More Records Fall During Day Three of the 2009 Mountain West Championships

Eight new MWC records were etched into the books during the finals of the third day of competition at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Swimming & Diving Championships. Four of the new records ousted the records previously set during the morning preliminaries.

UNLV freshman Zsuzsanna Jakabos set an all-time conference record in the 400-yard individual medley, as she swam a 4:06.70 to win her first championship title. The time, which automatically qualified for the NCAA championship, bested the previous record of 4:14.00, set by fellow Rebel Ana Dangalakova earlier this morning. BYU's Rachel Grant, the defending champion in the event, finished second in 4:13.38, while Dangalakova placed third at 4:14.85.

Utah's Whitney Lopus reset the MWC all-time record for the 100-yard butterfly. The freshman clocked in at 52.85 in the preliminary heat, before winning the final event with an NCAA-B cut time of 52.44.

Wyoming's Lesley Young also bested her league all-time record for her performance in the 100-yard breaststroke. The sophomore finished the race in 1:01.42, after having set the previous record (1:01.84) in the morning preliminaries.

Colorado State freshman Breann Fuller won the 100-yard backstroke, clocking a time of 52.95 to surpass her own mark of 53.64 set in the preliminaries. The time was also an NCAA-A cut time.
 
BYU leads the women's race with 422 points. UNLV is second with 392.5 points, followed by Wyoming (359), Utah (340.5), Colorado State (298), San Diego State (242), TCU (222), New Mexico (162) and Air Force (80).

On the men's side, UNLV extended its lead with a point total of 582.5, followed by Air Force (411), Wyoming (372), BYU (363.5), TCU (272), and Utah (223).

The closing day of events begins tomorrow with the 200-yard backstroke preliminaries at 10 a.m. CT, with the finals starting at 6:15 p.m.

NOTES:
UNLV freshman Zsuzsanna Jakabos set a new MWC all-time record in the women's 400-yard individual medley, as she swam an NCAA-A cut time of 4:06.70 to bring home the individual title. Jakabos broke the previous record of 4:14.00, set by her teammate Ana Dangalakova in the 2009 preliminaries. Dangalakova and BYU's Rachel Grant also provisionally qualified for the NCAA championship.

Tyler Bush brought home UNLV's first win in the men's 400-yard individual medley with his time of 3:56.50. The freshman was joined by Utah's Eric Murray and Wyoming's Brett Henehan on the medal stand.

Utah's Whitney Lopus led four swimmers who tallied NCAA-B cuts in the women's 100-yard butterfly. Lopus' time of 52.44 broke the MWC all-time record she had set earlier in the day. UNLV's Amanda Weinbrecht swam the 100 fly in 53.12 for second, and was followed by Utah's Hannah Caron (53.75) and BYU's Kirsty Ferrell (54.07) in third and fourth, respectively.

UNLV sophomore David Seiler won the men's 100-yard butterfly with a 46.88 clocking. The win is the Rebels' first in the event since 2006.

UNLV junior Marva Harpak won a tight 200-yard freestyle race with a time of 1:47.42, two-one hundredths of a second ahead of defending championship Natasha Menezes of BYU (1:47.44). Both times made NCAA-B cuts.

Sophomore Kyle Virva gave UNLV its third-consecutive win and sixth overall in the men's 200-yard freestyle. Virva won the race in an NCAA-B cut time 1:36.46, the fastest time in the MWC this season. BYU's John Kendrick also provisionally qualified for the NCAA championship with a time of 1:36.84.
Sophomore Lesley Young earned the first 100-yard breaststroke title for Wyoming. The sophomore, who finished the race in 1:01.42, bested her previous MWC all-time record of 1:01.84 that she set this morning.

UNLV took first and second in the men's 100-yard breaststroke. Sophomore Akos Molnar set a new league all-time record in his first place performance (53.28), while his teammate Andrew Morrell took second in 53.79. Air Force's Justin Day (53.87) and Wyoming's Brandon Fischer (54.69) also turned in NCAA B-cuts.

