UNLV Wins Fifth Consecutive Men's Mountain West Title; BYU Women Bring Home Eighth Conference Title
The UNLV men won their fifth-consecutive Mountain West Conference Men's Swimming and Diving Championship with 886.5 team points, while the BYU women won their eighth overall women's team title in 10 years with 643 points Saturday night at the Oklahoma City Community College Aquatics Center.
For the men, Air Force finished second with 613 points, followed by Wyoming (551), BYU (539.5), TCU (401) and Utah (326).
On the women's side, UNLV followed the Cougars with 585.5 points. Wyoming was next at 483, followed by Utah (468.5), Colorado State (452.5), San Diego State (375), TCU (354.5), New Mexico (211) and Air Force (128).
Awards were announced at the conclusion of the meet. UNLV sophomore Kier Maitland and BYU sophomore Ron Morris were named MWC Men's Swimmer and Diver of the Year, respectively. UNLV's Jim Reitz was voted as Men's Swimming Coach of the Year, while Wyoming's Ben Herdt was named Diving Coach of the Year for both the men and women. UNLV freshman Zsuzsanna Jakabos was voted Women's Swimmer of the Year, while BYU's Ava Jackman and Wyoming's Stephanie Ortiz shared Diver of the Year honors. Colorado State head coach John Mattos and San Diego State head coach Mike Shrader were awarded as Women's Swimming Coaches of the Year. Utah's Adam Oliver and Air Force's Jane Hwang each garnered Senior Recognition Awards. The All-MWC team will be announced on
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BYU junior Natasha Menezes won the women's 1,650-yard freestyle in an NCAA-B cut time of 16:30.20. Menezes, who earned her first medal in the event since she placed second in 2007, set a new MWC all-time record. The previous record of 16:32.83 was set by Utah's Marta Stepanczuk at the 2005 championship.
The UNLV sophomore tandem of Kier Maitland (14:53.08) and John Mendoza (15:05.77) finished first and second, respectively, in the men's 1,650-yard freestyle. Maitland shattered the previous MWC all-time record (15:04.71) that he set on Nov. 29, 2007. Maitland and Mendoza led a quartet of NCAA-B cut finishes, as they were joined by BYU's John Kendrick (15:21.66) and UNLV's Tyler Bush (15:21.84).
Ana Dangalakova, a junior from UNLV, set a new MWC all-time best in the 200-yard backstroke, touching the wall in an NCAA B-cut time of 1:55.94. Colorado State freshman Breann Fuller also made an NCAA-B cut, clocking in at 1:56.74 to place second.
Sophomore Nick Blank took home UNLV's fifth men's 200-yard backstroke title, as he paced the field with a 1:45.02 clocking to set a new MWC all-time record. The previous record of 1:45.60 was set by BYU's Arunas Savickas at the 2000 championship. Air Force's Kai Yamashiro (1:46.44) and Utah's Major Robinson (1:48.13) rounded out the medal winners.
The BYU duo of senior Leilani Roberts and sophomore Aleesha Miller took first and second, respectively, in the women's 100-yard freestyle. Roberts, who became the first Cougar to win the event since 2003, touched the wall in 49:42, while Miller finished the race in 49.67. Each time met the NCAA-B cut, and Roberts edged out the previous MWC all-time record of 49.43, set by UNLV's Lorena Diaconescu in 2001.
BYU's Gregor Greiner, who placed second in the 2008 championship, claimed the men's 100-yard freestyle crown, turning in an NCAA-B cut of 43.34. The senior's time set a new MWC championship record, and tied the all-time record that was first set by BYU's Brett Allen on March 17, 2007.
San Diego State freshman Jeanette Engzell won the Aztecs' first gold medal of the championship after swimming a provisional time of 2:14.06. Wyoming sophomore Lesley Young also qualified provisionally for the NCAA championship with a second-place time of 2:14.66 to take second.
UNLV sophomore Akos Molnar set his second MWC championship record in as many days, after winning the men's 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:55.70. Joining Molnar with NCAA B-cuts were his teammate Andrew Morrell (1:57.32) and Wyoming's Alex Larkin (1:57.97).
