The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s swimming and diving team earned first-place honors at the Doug Coers Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 18, hosted by Ball State in Muncie, Ind., while the women finished second.

Freshman Robby Leibold led the Panthers to victory in the five-team event, winning three individual races. UWM scored 646 team points, topping Ball State’s 547 points. Leibold nabbed the Swimmer of the Meet award after placing first in the 400 individual medley and the 500 and 1650 freestyle.

Sophomore Chase Gravengood also contributed to the win with two first-place finishes in the 100 and 200 butterfly. UWM had top finishers in many of the events, propelling the Panthers to the win.

“This was definitely a team effort,” head coach Dave Clark said. “It wasn't really one person this weekend. Everyone had their share of good swims and dives.”

Leibold won the 500 freestyle with a time of 4 minutes 47.64 seconds and the 1650 freestyle in 16:35.35. Leibold wasn’t finished as he claimed first in the 400 IM in 4:17.08 for his third personal victory of the day.

Senior Jeff Jasinowski led the Milwaukee diving squad, finishing second on the three-meter board and third in the one-meter event.

Junior Lindsay Caldwell also claimed Swimmer of the Meet award, despite the women’s second-place finish. The women fell to host Ball State, scoring 531 points to Ball State’s 935.

Like Leibold, Caldwell placed first in three events at the meet. Caldwell came out on top in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 24.25, the 100 freestyle in 52.71 and the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:06.35.

“We had some strong individual efforts this weekend,” Clark said of the women’s results.

Caldwell got some help from freshman Molly Finn who took second in the 200 IM with a time of 2:12.17 and won the 200 butterfly in 2:08.33. Finn missed breaking her own record for the 200 butterfly, which she set earlier this season, by only a fraction of a second.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both take a week off from competition as they prepare for meets early next month.

The swimmers and divers will part ways at the beginning of December, as the swimmers race in the Wheaton Invitational Dec. 2-3 while the divers travel to the University of Notre Dame to participate in its invitational Dec. 1-3.

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