Colorado State freshman Breann Fuller won the women's 100-yard backstroke in a time of 52.95, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA's and surpassing her own mark of 53.64 that she set in the preliminaries. UNLV's Amanda Weinbrecht and New Mexico's Marissa Campbell rounded out the top three, recording NCAA B-cut times of 53.86 and 54.99, respectively.

Wyoming freshman Marshall Dilworth bested four UNLV Rebels to win the men's 100-yard backstroke. Dilworth won the race in 48.33 before UNLV's Jeff Ellingsen (48.68), Nick Blank (48.78), David Seiler (48.83) and Michael Lowenstein (48.94).

Utah's Kwan Ling Yu won the women's platform diving event with a final score of 247.60. The sophomore's mark ranks first in the MWC this season.

The BYU women were victorious in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:40.63. The Cougars broke the MWC all-time record of 3:41.63, set by UNLV at last year's championship.

UNLV won its seventh consecutive men's 400-yard medley relay, breaking their all-time Conference mark with a time of 3:12.91. The previous record of 3:13.44 was set by the Rebels in 2008.
 
UNLV SWIMMING & DIVING WINS TOTAL OF SEVEN EVENTS ON THIRD DAY AT MWC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The UNLV men continued their dominance at the 2009 Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday night, extending their overall team lead to 171.5 points with just one day left after setting three new league records, while the Rebels were the story of the day on the women's side, moving up two spots to trail overall leader BYU by just 29.5 points.

The 24th-ranked Rebel men, who are looking to defend their title for the fifth straight year, won the first four events of the night, all by four different Rebels who would claim their first career individual conference title. It began with Tyler Bush, as he swam a time of 3:56.50 in the 400 IM, which ranks seventh all-time at UNLV. John Mendoza would place fifth in the event in 3:58.56.

David Seiler claimed his first career title as he broke former Rebel John Bartoch's three-year old conference record in the 100 fly with a time of 46.88, which is also a NCAA "B" cut. Teammate Peter Lorring took fourth in 47.66, while Steven Nelms was fourth in 47.88 and Daniel Egly finished 10th in 49.35.

Kyle Virva continued the Rebel win streak as he touched the wall first in the 200 free in 1:36.46, which ranks him third in UNLV history and is a NCAA "B" time. Kier Maitland placed fourth in 1:37.51 and Calan Eldridge was ninth in 1:37.69. Freshman Akos Molnar would take the 100 breast title in a new MWC record time of 53.28 while classmate Andrew Morrell was runner-up in 53.79, and both earned "B" times.

The win streak was snapped in the 100 back, as Marshall Dilworth would win by .35 seconds, but the Rebels still cleaned up in the event, taking second, third, fourth, fifth, and a tie for sixth place. Jeff Ellingsen would take runner-up honors in 48.62, and was followed by Nick Blank (48.78), Seiler (48.83) and Michael Lowenstein (48.94). Lorring would tie for sixth as he touched the wall in 49.37.

The Rebels ended the night with its third MWC record of the day, as Ellingsen, Molnar, Seiler, and Charlie Tapp combined to swam a 3:12.91 in the 400 medley relay, winning in a "B" cut.

UNLV stands in first with 582.5 points, while Air Force is far back in second with 411. Wyoming is third (372), BYU fourth (363.5), TCU fifth (272), and Utah rounds out the field in sixth (223).

Freshman Zsuszanna Jakabos crushed the field in the women's 400 IM, winning by over six seconds as she posted a new MWC record time of 4:06.70, which also easily gave her a NCAA automatic "A" time. She was one of four Rebels scoring in the top seven, as Ana Dangalakova took third in 4:14.85, Bailey Kuestermeyer placed fourth in 4:18.26, and Marley Prothero swam 4:23.28 for seventh place.

Also winning an event for the Rebel women was Marva Harpak, who claimed the 200 free title in 1:47.42, a NCAA "B" time and the second-fastest in school history. Lisa Gillespie took third in the event with 1:48.41, while Friderika Szel was ninth in 1:50.80.

Amanda Weinbrecht posted two runner-up finishes on the night, beginning in the 100 fly, where she swam a school record and "B" time of 53.12. Katie Matulic was 10th in 56.17. In the 100 back, Weinbrecht would touch the wall in 53.86 for second, with freshman Anja Crawford placing ninth in 56.37.

