Sierra Becker
  • communication and social work
  • Class of 2016
  • River Falls, Wis.

UW-Whitewater's Becker Earns All-Conference Honors at WIAC Swimming and Diving Meet

2016 Feb 24

Sierra Becker, a native of River Falls, Wis., and member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater swimming and diving programs, was one of 13 student-athletes to earn All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference accolades over the weekend at the 2016 conference championship meet.

The Warhawk men placed second out of five teams, the program's highest-ever finish at the meet. The women finished third out of five.

Individual conference champions are named first team All-WIAC, while runners-up are tabbed second team All-WIAC.

Men

Junior Josh Kanute (Geneva, Ill./Marmion Academy) earned all-conference honors in three individual events. He claimed his second consecutive title in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:41.17. Kanute also finished as the runner-up in the 200-yard butterfly (1:52.61) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:31.65) with results in the NCAA "B" cut range.

Kanute added another All-WIAC finish as part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team along with junior Paul Hill (Jefferson, Wis./Fort Atkinson), freshmen Peter Loftus (Janesville, Wis./Craig) and Sam Douglass (Grafton, Wis./Cedarburg). The quartet set a school record and placed second in the event with a time of 3:05.49, just more than one second shy of the title.

Douglass also picked up All-WIAC honors with a runner-up finish in the 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 1:42.23.

Freshman Thomas Stigler (Milwaukee, Wis./Muskego) tied for second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.76.

Women

Senior Sierra Becker (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) earned the WIAC Women's Diver of the Meet award for the second time in her career after finishing a sweep of the diving events. After winning the 1-meter dive for the fourth straight year with a WIAC Championship and program record score of 460.70 Thursday, Becker claimed the 3-meter dive title with a total of 460.55 points, just one-tenth of a point shy of her school record in the event. She moves on to this weekend's NCAA Diving Regional at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, with a chance to advance to the NCAA Division III Championships in both diving events.

Senior Stacey Kincade (Milton, Wis./Milton) placed in a pair of events. She earned All-WIAC accolades in the 1650-yard freestyle, placing second with a time of 17:37.98.

Junior Margaret Lotzer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) finished as runner-up in the 500-yard freestyle with a mark of 5:08.97.

Junior Sarah Arteaga (Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall) defended her title in the 400-yard individual medley, breaking her own school record with a mark of 4:33.54, good for an NCAA "B" cut. Freshman Erin Hawker (Chanhassen, Minn./Hutchinson) was second in the 400 IM with a 4:34.74, also good for an NCAA "B" cut.

Sophomore Michaela Matthys (Crystal Lake, Ill./McHenry West) claimed her second straight 100-yard butterfly title, finishing the race in 57.01, good for an NCAA "B" cut.

Becker is majoring in communication and social work at UW-Whitewater.