Two freshmen led the field in the women's 200-yard butterfly, as Utah's Whitney Lopus (1:55.52) and UNLV's Zsuzsanna Jakabos (1:56.33) took first and second place, respectively. BYU sophomore Rachel Grant, who placed second in last year's race, earned a bronze medal with her NCAA-B cut of 1:57.79.
UNLV sophomore David Seiler and junior Daniel Egly nabbed first and second place, respectively, in the men's 200-yard butterfly. Seiler finished the race in 1:44.67, while Egly clocked a time of 1:45.64. TCU's Friedrich Grott (1:46.34) Air Force's Ben Gunn (1:46.40) also turned in NCAA-B cuts.
Air Force junior Kyle Van Valkenburg defended his MWC platform diving crown, with an MWC season-best score of 347.20. Sophomores Mark Murdock of Wyoming (335.30) and Ron Morris of BYU (321.85) joined Van Valkenburg on the medals stand.
BYU won its second women's 400-yard freestyle relay overall, swimming an NCAA-B cut time of 3:18.77. The Cougars surpassed the previous MWC all-time record of 3:21.27, set by UNLV last year. The Rebels and Utah, who placed second and third, respectively, also turned in B cuts of 3:20.32 and 3:20.49.
The UNLV men surpassed BYU's all-time Conference record time of 2:56.36 (set in Minneapolis, Minn. On March 17, 2007), turning in a time of 2:54.39 to win the men's 400-yard freestyle relay. The victory marked the Rebels' fourth in five years, and gave the school a provisional qualification in the event. BYU, who placed second at 2:57.33, also swam an NCAA-B cut.
UNLV MEN CLAIM FIFTH STRAIGHT MWC CHAMPIONSHIP, WOMEN EARN SECOND
The UNLV men cruised on the final day of action to claim their fifth-straight league championship, as the Rebels won five events, four in new conference record times on Saturday night at the 2009 Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships held at the Oklahoma City Community College. The UNLV women meanwhile made a strong run at the title but came up just short, and finished as runner-ups to champion BYU for the second straight year.
UNLV also swept the top swimmer awards for the second-straight year, as sophomore Kier Maitland was named MWC Men's Swimmer of the Year, while freshman Zsuzsanna Jakabos received the MWC Women's Swimmer of the Year. Maitland is the seventh Rebel in the 10-year history of the league to earn the men's award, while Jakabos is the seventh swimmer from UNLV to be named on the women's side. Jim Reitz was also named MWC Men's Coach of the Year for the sixth time.
The 24th-ranked Rebel men began the night with a 1-2 finish in the 1650 free. Maitland won his second event of the championships by breaking the previous conference record by over 16 seconds, swimming a time of 14:53.08. Classmate John Mendoza would claim second in 15:05.77, 16 seconds ahead of the next highest finisher, and Tyler Bush would claim fourth for UNLV with a time of 15:21.84. All three were NCAA "B" times.
Nick Blank continued the record-breaking swims for UNLV, setting a new league mark in the 200 back as he swam a NCAA "B" time of 1:45.02. Jeff Ellingsen finished fifth in 1:48.75, while Michael Lowenstein took ninth in 1:48.92. Five Rebels would finish in the top seven of the 100 free, led by Calan Eldridge's runner-up performance as he touched the wall in 44.10. Kyle Virva followed in third in 44.15, Steven Nelms was fifth (44.44), Thomas Andolfsson placed sixth (44.47), and Charlie Tapp took seventh (44.49). Nicholas Arneson also scored in the event, finishing 14th in 45.65.
The next league record to fall came in the 200 breast, as UNLV would go 1-2 in the event. Freshman Akos Molnar claimed the individual title in a NCAA "B" time of 1:55.70, while classmate Andrew Morrell touched the wall in 1:57.32, also in a "B" time. Another 1-2 finish for the Rebels came in the 200 fly, with David Seiler finishing in first in 1:44.67 and Daniel Egly in second in 145.64. On the platform, divers Vincent English and Brandon Baker placed 13th and 14th with scores of 213.5 and 202.5, respectively.
In the night's final event, UNLV won the 400 free relay for the sixth time, as Virva, Eldridge, Tapp, and Nelms set a new MWC record time of 2:54.93, a NCAA "B" cut.
UNLV would finish with 886.5 points, Air Force was far back in second with 613. The 273.5-point winning margin is the largest in the 10-year history of the MWC Championships. Wyoming finished third with 551 points, and was followed by BYU in fourth (539.5), TCU in fifth (401), and Utah in sixth (326).
