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Mountain West Conference Swimming & Diving Championships Begin Wednesday, February 27 Real-time results to be available online
Feb. 26, 2008 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - 2008 MWC Swimming & Diving Championships Home page The 2008 Mountain West Conference Swimming and Diving Championships begin Wednesday, February 27. Livestats will be available online by visiting http://themwc.cstv.com/livestats/c-swim/results/index.htm. The championships, which run from Feb. 27-Mar. 1, are being hosted for the ninth year by Oklahoma City Community College at the Aquatic Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. The BYU men won the regular-season title with a 5-0 conference dual meet record and look to dethrone three-time defending postseason champion UNLV. The Rebels hold the Conference's top time in the 400 freestyle and 400 medley relays this season. UNLV freshman Kier Maitland will lead the Rebels individually, as he holds MWC top times in the 1000 freestyle (9:09.00, all-time conference mark) and 1,650-free (15:04.70). BYU will be led by senior Jorge Azevedo. Azevedo, a three-time MWC Swimmer of the Week, is the defending MWC champion in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, clocking times of 47.71 and 49.33, respectively in last year's championship. Also watch for TCU seniors Scott McCracken (sprints) and Jonathan Berrettini (back and frees). McCracken holds this season's top conference mark in the 500 free (19.99) and also has a top-five clocking in the 100 free (44.77). Berrettini comes into the championship holding the Conference's fastest time in the 100 backstroke (48.28), the second fastest times in the 50 (20.10) and 100 (44.70)-frees, along with the third fastest mark in the 200 back (1:48.60). Berrettini is a two-time MWC Swimmer of the Week winner, while McCracken was also voted swimmer of the week this season.
In men's diving, Wyoming freshman Kyle Bogner holds the 1-meter conference season best score of 323.25, while TCU junior R.J.
Hesselberg holds the 3-meter top mark at 347.33. Hesselberg garnered six consecutive MWC Diver of the Week accolades this season
(seven overall). Cowboy divers Mark Murdock, Tyler Miller and Colter Yancey, along with Air Force's Kyle Van Valkenburg will
provide close competition in all three diving events.
On the women's side, BYU finished 8-0 to bring home the regular-season crown. The Cougars will be led by sophomore Natasha Menezes and freshman Rachel Grant. Menezes holds this season's best times in the 500 (4:54.30), 1,000 (10:08.20) and 1,650 (17:07.20) frees. Grant, a three-time swimmer of the week recipient in her first collegiate season, is the Conference's top-time holder in the 200 fly and 400 individual medley with times of 2:00.70 and 4:22.00, respectively. Also watch for UNLV senior Marina Sandback, who set league season bests in the 50 free (23.48), 100 free (50.84) and 100 fly (56.01). UNLV owns MWC season best times in three of five relay events. BYU sophomore Tawni Jones holds the top marks in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives at 301.05 and 327.30, respectively, this season. Other divers looking to bring home individual crowns are BYU's Ava Jackman, Colorado State's Elyse Hall, San Diego State's Caitlin Atkinson, and Wyoming's Brittany Wainwright and Stephanie Ortiz. |
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