Men's Swimming and Diving

Jim Davies was appointed head coach in 1964. During his first year, the team placed second in conference with a 9-3 record. Lee Portman captured the State University Conference diving title (Quiver, 1965). In 1967, the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Randy Pheelen, Dick Double, Tom Johnson, and Mike Kopf swam in a record time of 3:31.60 to set a new conference record (Advance, 1967). This record still stands in the WIAC record book (Swim Records, 1995).

Unnamed diver prepares for a dive, 1964-1965

Ending the 1967 season, Fritz Litchfield tied for First Team diving honors in conference. The 1969 season marked Chuck Sarkady with a first place in the 100-yard butterfly at the conference championship with arecord time of 57.2 seconds (Quiver, 1969). In 1972, swimmer Chris Keefe was the first National Association Intercollegiate Athletics All-American. He was also named to the District 14 All Star Team (Quiver, 1973). His 50-yard freestyle record of 22.33 seconds still holds in the record book (Swim Program, 1995).


The Wisconsin State College-Oshkosh opened Albee Hall swimming pool in 1957 (Quiver, 1957). Albee Hall equipped the first pool at the university with one-meter and three-meter diving boards. The diving club started in 1957 and was sponsored by the Intramural Department; they were called the "Advanced Swimmers" (Quiver, 1958). The team consisted of men who performed with the Golden Trident's Synchronized Swimming Club. The divers entertained with comedy and exhibition swimming in the Trident's Annual Show (Quiver, 1959). 1963-1964 Men's Swimming and Diving Team The first men's varsity swimming and diving team was formed in 1961 (Advance, 1961). Coached by Tom Dezelsky, the members of the first team were Mel Mickey, Lee Boyd, Jerry Portman, Rusty Line, Dick Berger, Bob Walk, Jim Busse, Lyle Evans, Dick Petlewsk, Jerry Quimby, Tom Cavanaugh, Leroy Krause, Jim Ziegert, Jack Lautenschlager, and Joe Hwang (Quiver, 1963). Important highlights of the first competitive season were ending with a 10-2 record, placing second in the conference, outscoring opponents by over 300 points, and setting eleven records. Among the teams Oshkosh first competed against were Lawrence, La Crosse, Winona State, and the Green Bay "YMCA" (Quiver, 1963). The team traveled to the away meets in school vans.
Jim Davies was appointed head coach in 1964. During his first year, the team placed second in conference with a 9-3 record. Lee Portman captured the State University Conference diving title (Quiver, 1965). In 1967, the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Randy Pheelen, Dick Double, Tom Johnson, and Mike Kopf swam in a record time of 3:31.60 to set a new conference record (Advance, 1967). This record still stands in the WIAC record book (Swim Records, 1995).	Unnamed diver prepares for a dive, 1964-1965
Ending the 1967 season, Fritz Litchfield tied for First Team diving honors in conference. The 1969 season marked Chuck Sarkady with a first place in the 100-yard butterfly at the conference championship with arecord time of 57.2 seconds (Quiver, 1969). In 1972, swimmer Chris Keefe was the first National Association Intercollegiate Athletics All-American. He was also named to the District 14 All Star Team (Quiver, 1973). His 50-yard freestyle record of 22.33 seconds still holds in the record book (Swim Program, 1995).
Before the 1978 season began, Davies resigned and Jan Moldenhauer stepped in as head coach. According to Moldenhauer, she was one out of three women in the conference and the United States to coach a co-ed team at that time. Outstanding performers from her team included Dave Feiler, Keith Koch, Tony Bednaraski, and Jay Playter who qualified for NCAA Division III diving finals. Playter brought home a fourth place in the national competition. Paul Harris earned two second-place finishes and a seventh-place finish at the NAIA Division III 1985 swimming finals (Advanced Titan, 1985). Keith Koch was the first Oshkosh diver named All-American in 1986 (Advanced Titan, 1986). Moldenhauer stated that in 1991, the renovation of a new swimming pool began. The old pool did not meet state requirements for NCAA and state diving championships. A new pool was demanded and funded by the state of Wisconsin building commission. During the renovation, the team practiced at Oshkosh North and Oshkosh West high schools and at the Oshkosh and Neenah YMCAs. The meets were held at Oshkosh West because the diving boards met NCAA requirements. In 1992, Moldenhauer retired and current coach Andy Salm was appointed men's and women's swimming and diving coach (Swim Records, 1995). During the 1998-1999, season the men finished the dual meet season with a 6-3 record and a fifth place in conference. According to the Titan NewSplash II (1998), Sean Roberts set new marks in both the 500 and 1000 freestyle. He was also a member of the record-breaking 400 medley relay. Other members of the 400 medley included Art Belen, Mike Moran, and Mike Schumacher. Belen, Moran, Schumacher, and Nate Schilling broke the 200 medley record with a time of 1:39.59. The other individual record breaker was John Franke in the 400 individual medley (Titan NewSplashII). Interesting facts about UWO men's swimming and diving:
Past nicknames include Tankers, Mermen, and Titan Tuna (Quiver, Moldenhauer). In December of 1964, Oshkosh beat New York State University 59-27, and the New York coach supplied Oshkosh with a 10lb block of New York cheese (Advance, 1964). Swimmers Brad Stark, Jeff Reinke, Chris Mitchell, and Mark Williamson qualified for NAIA National in Canada. OSA allocations turned funding down (Oshkosh Advanced-Titan, 1982). An unidentified news article reported in 1982-1983 that the University of Chicago competition provided a bathtub-sized pool and co-ed showers. The racquetball courts in Albee are at the location of the old pool. The men's team has yet to win a conference championship (UW Oshkosh Titan Athletics homepage).
References Advance. (1961, November 3). Vol. II no.68. Advance. (1961, December 1). Vol. II no. 71. Advance. (1964, December 11,). Vol. LV no. II. Advance. March 17, 1967. Vol. III no. 22. Moldenhauer, Jan. (1999, February 16). Personal interview on the history of men's swimming and diving at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Oshkosh-Advanced Titan. (1982, February 25). Vol. LXXIV no. 18. Oshkosh-Advanced Titan. (1985, March 28). Oshkosh-Advanced Titan. (1986, March 12). Salm, Andy. (1999, March 11). Personal interview on the history of men's swimming and diving at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Swim Records. (1995). University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.