In the first event of the night for the UNLV women, Bailey Kuestermeyer would place third in the 1650 free, swimming a career-best time of 16:45.98. Shawnee Landolt would also score, placing 12th in 17:16.16. Ana Dangalakova would then post the women's first win of the night, taking the 200 back in a new league record and NCAA "B" time of 1:55.94. Lisa Gillespie would finish fifth in 1:58.50, while Amanda Weinbrecht was sixth (1:58.91) and Anja Crawford took seventh (2:00.33).
In the 100 free, Marva Harpak led the way with a 50.00 for fourth place, Megan Clark took ninth in 50.75, and Friderika Szel touched the wall in 51.67 for 15th. Kelsey Clarke was the team's top finisher in the 200 breast, as she was eighth in 2:20.46, while Marley Prothero took ninth (2:19.75) and Alexandra Bejinariu was 16th (2:25.29).
Jakabos just missed out on winning her third event of the championships, as she finished second in the 200 fly, lowering her school record with a "B" time of 1:56.33. Katie Matulic also scored in the finals, placing eighth in 2:03.95. Rachelle Zuccaro became the first women's diver to score in the championships, scoring 193.5 points for 13th place.
In the 400 free relay, UNLV finished second but still set a new school record with a "B" time of 3:20.32. Making up the relay squad was Harpak, Megan Clark, Amanda Weinbrecht, and Lisa Gillespie.
BYU finished the meet with 643 points, while UNLV turned in 585.5 for second. Wyoming was third with 483, Utah fourth in 468.5, and Colorado State close behind in fifth with 452.5. Rounding out the field was San Diego State in sixth (375), TCU in seventh (354.5), New Mexico in eighth (211), and Air Force (128).
BYU Women Claim MWC Championship Title, Men in Fourth
The BYU women’s swim and dive team topped off its perfect season in the Mountain West Conference with a spotless 8-0 record on the season and the title of MWC Champions. The men finished fourth overall and posted record-breaking swims.
“It’s been a great meet and we had great swims all around,” said BYU head coach Tim Powers. “The swimmers are ecstatic – and they should be, they swam very well.”
Being awarded for not only their stellar performance at MWC Championships, but throughout the year, Ron Morris and Ava Jackman were both named MWC Divers of the Year. Morris and Jackman both achieved Diver of the Week honors twice during the 2008-09 season. Both Morris and Jackman placed first on the 1-meter board on Wednesday of MWC Championships.
Gregor Greiner came out of the 100 free a champion, as well as Leilani Roberts in the same event. Natasha Menezes won the 1650 free, placing 13 seconds ahead of second. The team of Roberts, Menezes, Kirsty Ferrell and Aleesha Miller took the 400 free relay title, breaking the MWC and BYU records.
To start off the day was Candice Smith placing third in the 200 back with a time of 1:57.09. Celligh McHenry finished 11th in the event with a time of 2:01.23, however her preliminary time of 2:01.14 was a personal best.
Senior Jacoby Jacobsen finished fourth in the 200 back with a time of 1:48.61, racking up 15 points for the Cougar men. Jeff Ferrell also finaled in the event, placing seventh with a time of 1:49.03. Christian Keil posted a 14th-place finish in the 200 back with a time of 1:52.49.
Four out of the eight finalists in the women’s 100 free were from BYU, taking first, second, fifth and seventh in the event. Leilani Roberts led the field with a time of 49.42, a new MWC and BYU all-time record. Miller placed second with a time of 49.67 while Ferrell placed fifth (50.39) and Sara Jayne Christiansen placed seventh (50.99).
Greiner won the 100 freestyle with a time of 43.34, a new MWC and BYU all-time record. Daniel Bates placed 12th in the event (45.58), while Stott Bushnell (45.74) and Kenneth Clark (45.88) placed 15th and 16th, respectively.
Jodie Ellis and Kelsey Higginson placed 11th (2:21.38) and 13th (2:22.68) in the 200 breaststroke for the Cougars, tallying 10 points collectively.
Vytenis Slenys barely missed the finals cutoff for the 200 breast, finishing first in the consolation heat (ninth) with a score of 2:00.42. Justin Morin placed 11th in the event with a time of 2:03.47.
