Feb. 28, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -

Feb. 28, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - UNLV assistant coach Ben Loorz will be providing and on the deck view of the action from every day of the 2008 MWC Championships. His report from the first day follows.

In the most dramatic opening night for UNLV Swimming and Diving in its MWC history, the Swimming Rebels dominated the opening event, the 200-yd. medley relay. The men swam first, with Tiger Christian leading off in a blazing-fast 22.5 backstroke, immediately putting rival BYU in the Rebel wake. Jonas Andersson (breaststroke), Peter Lorring (butterfly), and Thomas Andolfsson (freestyle) finished the job as UNLV led from wire to wire. The winning time of 1:28.72 was an NCAA "B" cut and over half a second ahead of the next competitor.

The women rode the wave of adrenaline to an incredible performance of their own, electrifying the crowd with a 1:40.23. This unbelievable performance is nearly a FULL TWO SECONDS under the old conference record and the winning time from last year; in such a short race, this is a jaw-dropping reduction. Earning an NCAA "B" cut, this relay is currently ranked 17th in the country. The team consisted of Amanda Weinbrecht, Kim Bonney, Marina Sandback, and Megan Hunt-Higgins.

Rebel Diving had a shining moment on this first night of competition when sophomore Vinny English became the first male UNLV diver to earn a top-8 finish in several years. Finishing 8th on the 3-meter board was an important part of keeping UNLV's point total ahead of BYU, and the men advance to the 1-meter board tomorrow.

The evening was capitulated by an enormous win for the men in the 800-yd. freestyle relay. Richard Hortness, Devin Phillips, Calan Eldridge, and Johan Claar combined to destroy the existing MWC record by almost 2 seconds. Their time of 6:29.39 was seven seconds ahead of the nearest competitor, as UNLV owned almost a pool-length of open water between their anchor, senior Johan Claar, and the rest of the field. This dominating performance currently ranks 5th in the country. Lead-off swimmer Richard Hortness was the catalyst to the record, touching in an official 1:36.13. This time is a UNLV school record, and currently stands as the 18th fastest time in the NCAA.

The women completed this energizing evening with a solid 3rd-place showing in the 800-yd. freestyle relay. Sophomores Marva Harpak and Ana Dangalakova joined senior Kari Nettenstrom and freshman Lisa Gillespie for a final time of 7:25.01. The women look to steadily progress toward the top of the standings as they move into their best events on Friday and Saturday.