Boys Swim & Dive State Archive

Boys Swimming & Diving History

The WIAA goes again to 1925 to find out the start of its boys swimming match program. The first meet was held on the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The meet was held indoors, in accordance with WIAA information, as a result of “water on the lake was too rough.”
 
Milwaukee West won the first championship with West Allis runner-up. The meet was held at a variety of sites through the years, but since 1966, it had been held exclusively at the UW-Madison Natatorium. Since 2021, the State Championships have been conducted at Waukesha South High School. Boys swimming & diving was conducted in a single class until 1993 when a two-division format was adopted. Verona won the first Division 2 team championship.
 
Madison Memorial has won 16 team championships to lead all other programs. The Spartans also have 17 runner-up finishes. Madison West and Waukesha (before it became North, South, and West) have won 15 State championships. Seven of Waukesha’s titles came in succession (1964-70). All but one came during a 17-year period from 1958-1974. Wauwatosa, before it became two schools with East and West, won nine titles. Seven of those came during an eight-year period from 1944-51. Shorewood also has nine titles, including five in a row from 1935-39 and all nine of them coming from 1933-1943. McFarland has eight titles, six of them coming consecutively from 2007-12, and Arrowhead and Whitefish Bay has won six team championships. Kenosha, before splitting into multiple schools, and Middleton have won five team titles.

Only eight athletes have won the same individual event four times, and Ben McDade of Monona Grove is the only swimmer to win four titles in multiple events. He’s a four-time champion in both the 200 and 500 freestyles (2015-18). Kyle Bubolz of Waukesha North/Kettle Moraine was the first to do it. He won the Division 1 50-yard freestyle from 2001-04. Ryan Jefferson of Edgewood accomplished the feat in the diving competition, winning the Division 2 titles from 2003-06. Alex DeLakis of Eau Claire Memorial/North was a four-time Division 1 champion in the 100 breaststroke from 2010-13. In 2015,  Joe Kaszubowski of Whitefish Bay was the fourth individual to accomplish the feat, capturing his fourth title in the Division 2 diving competition. Paul DeLakis of Eau Claire Memorial/North joined the ranks of the group when he won his fourth straight 100 breaststroke title in Division 1 in 2017, and Ben Stitgen of Edgewood is the most recent four-time champion, winning the Division 2 diving titles from 2018-21. Most recently, Jack Sullivan of Nicolet won four straight Division 2 championships in the 200 freestyle from 2021-24.

There have been 46 three-time winners in the identical particular person occasion. Of these, solely 4 people have received three titles in two completely different particular person occasions. John Thuerer of Rhinelander received three titles within the 200 and 400 freestyles; each Edward Garst of Wauwatosa and Tom Wanezek of Brookfield East received three titles within the 50 and 100 freestyles; Tom Shane of New Berlin Eisenhower received three 200 particular person medleys and 100 butterflies.

Ben McDade of Monona Grove has received probably the most titles, together with relays, with 15. Ryan O’Donnell of McFarland has received 14, whereas Cale TeBeest and Blake TeBeest of McFarland have earned 12 titles and Sam Wolf has 11 championships. Ben Anderson of Arrowhead, Max Carter of Middleton, Paul DeLakis of Eau Claire Memorial/North, Jay Mortenson of Madison West, Cade VanBuren of Middleton and Tom Wanezek of Brookfield East have received 10. Chris Richard of Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door and Truman teDuits of Edgewood have received 9 titles.

Madison Memorial has received probably the most State occasion titles with 93, and Madison West has captured 80 particular person and relay championships. Waukesha, earlier than it cut up into three colleges, recorded 77 championships. Whitefish Bay has compiled 64 occasion crowns, and Wauwatosa, earlier than forming separate packages, earned 61 titles.

Tournament Series Results