Rachel Grant finished third in the 200 fly with a time of 1:57.79 while teammate Marnie Knoop placed 15th with a time of 2:05.71.
Dougie Broadbent finished 10th in the 200 fly with a time of 1:50.17, a personal best.
After winning the 500 free earlier in the week’s competition, N. Menezes also won the 1650-yard free with a personal-best time of 16:30.20. She broke the MWC record with that time previously set by Marta Stepanczuk by Utah in 2005.
Michelle Menezes placed 10th in the 1650 free with a time of 17:09.46 while Celleigh McHenry finished right behind her in 11th place with a time of 17:10.34.
For the men, John Kendrick placed highest for the Cougars in third with a time of 15:21.66, breaking the BYU all-time record by three seconds. Jeff Ferrell placed ninth in the event with a time of 15:34.53, picking up nine points for the Cougar men.
As for platform diving, the men were led by 2008-09 MWC Diver of the Year, Ron Morris, placing third in the event with a score of 321.85. Scott Thalman also made it to the finals where he placed seventh with a score of 227.55. Sam Hatch beat out the competition in the consolation round with a score of 274.60, which would’ve placed him fifth in the finals.
Finishing the meet off as they started, the women’s 400 free relay team of Roberts, N. Menezes, K. Ferrell and Miller won the event with a time of 3:18.77, breaking the previous BYU all-time record and MWC record.
The men finished off their side of the meet in the 400 free relay, placing second with a time of 2:57.33. Greiner led off for the men, followed by Daniel Bates, Kendrick and Mason. They were one second off of the BYU record.
The women finished off the meet with 643 total points, being crowned champions. UNLV was in second with 585.5 points, followed by Wyoming (483), Utah (468.5), Colorado State (452.5), San Diego State (375), TCU (354.5), New Mexico (211) and Air Force (128).
The men finished off the meet in fourth place, only 11.5 points behind Wyoming in third (551). The UNLV men were crowned champions with 886.5 points, followed by Air Force (613), Wyoming, BYU, TCU (401) and Utah (326).
Cowboys and Cowgirls End 2009 MWC Championships in Third
Three individual Mountain West Conference Champions, 16 total school records broken, one MWC record broken, Diving Coach of the Year, and Diver of the Year were all highlights for the Wyoming swimming and diving team this year at the 2009 MWC Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls achieved third place at the championships. The Cowboys matched their highest finish ever, while the Cowgirls have never been higher than fourth before this year.
UNLV won the men’s championships with a final score of 886.5. Following the Rebels was Air Force (613), Wyoming (551), BYU (539.5), TCU (401), and Utah (326).
For the women, BYU took home the conference title followed by UNLV (585.5), Wyoming (483), Utah (468.5), CSU (452.5), San Diego State (375), TCU (354.5), New Mexico (211), and Air Force (128).
After the meet, Wyoming diving coach Ben Herdt was awarded with the 2009 MWC Diving Coach of the Year for both the men’s and women’s side. Junior Stephanie Ortiz had a phenomenal season and was named MWC Co-Diver of the Year.
"All in all I am proud of our women’s team. It came close at the end but they rallied and surprised me this week," said UW head coach Tom Johnson said. "The divers were incredible, I am very proud of Ben winning coach of the year, and Stephanie winning diver of the year. The men were able to hold on to third and end a good week."
Today in the pool, the top Cowgirl swim came from sophomore Lesley Young. A day after winning the 100 breaststroke, Young took second with a time of 2:14.66 in the 200 breaststroke and set the school record with that time. Following Young was Kaella Hartigan in 14th after touching the wall in 2:24.95.
Another school record that was broken today was from Cassie Stelow. Stelow’s time of 51.00 in the 100 freestyle was an 11th place finish and broke her previous record time. Teammate Shelby Bull was close behind in 13th with a time of 51.11.
Two Cowgirls finished in the top-ten in the 200 butterfly event. Kari Budd placed ninth in 2:04.04, while Stephanie Vint was close behind in tenth with a time of 2:04.83. Those times are fourth and fifth respectively in the Wyoming record book.
In the 1650 freestyle, senior Aimee Stinson placed ninth with a score of 17:09.15, Carol Jones placed 16th (17:21.57) and sister Krista Jones was 23rd (17:41.08). In other events on the day Caroline Wells took 13th in the 200 backstroke (2:01.75).
