Crystal Lake Native Matthys Earns Spot on Warhawks' Swimming and Diving Roster

2014 Nov 7

Michaela Matthys, a McHenry West High School graduate and media arts and game development major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, began the 2014-15 season as a member of the institution's women's swimming and diving program last week.

The Warhawks defeated Luther (Iowa) on the road last week to open the season, and will visit UW-Green Bay for an invitational this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 7-8.

See below for a complete team season preview, or visit the UW-Whitewater women's swimming and diving Web page.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's and women's swimming and diving teams head into the 2014-15 season looking to compete for Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and spots in the NCAA Division III Championships.

Joel Rollings enters his ninth season at the helm of both programs. Since he became head coach, neither program has finished below fourth at the WIAC Championships. Both teams placed third a season ago to match their highest-ever finish in the conference meet.

The Warhawks begin their home schedule on Nov. 15 against Lawrence.

The teams will visit Coronado Island, Calif., for a winter break training trip from Dec. 28-Jan. 8. UW-Whitewater will act as host for this year's WIAC Championships, which take place Feb. 19-21 at Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer, Wis.

The Warhawk women finished 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the WIAC in dual meets, and placed 24th at the NCAA Championships with national qualifiers in 10 events in 2013-14. UW-Whitewater posted 12 new school records last season.

Senior Amy Spaay is the team's most decorated returner. A 2013 national champion in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke, Spaay earned All-America honors last season and is a two-time WIAC champion in both events. She is a school record holder in two individual events and two relays, and was also second team All-WIAC in the 200-yard individual medley.

Spaay fought through a leg injury last season to earn the third and fourth All-American honors of her career.

Junior diver Sierra Becker also returns as a 2014 All-American. Becker placed 16th in the 1-meter dive and was a national qualifier in the 3-meter dive, where she reached the preliminary round. She is a two-time WIAC champion and the school record holder in the 1-meter dive, and was named Diver of the Meet following her performance in 2013.

Other returning national qualifiers include seniors Kayla Martin and Kelsey Kohlbeck. Martin placed 31st in the 1,650-yard freestyle at the NCAAs, while Kohlbeck was a part of the 200- and 400-yard freestyle and 200- and 400-yard medley relay teams, which qualified for the preliminaries in each event, with Spaay, Martin and Kendall Thompson, who graduated last spring.

Martin is the current school record holder in both the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events. Kohlbeck owns the school's top mark in the 100-yard butterfly.

Spaay, Kohlbeck and senior Maggie Gomberg were each named Scholar All-Americans by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. Spaay and Kohlbeck were first team honorees by virtue of having a grade point average higher than 3.5 and having qualified for the national championships.

Gomberg earned honorable mention Scholar All-America after earning a "B" time standard in the 100-yard breaststroke at the WIAC Championships. She was a second team all-conference honoree in the 200 breaststroke in 2012.

Junior Stacey Kincade garnered second team all-conference honors in the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 400-yard medley relay as a freshman in 2013. She is the program record holder in the 1,000-yard freestyle.

UW-Whitewater showed its depth last season in setting new school records in all five relays. Kohlbeck was a part of four relays, Martin was a member of three and Spaay was a part of two.

Other returners involved in the record relays include sophomores Grace Devine (200- and 800-yard freestyle, 200-yard medley), Margaret Lotzer (800-yard freestyle) and Gabby Swider (200-yard freestyle).

Rollings expects freshmen Michaela Matthys and Stephanie Haebig to make significant contributions in 2014-15. Matthys competes in individual medley, while Haebig will take part in the backstroke.

Kohlbeck and fellow senior Brooke Flesher will serve as captains this season. The two highlight a strong, nine-person senior class, which also includes Gomberg, Martin, Spaay, Alma Burwell, Cheyanne Carbone, Taylor Schaeffer and Kelsey Stamm.