin Green Bay Will Welcome UIC, Valpo This Weekend

Courtesy: Wisconsin Green Bay Athletics

GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – After a successful opening weekend last Friday and Saturday, the Green Bay Phoenix swimming and diving teams look forward to competing against both the University of Illinois at Chicago and Valparaiso at 2:00 p.m. Saturday.

Strong performances to look forward to this weekend include watching seniors Bailey Wagner and Michael Klemm on the boards, the first Horizon League Diver of the Week honorees of the 2017-18 season. Eyes will also be on freshman Max Boehnlein, who won every event he swam last weekend, and senior Stephanie Garvin, who will be most likely be facing long-time rival Brianna Hines of UIC. Last season, Hines edged Garvin for the win in the 500 freestyle at the Horizon League Championships, while Garvin later posted a faster 100 freestyle split to out-touch Hines in the final leg of the 400 freestyle relay.

The University of Illinois at Chicago placed third for both the men and the women at the 2017 Horizon League Championships. Their finish was the women’s highest finish in conference history, while it was the men’s best team place in almost a decade. Valparaiso finished seventh in the Horizon League on the men’s side and eighth on the women’s side at last season’s championship meet, but this summer, the school made the move to the Missouri Valley Conference. The women’s swim team will be competing in the MVC, but the men joined the Summit League as an affiliate member.

The Horizon League swimming and diving preseason polls were released earlier this week, with the Green Bay men ranked sixth out of the seven swimming and diving programs in the league and the ‘Lady Nix’ sitting at fifth out of eight. Defending champs Oakland are picked to win again on both sides. Milwaukee, UIC, and Horizon League newcomer IUPUI also sit ahead of the Green Bay women, while the men are picked one point below Milwaukee, despite finishing ahead of them at last year’s championships.

Saturday’s Order of Events:
200 medley relay
1000 freestyle
200 freestyle
100 backstroke
100 breaststroke
200 butterfly
50 freestyle
Women’s 1 meter board / Men’s 3 meter board
100 freestyle
200 backstroke
200 breaststroke
500 freestyle
100 butterfly
Women’s 3 meter board / Men’s 1 meter board
400 IM
400 freestyle relay