Kelsey Clarke would place seventh in the 100 breast (1:04.09) with Elise Warren earning 14th in a time of 1:04.64. UNLV would claim third in the 400 medley relay, as Weinbrecht, Kelsey Clarke, Jakabos, and Harpak swam a school record time of 3:41.50.

BYU finished the day with 422 points, while UNLV is close behind in second with 392.5. In third is Wyoming with 359, and they are followed by Utah in fourth (340.5), Colorado State in fifth (298), San Diego State in sixth (242), TCU in seventh (222), New Mexico in eighth (162), and Air Force rounds out the field in ninth with 80 points.

Records Continue to Fall On Day Three
With four BYU records broken on day three of the Mountain West Conference Championships, the BYU women’s swim and dive team found itself back on top with a 60.5-point cushion in front of second-place Wyoming. The men tallied 363.5 total points to stay in the four spot after Friday’s competition, 9.5 points behind Wyoming.
 
“We are swimming hard,” said BYU head coach Tim Powers. “We felt good today and both the men and the women swam great. They are continuing to swim lifetime bests.”
 
Friday’s competition started out with Rachel Grant finishing second in the 400 IM, five seconds off her personal-best time and former MWC record. She set a new BYU record in the event with a time of 4:13.38, an NCAA provisional time. Grant finished behind UNLV’s Zsuzsanna Jakabos who placed 14th in that event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Jakabos posted a time of 4:06.70 on the afternoon.
 
Finishing out the scoring in the women’s 400 IM for the Cougars was Marnie Knoop in 14th with a time of 4:30.77 and Celleigh McHenry in 16th with a time of 4:31.35.
 
The men started out the competition with Kenneth Clark placing fourth in the 400 IM with a time of 3:57.88.
 
Kirsty Ferrell was the lone Cougar in the final heat of the 100 fly, placing fourth with a time of 54.07. Ferrell’s time ranks second in BYU’s all-time bests. Amanda Heninger finished 14th in the event with a time of 56.82 and Jodie Ellis placed 16th with a time of 57.14.
 
Dougie Broadbent and Blake Henderson both made it to the finals in the 100 fly, placing seventh and eighth, respectively. Broadbent touched the wall with a time of 49.24, ranking fifth in BYU’s all-time best for the event. Henderson finished with a time of 49.63. Brent Stevenson finished out the scoring for the Cougars in that event in 15th place with a time of 50.83.
 
Touching the wall only .02-seconds behind Marva Harpak of UNLV was Natasha Menezes. She finished with a time of 1:47.44 – a new BYU record. Teammate Leilani Roberts finished seventh in the event with a time of 1:49.87 while Whitney Hall finished 16th with a time of 1:53.44.
 
The women started pulling away from the rest of the field in total points, finishing the night with 422 points.
 
John Kendrick and Stott Bushnell represented their Cougars well in the 200 free, both finishing in the top five in the event. Kendrick finished in second with a time of 1:36.84, .38 seconds behind first place, and second in BYU’s all-time bests in the event. Bushnell finished fifth in the event with a time of 1:38.17, a personal best. BYU sprinter Gregor Greiner placed 10th in the consolation heat of the 200 free with a time of 1:38.39 – a time good enough to place him seventh in the finals.
 
Event 23 was led by BYU’s all-time fastest sprinter, Aleesha Miller, placing fifth in the 100 breast with a time of 1:03.58. Kelsey Higginson placed eighth in the event with a time of 1:04.54, picking up 11 points for the Cougars. Sara Jayne Christiansen won the consolation heat (ninth place) with a time of 1:03.14, a time which would’ve placed her fourth in the finals.
 
Four Cougars scored points in the men’s 100 breast with Vytenis Slenys leading the way. Slenys finished fifth with a time of 55.33, ranking fourth in BYU all-time. David Mason finished eighth in the event with a time of 55.81. Justin Morin finished 15th (57.03) and Andrew Merrell finished 16th (57.23).
 
The 100 breast and the 200 free moved the Cougar men up to third place for the two events, after regaining the four spot after the 100 back.
 