In the final race of the day the Cowgirls broke one more record as they swam a time of 3:24.88 in the 400 freestyle relay and finished fifth.
"Lesley was in the lead seven of the eight lengths, but was just out-touched at the end. She had a super swim in that event and did a great job this week. Our relay was a nice performance, and Cassie did a tremendous job breaking the school record in the 50 freestyle twice today," Johnson said.
For the Pokes, the best race of the day was the 200 breaststroke. Senior Alex Larkin won the preliminary round, but took third place with a time of 1:57.97, and teammate Brandon Fischer was fifth in 2:00.62.
Last night freshman Marshall Dilworth won the 100 backstroke, and today finished eighth in the 200 butterfly after a time of 1:50.87. In the 200 butterfly fellow freshman Tyler Kybartas took fifth place after his time of 1:46.60, while senior Matt Urich was eighth with a time of 1:49.05.
In the 1650 freestyle, Robbie Hilton had a great race and earned some much needed points by placing sixth in 15:33.85, third-fastest time in school history. Kyle Wemhoff was eighth (15:34.46), fourth fastest all-time, Brett Henehan 11th (15:38.85), Sam Holmes was 12th (15:42.52), and Matt Jones 20th (16:25.58).
On the diving boards, Mark Murdock set a school record in the preliminary round with a dive total of 346.45 and was seeded first. Murdock scored 335.30 in the final round to help the team out greatly points wise with a second place finish. Kyle Bogner and Tyler Miller also contributed greatly as they were fifth and sixth respectively.
"The 400 freestyle relay was DQ’ed so for three of our divers to be in the top six on the platform was beyond huge," said Johnson. "The divers got us over the hump and were the reason we were able to hold off BYU.
"In the pool the 1650 free was a huge race for us today. I am real proud of our distance program. Robbie and Kyle picked up a ton of points. Marshall had a super swim in the morning, but didn’t have the legs in the finals," Johnson continued. "Eli had a tough swim in the 200 freestyle but still managed to do well. I am very proud of Alex who didn’t swim as well in the 100 breaststroke, but swam hard in the 200. We can only hope to continue the pressure on the other teams in the conference and keep our goal at winning a title."
More Air Force Records Fall on Final Day of MWC?Championships
Finishing with one individual champion and four new school records on Saturday, the Air Force men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams concluded competition at the 2009 Mountain?West Conference Championships, being held in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Air Force men finished second overall, their best showing since 2004, with 613 points, while the Falcon women came in ninth place with 128 points. UNLV captured the men’s team title for the fifth-straight season, while BYU won the women’s championship for the eighth time in the conference’s 10-year history.
Junior Kyle Van Valkenburg (Tucson, Ariz.) brought home the sole individual championship for the Falcons on Saturday, defending his title in the men’s platform dive. Van Valkenburg saved his strongest performance for the finals, recording a career-best mark of 347.20, improving on his preliminary score by nearly 70 points.
The Falcons have now won four-consecutive conference titles in the men’s platform dive; prior to Van Valkenburg’s win last season, 2007 graduate Brady Lindberg won the platform in both 2006 and 2007. Meanwhile, the Falcons also had three other scorers in the event, with David Arlington (Jr., Eagle River, Alaska), Jesse Bicknell (Fr., Westtown, N.Y.) and Randy Rogers (Sr., Fort Worth, Texas), placing eighth, 10th and 12th, respectively.
One of Air Force’s new school records came in the men’s 400 freestyle relay, where Chris Morin (Jr., Crown Point, Ind.), Sean O’Keefe (Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.), Benjamin Gunn (So., Gainesville, Ga.) and Robert Dawson (So., Colorado Springs, Colo.) posted a time of 2:58.63, finishing third. During this week’s championships, the Falcons have rewritten the school standards in four of five relays.
Meanwhile, Gunn also notched his third individual school record in as many events this week, clocking an NCAA ‘B’?standard time of 1:46.40 in the finals of the 200 butterfly to finish fourth in the event. He was joined by two other Falcons in the event who posted Academy top-10 times. Senior captain Nick Dixon (Canton, Mich.) registered a preliminary mark of 1:48.81 before placing seventh, while Eric Robinson (So., Lakewood, Colo.) recorded a time of 1:49.51 in the prelims before going on to win the consolation finals. Dixon’s preliminary time ranks sixth in the Air Force record books, while Robinson moved into eighth place on the list with his morning swim.
