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Wanland,
Lester to compete in World University Games
Wanland
to represent U.S., Lester to swim for Australia
MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin’s swimming and
diving programs will get more national exposure come August as two
student-athletes, Ashley Wanland and Daniel Lester, will compete at the
2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China.
Wanland, a native of Long Grove, Ill.,
will represent the United States, while Lester, from Brisbane,
Australia, will swim for his native country. The swimming competition
will take place Aug. 14-19, while the entire Games run from Aug. 12-23.
“It’s terrific for our
program,” head coach Whitney Hite said. “Certainly any time
you can have athletes represent their home country in an elite
international event, such as the World University Games, it’s
tremendous for both them and our program.”
With her selection, Wanland becomes
the seventh Badger to compete for the U.S. at the World University
Games and just the third female. The last UW swimmer was Tim Liebhold
in 2007 and the last female was Gina Panighetti in 1999.
Set to compete in the 200-yard
breaststroke, Wanland completed her junior campaign this past season
for the Badgers. She earned three All-American honors in 2011, upping
her career total to six. She also has three honorable mention All-
America honors in her three seasons at UW.
At this year’s Big Ten
Championships, Wanland won two titles as a member of the 200 and 400
medley relay teams, while individually she placed second in the 100
breaststroke and fourth in the 200 breaststroke.
“Ashley is one of the top
breaststrokers in the country and certainly she’s going to be in
the mix for next summer as well,” Hite said. “She’s a
hard worker and we’re excited for her. Anytime you can represent
the United States it’s great.”
Lester, who will begin his junior
season in the fall, earned All-America and honorable mention
All-America honors this past season for his fifth-place finish in the
200 butterfly and his 10th-place finish in the 100 fly, respectively.
He set school records in each event as well.
For his career, Lester now owns two
All-America honors as he snapped a five-year drought for the program by
placing seventh in the 200 fly in 2010.
“Swimming in Australia is like
the NFL here, it’s very popular,” Hite said. “For Dan
to make the team for Australia is a tremendous honor. It really is a
proud accomplishment for him.”
Taking place every two years, the
World University Games are an international multi-sport event organized
for university athletes by the International Sports Federation (FISU).
Members of the USA Swimming 2011 World University Games Team roster
were selected based upon their performance at the 2010 ConocoPhillips
National Championships.
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