Candice Smith was the only Cougar in the top 16 for the 100 back, placing fourth in the event with a time of 55.36, a new BYU record. Her 15 points earned in that event put the Cougars 21.5 points ahead of second-place UNLV.
 
Jacoby Jacobsen was BYU’s sole backstroker in the 100-yard event, placing 10th with a time of 49.82.
 
Divers Ava Jackman and Tawni Jones placed second and third, respectively, on the platform. Jackman scored 227.35 points while Jones posted 224.10 points. Syrena Miskin finished 15th on the platform with a score of 175.70.
 
The 400 medley relay team of Smith, Christiansen, Ferrell and Miller finished off the night with a 40-point win as well as a new BYU and MWC record. The team touched the wall with a time of 3:40.63, one full second ahead of UNLV’s old MWC record.
 
The men’s 400 medley relay team of Jacobsen, Slenys, Broadbent and Greiner finished fourth with a time of 3:17.06 to give the Cougars 363.5 points for the week.
 
“Tomorrow we need to get up and go,” said Powers. “We must swim fast in the morning to make it to finals in the afternoon. We’ve got some really good things ahead of us tomorrow.”
 
Lesley Young and Marshall Dilworth Capture MWC on Third Day of MWC Championships
Two Wyoming swimmers were crowned Mountain West Conference Champions today as Lesley Young won the 100 breaststroke, and Marshall Dilworth won the 100 backstroke at the Oklahoma City Community College Aquatics Center. Not only were both times school records, but Young’s time of 1:01.42 is the fastest in MWC history. Dilworth’s time of 48.33 is the third fastest in conference history.

The UNLV men are on top of the standings with a score of 584. Trailing the Rebels are Air Force (412), Wyoming (372), BYU (364), TCU (272), and Utah (223).

BYU is currently leading on the women’s side with a total of 457. UNLV is next with 397 followed by Wyoming (395), Utah (366), CSU (299), San Diego State (257), TCU (236), New Mexico (174), and Air Force (93).

"The women have improved greatly and I am pleased with their performances," said UW head coach Tom Johnson. "They have battled hard this entire week and have swam well. We kind of dug ourselves in a hole on the first day on the men’s side, but they are still performing well and hopefully can make a comeback tomorrow."

The Cowgirls broke a total of three school records today, highlighted by Young’s new fastest MWC time in the 100 breaststroke of 1:01.42. That time is also NCAA "B" qualifying. Stephanie Vint swam well with a time of 4:20.19 in the 400 IM and was fifth, also a new school record. Kari Budd finished 12th in 400 IM to give the Cowgirls needed points.

The other school record that was broken on the day was in the 400 medley relay. Kelsey Conci, Young, Shelby Bull, and Cassie Stelow swam a time of 3:45.83 and placed sixth. Other Cowgirls in events today were Kristen Flachbarth (1:51.02) and Aimee Stinson (1:51.46) who finished tenth and 11th respectively in the 200 freestyle. Bull was 12th in the 100 butterfly (56.78), Stelow tenth in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.41), Conci (56.51) 11th and Caroline Wells (57.45) 16th in the 100 backstroke.

"Lesley’s record-breaking time was impressive and she made a good drop from her seeded time. Stephanie and Kari swam good races as well in a very tough field. Kristen and Aimee had times that I was very impressed with and helped a lot with the points they earned," said Johnson.

The Cowgirl divers were on the platform event today while the Cowboy divers had the day off. Emily Huth led the way in eighth place with a mark of 206.45. Stephanie Ortiz was close behind and finished in ninth with a score of 203.35. Other Cowgirl divers in the event were Allie Smith in tenth (212.40), and Tiffany Izatt (210.45) in 11th.

"It’s hard for the divers on the platform since we don’t have one to train on at our pool. But Emily and Stephanie did a great job and I am proud of their efforts as well as Allie’s and Tiffany’s performances ," Johnson continued.

The Cowboy swim of the day came from freshman Marshall Dilworth who won the 100 backstroke with a time of 48.33, setting a school record and third best in MWC history. Behind Dilworth were teammates Tyler Kybartas in 12th (50.39), Devin Hougardy 14th (51.14), and Nathan Fuller in 15th (51.39). In the 400 IM, freshman Brett Henehan was close to winning, but finished third with a time of 3:57.38.