In the men’s 200 backstroke, senior Kai Yamashiro (Kaneohe, Hawaii) recorded a career-best mark of 1:46.44 to take second place in the event, while sophomore Tom Hansen (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) placed sixth following a personal-best time of 1:48.49 in the preliminaries. Yamashiro’s mark now ranks second in the Air Force record books, while Hansen moves into fifth-place with his performance.
In the 200 breaststroke, three Falcons earned points for the team, led by Justin Day (Sr., Peyton, Colo.)?and Josh Hammervold (So., Sugar Land, Texas), who placed sixth and eighth, respectively, while Greg Edmonds (Jr., Fairfax Station, Va.) placed 13th overall. All three posted Academy top-10 times during their morning swims—Day’s preliminary mark of 2:02.46 ranks third all-time in Air Force history, Hammervold ranks sixth with his time of 2:02.84 and Edmonds moves into seventh place with his mark of 2:03.75.
O’Keefe was Air Force’s top finisher in the men’s 1650 freestyle, placing fifth in the event with a personal-best mark of 15:24.41. O’Keefe retained his spot as the third-fastest in Air Force history, while freshman Corydon?Butler (Williamsburg, Va.) moved into the Falcons’ top 10 with a mark of 15:34.14, placing seventh. Also scoring for Air Force in the event was Hansen, who finished 14th with a time of 15:49.18.
Dawson was the Falcons’ top performer in the men’s 100 freestyle, placing 13th overall. His preliminary mark of 45.56 is good for 10th place in the Air Force record books.
The Air Force women also set a pair of school records on Saturday. The Falcons notched a new school record in the 400 freestyle relay, as senior Laken Stogner (Bowdon, Ga.), Cassie Fletcher (Fr., Durham, N.C.), Alison Ceranski (Fr., Marinette, Wis.) and Jane Hwang (Sr., Irvine, Calif.) posted a mark of 3:27.30 to finish seventh in the race.
In addition, Hwang, who was honored with the conference's Senior Recognition Award, also set a new individual school record for the third-straight day. On Saturday, her record-setting performance came in the 100 freestyle, where she previously ranked second in the Air Force record books. Hwang notched a time of 51.09 in the morning’s preliminaries to move into the Falcons’ top spot, before placing eighth in the evening’s finals.
Hwang will end her career with four school records (100 free/200 free/200 IM/400 free relay), while ranking among the Academy’s top 10 in three other individual events (200 fly/100 breast/200 breast).
Also on the final day of competition, Stogner moved into sixth place on the Academy’s all-time list in the 100 free, clocking in at 52.10 in the prelims to finish 20th overall in the event. Three other Falcons entered the record books in the 200 butterfly, led by Becky Gleason (Jr., Ballwin, Mo.) who took over the sixth spot on the all-time list with a preliminary mark of 2:06.63. Meanwhile, freshmen Katharine Ernst (Folsom,?Calif.), with a prelim time of 2:07.68, and Elvira Chiccarelli (Panama City Beach, Fla.), with a preliminary mark of 2:08.14, now rank seventh and ninth, respectively, at the Academy.
TCU Completes MWC Championships With More Medals and Records
The TCU men's and women's swimming and diving teams garnered three medals and set a trio of school records in the final day of competition at the Mountain West Conference Championships Saturday. The men's team is ended the season with its second-straight fifth place finish, while the women's team is garnered seventh place.
Sophomore Maria Paula Alvarez claimed TCU’s second silver medal of the Championships, taking runner-up honors in the 1650-free. Alvarez swam the mile in 16:43.68, blowing out the TCU benchmark set by Megan Ryther in 1998 by nearly nine seconds. Alvarez now holds the school record times for the 500-, 1000- and 1650- free. She had previously held the mark for the 200-free before freshman Ashley Bolin topped her this week.
Senior Katie Rosen and freshman Friedrich Grott each earned bronze medals in the final day of action. Rosen, a St. Louis, Mo., product swam a 2:17.54 in the 200-breast, serving as the second-fastest time in Horned Frog history. Grott rewrote the TCU 200-fly record with a time of 1:46.34, erasing former Frog All-American and Olympian Walter Soza’s time of 1:47.85 from 1994.
