March 21, 2000

LAS VEGAS - Sophomore standout Lorena Diaconescu earned a fifth-place finish in the finals of the 200m-free posting a time of 1:58.38 at this year's NCAAs in Minneapolis, Minn. March 17th. She finished 24th in the 100m-free (56.09), 17th (4:13.30) in the 400m-free and set personal bests for all three events in the process. Diaconescu became the second-highest finisher at the NCAAs in school history behind Sally Fleisher (50-free, 3rd) in 1986. She also became the only swimmer in UNLV history to qualify and place in three events for NCAA competition in a single season.

The Romanian earned NCAA bids in the 100, 200, and 500-free (400m) events at the Mountain West Conference Championships on her way to claiming conference championships in all three. She was voted Mountain West Conference Women's Swimmer of the Year, set three school records, and earned All-America Honors with her fifth-place finish this past weekend.

The men's team will be sending a record five swimmers to compete in the NCAA Championships. Jacint Simon will compete in the 200m and 400m-free, 200m-fly, and 400 R-free. Bobby Middleton will swim the 100m-breast, Micheal Short the 100m-free and 400 R-free, Piotr Krzyskow the 100m-free and 400 R-free, and Garrett Wood the 50m-free and 400 R-free.

The 400 relay-free team of Simon, Short, Krzyskow, and Wood set a school record and ranks 12th in the nation with a time of 2:56.79. Wood was crowned the 50-free conference champion, posting a 20.31. Middleton shattered the all-time UNLV school record in the 100-breast (54.82) and became the conference champion in the process. Simon, a member of the Hungarian national team, became league champion in three events: the 200-free (1:37.08), 500-free (4:21.91), and the 200-fly (1:47.99). He broke three UNLV school records in the 200-free, 500-free, and the 1000-free (9:19.87) and earned MWC Men's Swimmer of the Year accolades.

Competition will begin March 23 in Minneapolis, Minn. at the University of Minnesota's Aquatic Center.