UW-Milwaukee Swim Coach Awarded Prestigious Title 

The Milwaukee Head Swim Team Coach, Kyle Clements, took the Panthers into a runner-up finish at the Horizon League Championships in Indianapolis this February.  

Head Coach Kyle Clements was awarded Women’s Coach of the Year. In his 14^th season with the team, he has seen 72 school records broken and now three second-place finishes at the conference meet. 

The UWM (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee) Panthers competed at the Horizon League Conference Championship this February 15 – 17. At the end of the weekend-long event, Clements was honored as the Women’s Coach of the Year for the whole conference. Clements’ leadership and guidance propelled the women’s team to a second-place overall high-point score, leading to success stories from swimmers Skylar Ruggles, Janelle Schulz, and Brianna Homontowski (alumni). 

“Everyone just knew that he really deserved it,” said Ruggles. “He looked pleasantly happy.” 

According to Ruggles, the Milwaukee Head Swim Coach was shocked to have won the award for Coach of the Year. When he was announced the winner, the entire pool deck erupted in cheers for the Milwaukee team leader. 

Despite facing tough competition from top schools within the conference, Oakland and IUPUI, a few standout Milwaukee athletes left their mark on history.  

Ruggles is a junior at UWM in the JAMS department who specializes in backstroke events. At the conference, she tied for 4^th place in the 100-yard backstroke, earning the team 14.50 points in finals. Mara Freeman, of UWM, got second place with a time of 55.71, just ahead of Ruggles. 

“Overall, I was super happy after that race,” said Ruggles. “I like to go into each of my swims with a plan…you have to remind yourself to go out there and have fun. Trust yourself. Whatever happens; happens.” 

Janelle Schulz of the Milwaukee Panthers Women’s Swim Team stood out as a high-point scorer for the team at the championship. After two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, she made the move to Milwaukee to major in biomedical engineering. Her best events this season were the 800-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard freestyle. According to the Horizon League Conference website, Shulz placed 2^nd in the 200 with a time of 1:50.12. 

“I love working hard in practice and it’s so much fun to see your teammates every day; they’re like your closest friends,” said Schulz. “Seeing all their hard work also pay off at the end of the year is really rewarding.” 

In the quickest race of the conference, Schulz also brought home another second-place finish in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.22. 

Alumni athlete Brianna Homontowski reflected on her years spent as a Milwaukee Panther under Head Coach Clements. Homontowski graduated from Greendale High School in 2019, when she made the move to the east side of Milwaukee to continue her swimming career. During her time swimming for GHS, she was known as the strongest team captain who burst at the seams with encouragement for her teammates. 

“With my coaches and friends, I learned how to cope with my fears in a healthy way and not have anxiety before every race,” said Homontowski. “It’s something I’ll forever be grateful for and proud of.”