Matt Urich was last year’s champion in the 100 butterfly and placed third this year with a time of 47.80. Kybartas (49.40) and James Rigg (50.08) were 11th and 12th, respectively. In the 100 breaststroke, Brandon Fischer swam the fourth- best time in UW history and finished fourth with a time of 54.69. Alex Larkin was close behind in seventh with a time of 55.75, while fellow senior Eli Bell was sixth in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:38.34.

The Cowboy 400 medley relay squad also broke a school record today. Dilworth, Fischer, Urich, and Bell swam a time of 3:15. 66 and placed third.

"Marshall had a lot of pressure on him after he was first in the preliminary round, but kept his focus and was able to win the 100 back," Johnson said. "I was very proud of how Brett and Matt swam their events today and Tyler and Eli were very solid, especially in the relay."

Falcons Notch Four School Records on Day Three of MWC?Championships
Recording a combined four school records on Friday, the Air Force men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams wrapped up the third day competition at the 2009 Mountain?West Conference Championships, being held in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Air Force men remain in second place with 412 points, trailing only UNLV. The Falcon women are in ninth place with 93 points, while BYU sits atop the team leaderboard in the women’s competition.
 
The first school record of the day for the men came in the 100 butterfly, as sophomore Benjamin Gunn (Gainesville, Ga.) registered a mark of 47.83 in the morning’s preliminaries before finishing sixth in the event. It marked the second individual school record of the meet for Gunn. Meanwhile, two other Air Force swimmers scored in the event, led by Robert Dawson (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.), who won the consolation finals with a personal-best time of 49.23, ranking sixth all-time in Air Force history. In addition, freshman Kaleb Jenkins (Savannah, Ga.) finished 14th overall, with a personal-best mark of 50.63.
 
The Falcons added another school record in the 100 breaststroke, one of their top events. Senior Justin Day (Peyton, Colo.)?took over the top spot in the Air Force record books following his morning swim, but had an even stronger performance in the finals, finishing third with a NCAA ‘B’ standard of 53.87.
 
Five other Air Force swimmers scored in the consolation finals of the 100 breast, led by Josh Hammervold (So., Sugar Land, Texas), who won the race with a mark of 55.54. Greg Edmonds (Jr., Fairfax Station, Va.), Chris Morin (Jr., Crown Point, Ind.), Spencer Butt (Sr., Sterling, Va.) and Cody Deacon (Fr., Portland, Ore.) finished in spots three through six in the consolation final, as all five posted Air Force top-10 times. Hammervold now ranks fourth in the Falcons’ record books, while Deacon’s preliminary swim of 56.05 ranks sixth all-time. Edmonds moved into seventh-place on the all-time list with his preliminary time of 56.47, Morin ranks ninth with his mark of 56.52 in the finals and Butt took over the 10th spot following his final swim of 56.57.
 
In the men’s 200 freestyle, junior Sean O’Keefe (Lake Oswego, Ore.), who ranks fourth in the Air Force record books in the event, led the way with a third-place finish, improving upon his personal-best mark with a time of 1:37.51. Sophomore Eric Robinson (Lakewood, Colo.) also advanced to the finals, clocking a mark of 1:38.98 in the prelims before finishing eighth overall. Robinson’s time, a personal best, now ranks fifth all-time at the Academy.
 
Senior Kai Yamashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) had a strong showing in the men’s 100 backstroke, finishing tied for sixth place with a personal-best mark of 49.37. His time in the event now ranks second in Air Force history.
 
Also on Friday, three Falcons scored in the men’s 400 IM, led by senior captain Nick Dixon (Canton, Mich.), who finished sixth overall with a personal-best mark of 4:00.33. Freshman Corydon Butler (Williamburg, Va.) finished first in the consolation bracket (ninth overall) with a career-best time of 4:06.02, while Cole Smith (Fr., Charlotte, N.C.) placed 12th with a personal-best mark of 4:08.77.
 
