Mountain West Championships: Day Two

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, February 25. THE UNLV men's and BYU women's swimming and diving teams lead all teams with 303 and 320 points, respectively, through day two of the 2010 Mountain West Conference Swimming & Diving Championships. The BYU men and Wyoming women are second in their respective competitions with 285.5 and 288 points, respectively.

Wyoming is third in the men's rankings with 236 points, followed by Air Force (212.5), TCU (146) and Utah (136). On the women's side, San Diego State holds the third spot with 194 points, followed by Utah (166), Colorado State (141), UNLV (134), TCU (103), New Mexico (92) and Air Force (41).

Day three events begin with the 400-yard individual medley prelims at 10 a.m. CT, with the finals starting at 6 p.m. CT. The 2010 MWC Swimming and Diving Championships conclude Saturday, February 27.

NOTES:

* UNLV's Kier Maitland repeated as the MWC's 500-yard freestyle champion, clocking in with a NCAA-B cut time of 4:19.82 to break the league's all-time record. The men's 500 free saw three additional NCAA-B qualifying times from UNLV's Johnathan Mendoza and Air Force's Sean O'Keefe (4:24.89), as well as BYU's John Kendrick (4:26.88).
* San Diego State freshman Meghan Zimmer won her first Mountain West Conference gold medal, after setting a new MWC-championship record of 4:47.18. Natasha Menezes, the three-time MWC champion in the event, placed second in this year's championship meet with an NCAA-B cut of 4:48.65, while Wyoming's Stephanie Vint came in third at 4:49.76.
* Air Force junior Ben Gunn brought home his second-consecutive 200-yard individual medley title, pacing the field with an MWC all-time record of 1:47.22. The previous record of 1:47.44 was set by BYU's Randy Belliston at the 2003 MWC Championships.
* Five student-athletes recorded NCAA-B qualifying times in the women's 200-yard individual medley, led by San Diego State's Leona Jennings' winning time of 1:58.89. BYU's Rachel Grant (2:00.45) and Sara Jayne Christiansen-Baldwin (2:00.58) rounded out the medals stand, while UNLV's Lisa Gillespie (2:01.81) and Wyoming's Lesley Young (2:01.93) also turned in NCAA-B cut times.
* UNLV swam seven of the eight finalists in the men's 50-yard freestyle, the most by a member institution in an MWC championship. The top-four finishers in the event made NCAA-B cut times. UNLV's Steven Nelms, who placed second at last year's championship, paced the field with a time of 20.02, while fellow Rebels Kyle Virva (20.17) and Cody Roberts (20.22) earned silver and bronze medals, respectively.
* After narrowly missing the medals stand by three-hundreths of a second in the 2009 championship meet, Wyoming senior Cassie Stelow took first place in this year's 50-yard freestyle. Stelow's NCAA-B cut time of 22.45 set a new MWC all-time record. BYU's Aleesha Miller also provisionally qualified for the NCAA championships with her second-place time of 22.83, while fellow Cougar Taryn Toolson finished in third at 23.10.
* BYU sophomore Brandon Watson broke his second MWC all-time diving record of the meet, after earning a mark of 396.15 on the 1-meter springboard. Watson owns a perfect 4-0 record in the springboard events at the MWC Championship. He was followed by his teammate, Ron Morris (353.60) in second and TCU's Kyle Callens (342.75) in third.
* Tawni Jones of BYU completed her sweep of the 2010 MWC springboard championships with her final score on the 3-meter springboard of 359.50. Wyoming's Stephanie Oritz, who won the event at the 2009 MWC Championship, placed second with a score of 354.05, while New Mexico's Aubrey Bush tallied 330.90 points for a third-place finish.
* The UNLV men's 200-yard freestyle team won its 10th Conference crown in 11 years, turning in an NCAA-B qualifying time of 1:19.24. Air Force placed second in the event at 1:21.95, and Utah finished third at 1:22.04.
* The top three finishers in the women's 200-yard freestyle relay clocked NCAA B-cuts, led by Wyoming. The Cowgirls, who finished the race with an MWC all-time record time of 1:30.55, earned their first victory in the event at the MWC Championships. BYU (1:31.61) and San Diego State (1:32.69) joined Wyoming on the medals podium.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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