Badger swimming on display at Santa Clara Grand Prix
June 21, 2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
June 21, 2011
• Meet Results | Grand Prix Home Page
MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin swimming and diving programs were well-represented at the 2011 Santa Clara International Grand Prix over the weekend, scoring four top-10 finishes.
In all, 22 of their members (11 men and 11 women) competed in the three-day event at the George F. Haines International Swim Center in Santa Clara, Calif. It was the seventh and final Grand Prix event of the 2010-11 series and featured swimmers competing in long-course meters, as opposed to the short-course yards seen during the collegiate season.
Senior-to-be Ashley Wanland led the Badger women of Wisconsin Aquatics, posting a pair of top-10 finishes. Wanland finished runner-up in the finals of the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:09.25 and also finished 10th in the 200 breaststroke. Her time of 2:28.17 in the 200 breast lowered her qualifying mark for the 2012 USA Olympic Trials.
Fellow rising senior Danielle Beckwith also earned a top-10 finish on the weekend, capturing sixth-place in the finals for the 1500 freestyle with a showing of 17:02.78. Beckwith also earned points for Wisconsin Aquatics by taking 17th in the 800 freestyle in 9:00.04.
In the relay events, UW swimmers grabbed 13th place in both the 800-meter freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay.
Ruby Martin, Beckwith, Amie Osten and Paulina Gralow swam to a time of 8:37.46 in the 800, while Martin, Osten, Beckwith and Jennah Haney finished the 400 in 3:57.21.
On the men’s side, Daniel Lester, Michael Weiss and Jesse Stipek all qualified for the finals in certain events.
Lester’s best finish came in the 200 IM as he swam the event in a mark of 2:08.27, good for 17th place. He also posted a 21st-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a 55.53 mark and a 24th-place finish in the 200 butterfly at 2:04.87.
Joining Lester, Weiss finished in 22nd place in the 400 IM with a swim of 4:32.97, while Stipek’s time of 58.08 in the 100 backstroke was good for 24th place.
In relay competition, the unit of Lester, Jeff Morris, Wes Lagerhausen and Chris Wiederecht teamed up to finish 14th in the 800-meter freestyle relay. The foursome completed the event in 7:56.89.
