More Records Fall During Day Three of the Mountain West Conference Swimming and Diving Championships
UNLV leads the men's standings, while BYU extends lead in the women's standings
Feb. 29, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -
BYU freshman Rachel Grant, UNLV junior Jonas Andersson, and the UNLV men's and women's relay teams etched their names in the MWC Record Book as they set new all-time marks during the third day of competition at the MWC Swimming and Diving Championships.
Grant set a new MWC all-time record in the women's 400 individual medley as she swam a 4:18.94 to bring home the individual title. Grant broke the previous record of 4:20.58, set by UNLV's Julie Babin at the 2004 championships.
Andersson broke Scott Usher's (Wyoming, 2001-05) all-time Conference 100 breaststroke record as he swam a 53.46 to win his first championship title. Andersson's time automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship.
The UNLV women broke their third relay all-time Conference mark of the championship with a time of 3:41.63 in the 400 medley relay. The Rebels broke BYU's record time of 3:42.76, set at last year's championship.
Another UNLV men's relay team broke an all-time Conference record, as the 400 medley relay squad swam a time of 3:13.44 to surpass their own record mark of 3:13.92 set in 2005. The time was also an NCAA-B cut time.
UNLV leads the men's race with 575 points. Wyoming is second with 473 points, followed by BYU (449.50), Air Force (393), TCU (328) and Utah (243.50).
The BYU women extended their lead with a point total of 544, followed by UNLV (432), Wyoming (393.50), Utah (375), Colorado State (237), New Mexico (192), TCU (173.50), San Diego State (121) and Air Force (97).
The closing day of events begins tomorrow with the men's 200 backstroke prelims at 10 a.m. CST, with the finals starting at 6:15 p.m. CST.
NOTES:
- BYU freshman Rachel Grant set a new MWC all-time record in the women's 400 Individual medley as she swam a 4:18.94 to bring home the individual title. Grant broke the previous record of 4:20.58, set by UNLV's Julie Babin at the 2004 championships. Grant also provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships, as did Wyoming sophomore Megan Evans, who finished second in 4:20.43.
- BYU's Neal Hamilton and Wyoming's Sam King both swam NCAA-B cuts as they finished first and second, respectively, in the men's 400 IM. This marks Hamilton's top time in the Conference this season and third all-time in MWC history, while King's time ranks fourth all-time.
- Wyoming's Matt Urich led four swimmers who tallied NCAA-B cuts in the men's 100 butterfly with his time of 47.65. Urich defeated second-place Jorge Azevedo (BYU) by one-hundredth of a second to claim the crown. Azevedo swam a 47.66 and was followed by UNLV's Timothy Christian and Peter Lorring in third and fourth, respectively.
- Utah freshman Jennifer Fredsall won the women's 100 butterfly with a 54.07 clocking. The top-six finishers all turned in NCAA-B cut times.
- UNLV's Richard Hortness won his second consecutive men's 200 freestyle title with a provisional cut time of 1:36.55. Hortness' time is the fastest in the MWC this season. Air Force's Bryan Avery and BYU's Travis Price also provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with times of 1:37.22 and 1:37.72, respectively.
- BYU's Natasha Menezes won a tight 200 free race with a time of 1:49.09, four-one hundredths of a second ahead of second-place Natalie Edge's (Utah) time of 1:49.13. A total of five swimmers swam NCAA-B cut times in the race.
- UNLV junior Jonas Andersson broke Scott Usher's (Wyoming, 2001-05) all-time Conference 100 breaststroke record as he swam a 53.46 to win his first championship title. Andersson's time automatically qualified for the NCAA Championship.
- After three years with top-six finishes, UNLV senior Kim Bonney brought home the individual title in the women's 100 breaststroke in an NCAA-B cut time of 1:02.22.
- UNLV senior Timothy Christian won the men's 100 backstroke in a time of 48.67, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA's in the process.
- UNLV's Megan Hunt-Higgins won her second individual title of the championship, winning the 100 backstroke in 54.68. Her time marks her second NCAA-B cut time for the competition. Teammate Amanda Weinbrecht also swam an NCAA-B cut time (54.87).
- Air Force sophomore Kyle Van Valkenburg won the men's platform diving event with a final score of 323.65.
- Another UNLV men's relay team broke an all-time Conference record, as the 400 medley relay squad swam a time of 3:13.44 to surpass their own record mark of 3:13.92 set in 2005. The time was also an NCAA-B cut time.
- The UNLV women broke their third relay all-time Conference mark of the championship with a time of 3:41.63 in the 400 medley relay. The Rebels broke BYU's record time of 3:42.76, set at last year's championship.