Junior Josh Bagby took fourth place in the 100-free, breaking his Frog school record time, clocking in at 44.42. Bagby now holds the two best times for the 100-free after initially setting the record at the Conoco/Phillips Short Course National Championships in December in Atlanta, Ga. Freshman Laszlo Gyurko followed Bagby with a 10th place time of 45.45.
Junior Stephanie Futscher earned a fifth-place finish in the 200-fly, hitting the wall at 2:01.21, just missing Gretchen Brannon’s school record from 1990 by .05 of a second. Sophomore Brittney Martinez recorded the second-fastest time in school history for the 200-back, finishing in 12th place at 2:01.63. Martinez missed Jamie MacCurdy’s record of 2:01.10 by nearly half of a second. Freshman Jennifer Oster followed finishing in a tie for 15th with a time of 2:02.06, the fifth-fastest time in TCU history.
Junior Jennifer Ferguson wrapped up her MWC Championships with a fifth-place finish in the women’ platform dive with a score of 215.75, improving from her eighth-place finish from a year ago. Senior R.J. Hesselberg just missed the medal stand, claiming fourth place on the men’s platform with a career-high mark of 313.50, while sophomore Kyle Callens ended the night in 14th place with an 188.65 score.
Four Frogs claimed spots in the top-15 of the 200-back, headlined by Garret Weaver in 11th place at 1:51.64. Jack Doran, Jeff Gettel and Trevor Woods finished in 12th, 13th and 15th place, respectively.
The men’s 400-free relay squad of Gyurko, Jack Doran, Ben Iannacone and Bagby registered the second-fastest time in school history to finish in fourth place, while the women’s quartet of Bolin, Kaitlyn Vann, Alvarez and Zrinka Korac turned out the fourth-best time in program history for a sixth place finish.
Lopus Breaks Second Mountain West Conference Record On Final Day of Mountain West Conference Championships
The Utah swimming and diving team finished competition at the Mountain West Conference Championships today. The Ute women ended the week in fourth place with 468.5 points while the men’s team finished in sixth with 326 points.
“We got off to a rough start at this meet,” said head coach Greg Winslow. “We’re a young team, and some of our swimmers weren’t able to get over that initial setback.”
Whitney Lopus (Scottsdale, Ariz.) broke another MWC record during the day. Lopus finished the 200 fly with a time of 1:55.52, earning her a second individual championship. The time broke the previous record that Lopus set earlier in the season of 1:56.78. Hannah Caron (Raleigh, N.C.) finished in fourth place with her time of 1:58.78. Caron’s time was a career-best in the event. Both women’s times are ‘B’ standard times for the NCAA Championships.
“Whitney will most likely be heading the NCAA Championship meets,” said Winslow. “We’ll be heading back on Tuesday to get her ready to represent Utah on the national level.”
Natalie Edge (South Jordan, Utah) placed in the 100 free with a time of 49.89, her best of the season.
The women’s 400 free relay team also finished with a ‘B’ standard time. The team of Edge, Annie VanLeeuwen (West Valley City, Utah), Caron and Lopus finished the race in 3:20.49, placing third overall.
“We won’t know till next week whether our Hannah and our relay teams will get invited to the NCAA Championships,” said Winslow.
Major Robinson (Missoula, Mont.) finished in third in the 200 back with his time of 1:48.13. Also placing for the Utes was John Baque (Olympia, Wash.). Baque, who finished sixth in the 100 breast, finished in fourth for the 200 breast with his time of 1:59.20. The time was his career-best and set a new Utah school record in the event.
“John came back from the rough start and showed a lot of maturity today,” said Winslow. “To come back and finish with the times he had today was awesome.”
Adam Oliver (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was honored by the conference with the Senior Recognition Award at the end of the meet. The award is voted on by the coaches of the conference and given to the senior that has exemplified the ideals of the conference both in and out of the pool.
“We’ll be back in the pool on Tuesday training for next year. We’re going to address the concerns that we saw here this week, make some changes, and be ready for next year,” said Winslow.
Anna Braszkiewicz, Kwan Ling Yu and Jessica Schenk will continue their season at the NCAA Zone E Diving Championships March 12-14.