The Air Force men closed out Thursday’s competition with a school-record performance in the 400 medley relay. The team of Yamashiro, Day, Gunn and Dawson put together a time of 3:15.01 to finish second in the event. The Falcons have now set school records in three relay events at this year’s meet.
 
On the women’s side, senior captain Jane Hwang (Irvine, Calif.) was once against the top performer, setting a school-record in the 200 freestyle to finish in the top eight of the event for the third time of her career.  In the morning’s prelims of the 200 freestyle, Hwang bested her own school record by a second, before shaving even more time off the record in the evening swim. Hwang’s mark of 1:49.39 was good for fifth-place in the event, her best-ever finish at the MWC?Championships.
 
The women also had a top-eight performer in the women’s platform dive, as junior Chelsea Tompkins (Grand Junction, Colo.) took sixth place in the event, scoring a 208.15 in the finals.
 
Three other Air?Force swimmers also posted Academy top-10 marks in their respective events. Junior Katelyn Hunter (La Crescent, Minn.) posted a mark of 58.93 in the 100 backstroke, finishing 22nd in the event.?Her time ranks seventh in Air Force history. Meanwhile, there was a pair of eighth-place entries in the Falcons’ record books. In the women’s 400 IM, junior Becky Gleason?(Ballwin, Mo.) was the Falcons’ top performer, finishing 22nd overall with a mark of 4:33.76, while freshman Elvira Chiccarelli (Panama City Beach, Fla.) registered a time of 57.61 in the 100 butterfly, placing 19th overall.
 
Utah Swimming and Diving Finishes Third Day At Mountain West Conference Championships
After the third day of competition at the Mountain West Conference Championships, the University of Utah women’s swimming and diving team is in fourth-place with 366 points. The Utah men remain in sixth-place with 223 points.

Eric Murray’s (Woodstock, Ga.) posted a time of 3:57.39, which was his fastest time this season and was enough to finish in second in the event. Murray’s finish is the highest for the Utes in the championships thus far.

“I’m really proud of Eric,” said head coach Greg Winslow. “We were really looking for him to step up. Within the last 50 meters, it looked like he could have won it all. It was a great race for him.”

John Baque (Olympia, Wash.) was sixth in the 100 breast with his time of 55.49. The performance was his lifetime best, beating the previous best of 56.10 that he set earlier in the season.

“It has been a really ground-breaking meet so far this week,” said Winslow. “We are hoping this race is just a warm up for John for the 200 breast tomorrow.”

Two members of the women’s team won individual championships today. Whitney Lopus (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished first in the 100 fly with her time of 52.44. Her time beat the previous MWC record in the event and made the NCCA ‘B’ standard cut, possibly qualifying her for the NCAA Championships. Hannah Caron (Raleigh, N.C) also placed in the event, with her time of 53.75 putting her in third. Caron’s time was also a ‘B’ standard in the event. Jennifer Fredsall (Kearns, Utah) finished in fifth for the Utes with her time of 55.31.

“We’re hoping that both Whitney and Hannah get invited to the NCAA Championship,” said Winslow. “Both them and our 400 medley relay team have shined all year and are continuing to perform great this week. We hope to see them continue after this week.”

Kwan Ling Yu (Yuen Long, Hong Kong) finished in first-place in the platform dive with her score of 247.60. It was the first time that Yu had competed in the event all season. This is the second time that Yu has won the event, and the fourth time in a row a Ute has been the MWC platform dive champion. Kelsey Patterson previously won in the event before Yu.

Other top finishers were Natalie Edge (South Jordan, Utah) in the 200 free. Her time of 1:49.84 put her in sixth-place in the event. Annie VanLeeuwen (West Valley City, Utah) finished in third in the 100 breast with a time of 1:02.95. The time was VanLeeuwen’s fastest of the season. Shannon McQueen (Ottawa, Ontario) finished in eighth-place in the 100 back with her time of 56.67. The time beat her previous season-best of 57.50.

The Utah women’s 400 medley relay finished off the night in second with their time of 3:41.05. The team, made up of McQueen, VanLeeuwen, Caron, and Lopus, broke the previous University of Utah record of 3:44.51 in the event. The time was also a ‘B’ standard time.

“Overall, those that have performed great through the season have performed great here,” said Winslow.