2004 WIAC Championships Preview
All six of the league's men's and women's swimming and diving teams assemble in Albee Hall this weekend as UW-Oshkosh hosts the WIAC Championships. This year's event, hosted by UW-Oshkosh for just the third time, is the 42nd edition for the men and the 33rd for the women.

The UW-Stevens Point men are seeking their fifth straight conference championship and their seventh in the last eight seasons. UW-La Crosse, which hasn't captured a men's conference title since 1971, is expected to provide the stiffest test for the Pointers. The Eagles have placed second in the event the past three seasons, losing 967-856 to the Pointers a year ago.

Top individual returnees for UW-Stevens Point are Alex Anderson, Matt Grunwald and Matt Sievers. Anderson claimed the 200 yard breaststroke and 200 yard individual medley events last year, while Grunwald finished first in the 100 yard butterfly and 200 yard butterfly. Sievers was the 2003 champion in the 50 yard freestyle.

UW-La Crosse returns a pair of defending champions in Shane Ryan, last year's WIAC Swimmer of the Meet, and Trevor Rowlands. Ryan finished first in the 200 yard freestyle, 500 yard freestyle and 1,650 yard freestyle last season, while Rowlands took top honors in the 100 yard freestyle.

UW-Oshkosh returns two defending champions in Yusuke Iimori and Chris Hansman. Iimori claimed the 100 yard breaststroke last season, while Hansman secured both the one and three-meter diving titles. Hansman has won both diving events the past two seasons.

The women's championship has UW-La Crosse looking for its third straight first-place finish. UW-Stevens Point has placed second to the Eagles the past two years, losing by a 899-872 count last season.

Fallon Toomsen, last year's WIAC Swimmer of the Meet, returns to lead UW-La Crosse. Last year, Toomsen won the 200 yard backstroke, 200 yard individual medley and the 400 yard individual medley. She established conference records in all three events.

Also back for the Eagles are defending champions Anne Melvin, Carlene Empanger, Krista Melvin. Elizabeth Miles and Levi Fink. Anne Melvin and Empanger were both double winners last year, with victories in the 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard butterfly for Melvin and the 500 yard freestyle and 1,650 freestyle for Empanger. Krista Melvin was last year's champion in the 200 yard freestyle, Miles the 200 yard butterfly and Fink the 100 yard freestyle.

UW-Stevens Point's lone returning champion is Elizabeth Herder, who claimed the 100 yard backstroke title year a ago.

Rachel Heitkamp returns as a double-winner from 2003 for UW-Oshkosh. Last year, she won the both the one and three-meter diving titles.