Wisconsin Swim & Dive Dominates Day 1 of Badger Invitational – Wins Every Event
- 24 Wisconsin men’s swim team dominated the first day of the Badger Invitational, securing first place in every event contested on Friday, February 6.
- The meet began with a statement from the Wisconsin A relay team of Nathan Welker, Ben Wiegand, Charlie Jones, and Luukas Vainio.
- Nathan Welker had a particularly strong showing, breaking his personal best in the 100 fly with a time of 46.25.
MADISON, Wis. — The No. 24 Wisconsin men’s swim team dominated the first day of the Badger Invitational, securing first place in every event contested on . The performance at the Soderholm Aquatic Center signals a strong start for the Badgers as they continue their season.
The meet began with a statement from the Wisconsin A relay team of Nathan Welker, Ben Wiegand, Charlie Jones, and Luukas Vainio. Their time of 1:24.99 in the 200 medley relay not only secured first place but also landed them within the program’s all-time top-10 performances.
Individual performances continued to shine. Nathan Welker had a particularly strong showing, breaking his personal best in the 100 fly with a time of 46.25. This time ranks as the seventh-fastest in Wisconsin swimming history. He wasn’t alone in his success; freshmen Enzo Solitario (46.99) and Lance Swanepoel (47.48) rounded out the top three in the event, demonstrating the depth of talent within the Badger program.
The Badgers continued their winning streak throughout the afternoon. A tie for first place in the 200 free highlighted the team’s strength, with Dominik Mark Torok and Yoav Romano both touching the wall at 1:34.37. Freshman Miles Cratsenberg also made an immediate impact, winning the 500 free in 4:22.56.
Further victories came from Brayden Henkel in the 100 breaststroke (53.41), Cooper Scharff in the 100 backstroke (47.85), and Ben Wiegand in the 50 free (19.60). The Wisconsin C relay team of Long, Skarda, Swanepoel, and Solitario also secured a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:28.34.
The 500 free saw a competitive field with Andrew Hanson finishing second (4:29.06), followed by Zach Ward (4:31.04) and Declan Kelly (4:26.96). In the 100 backstroke, Michael Long (48.57) and Finn Bacon (48.72) followed Scharff, demonstrating the team’s overall strength in the event.
The 400 free relay concluded the day’s events, with the Wisconsin A team of Kyser, Torok, Romano, and Graham taking first place in 2:56.09. The Wisconsin B and C teams also posted strong times, finishing in 2:56.98 and 3:04.78 respectively.
The Badger Invitational continues on , with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. And finals scheduled for 5 p.m. The team will look to build on this impressive start and maintain their momentum throughout the remainder of the competition.