MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's and women's swimming and diving teams will begin their 2024-25 campaign on Friday afternoon with a dual meet against Green Bay. The meet is set to begin at 4 p.m. at the Soderholm Family Aquatic Center.
Before the Badgers dive in, here are five things to know:
1. STARTING OUT IN THE TOP 25: The Badger men finished the 2023-24 season with a 31st-place finish at the NCAA Championships with 16 points. The UW men check in at No. 20 in the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) preseason poll.
The Badger women finished with a 15th-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships for the second season in a row. The UW women check in at No. 14 in the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 2024-25 preseason poll.
2. OUR CAPTAIN AMERICAS: On the men's side, junior Taiko Torepe-Ormsby earned his first All-American honor, placing tenth in the 50-yard freestyle at the 2024 NCAA Championships, en route to a program record with a time of 18.81. Torepe-Ormsby also set a program record in the 100-yard freestyle, with a time of 41.96. His teammate, Dominik Mark Torok, was also crowned an All-American, placing ninth in the 400 IM, marking his second All-American honor.
Thirteen different Badger women racked up All-American awards at the 2024 NCAA Championships. The 200 medley relay, highlighting Mackenzie McConagha, Hailey Tierney, Hazal Ozkan and Abby Wanezek, placed 14th, clinching All-American honors. In the 800 free relay, Abby Carlson, Phoebe Bacon, Lily Gardner and Blair Stoneburg, earned All-American honors en route to a program record with a time of 6:55.71. Carlson grabbed her second honor of the meet with a 15th-place finish in the 500 freestyle. Bacon set a personal best in her 5th-place finish in the 200 IM, with a time of 1:53.16. Carlson, Bacon, Tierney and Wanezek finished 15th in the 200 free relay. Callahan Dunn set a program record in the 400 IM with a time of 4:07.26. Bacon grabbed another award in her 4th-place finish in the 100 back. Four Badgers, including Paige McKenna, Elle Braun, Alivia Lindorfer and Maddie Waggoner, all clinched honors in the 1650 freestyle. Finally, Bacon was crowned NCAA National Champion in the 200 back with a time of 1:48.23.
3. NEW KIDS ON THE DECK: The UW men welcome 10 freshmen to Madison this season. Finn Bacon, Phoebe Bacon's younger brother, specializes in back and fly. Freestylers Andrew Hanson and Conner Hogan join the squad as well. Nate Harris will be competing in free, breast and IM. Ladon Kyser specializes in back, IM and free, while Michael Long competes in free and back, along with fellow freshman Sam Lorenz. Rounding out the newcomers are Aiden Musick and Yoav Romano, specializing in free and fly.
The Badgers welcome seven freshmen to the 2024-25 roster. Stella Chapman specializes in back and IM. Avery Hawker joins the squad as a flyer and freestyler. Catherine Hughes will be competing in breast and free. Bridget McGann specializes in breast and IM. Maggie Wanezek, Abby Wanezek's little sister, specializes in back, free and IM. Backstroker Molly Simmons rounds out the class of 2028.
4. DIVE RIGHT IN: Returning for the diving squad is Jan Lanser, as he finished with a 17th-place finish on the 3-meter and the platform at the Big Ten Championships. UW also added Jaden Eikerman from Germany. A two-time Olympian, Eikermann placed 21st in the men's 10 meter platform event at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. In Paris, the freshman finished 7th in the 10 meter synchronized platform event.
On the women's side, Emma Skinner, Ryane Neal, Vivian Kinnard and Molly Hampton will be returning to the diving squad. Kinnard was named to the 2024-25 Big Ten watchlist. Neal competed in the 1-meter and 3-meter events in the 2024 Big Ten Championships. The Badgers also added freshman Greta Kavanagh, out of Lake Forest, Illinois. Kavanagh competed in the 2024 USA Diving Junior National Championships, placing 29th and 27th on the 1-meter and 3-meter.
5. FOLLOW ALONG: Meet results will be posted live through the Meet Mobile App that can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play. Follow us on Instagram and X for live updates during the meet @BadgerSwimDive.
