Two WHS Grads are on the UW-W Women's Swimming & Diving Roster

Two WHS Grads are on the UW-W Women’s Swimming & Diving Roster

Posted on: February 11, 2021

UW-Whitewater Women’s Swimming and Diving Announces 2021 Roster

WHITEWATER, WI (02/04/2021)– The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will start an unconventional 2021 season this Friday (2/5) at UW-Eau Claire for the program’s first of four duals against Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams over the next five weeks.

The following student-athletes from WHS will compete for the 2021 UW-Whitewater women’s swimming and diving team: Anna Yeazel of Whitewater (Whitewater High School), a senior majoring in physical education, and Brianna Zimdars of Whitewater (Whitewater High School), a freshman majoring in general business.

The Warhawk men and women each placed third at the 2020 WIAC Championships, the most recent competition for both teams. Renata Schlomann (New Berlin, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) of the women’s team qualified for the 2020 NCAA Championship, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019-20, UW-W swimmers combined for 22 top-three conference finishes, 28 new entries on the UW-Whitewater All-Time Top 10 lists and four new school records.

Elise Knoche returns for her third season as head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs. She helped the Warhawks capture 14 WIAC individual championships during her first two seasons.

The 2021 season includes four WIAC duals, including home meets on Feb. 20 against UW-Oshkosh and March 6 against UW-La Crosse. Both meets will be live streamed, with links becoming available soon on the swimming and diving schedule pages. The 2021 WIAC Championship has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seniors Skyler Budny (Wheaton, Ill./Glenbard South), Olivia Theobald (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap) and Anna Yeazel (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) lead the Warhawk women into the 2021 season.

Budny is a four-time WIAC medalist, including three in the 1,650-yard freestyle and one in the 400-yard IM. She ranks among the program’s all-time Top 10 in the 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle events.

Theobald has reached the WIAC podium 21 times during her decorated career, including six times as a conference relay champion and three times as a conference runner-up. She finished among the top five in seven events in 2020, including four relays and three individual events. Theobald holds four Top 10 individual times or splits in program history.

Yeazel broke through to the WIAC podium in two events last season, placing sixth in the 400-yard IM and seventh in the 200-yard breaststroke. Her 400 IM time of 4:48.74 is the 10th-best personal record in program history. She was named to the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team in 2020.

Junior Jaclyn Fohlmeister (Lakemoor, Ill./Wauconda) also returns for the Warhawks after tallying career-best times last winter in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly. Classmate Abby Thompson (De Pere, Wis./De Pere), a three-time conference medalist, placed fourth in the 200-yard butterfly and seventh in the 400-yard IM at last year’s conference meet.

Makenna Clark (Joliet, Ill./Joliet West), Morgan Nabors (Spring Green, Wis./River Valley) and Leanne Stigler (Beloit, Wis./Muskego) enter their second seasons with the program.

Stigler earned second team All-WIAC accolades in the 200-yard individual medley and 400-yard medley relay and collected five WIAC top-five finishes. She ranks among the top 10 in program history in the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard IM.

Clark and Nabors each competed in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events at the WIAC Championship as freshmen in 2020.

Newcomers to UW-Whitewater include Kayleigh Denruiter (Brantwood, Wis./Phillips), Amanda Harper (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly), Ciara Hynes (Eureka, Mo./Eureka), Gabby Sponseller (Goshen, Ind./Concord), Meadow Warren (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) and Brianna Zimdars (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater).

For more than 150 years, UW-Whitewater has provided students with the education and training to begin their careers with a solid foundation behind them. The UW-Whitewater is committed to the development of the individual, the growth of personal and professional integrity and respect for diversity and global perspectives. These are met by providing academic and co-curricular programs that emphasize the pursuit of knowledge and understanding and a commitment to service within a safe and secure environment.