March 23, 2006

ATLANTA - UNLV won the consolation heat of the 200 yard free relay and stand in 16th place after the first day of action on Thursday at the 2006 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships at the Georgia Tech Aquatics Center.

The Rebels finished in ninth place in the 200 free relay after winning their heat in a time of 1:19.47, and the ninth place relay finish was the highest finish for a UNLV relay in school history at the NCAA championships. The previous best finish for a Rebel relay was 13th place, accomplished twice in last year's NCAA meet. Swimming on the relay for UNLV was Richard Hortness, Brandon Nelms, Joe Bartoch, and John Byers. Auburn won the event in a time of 1:16.15.

With 18 points, UNLV is just two points behind NC State (15th) and four behind Tennessee (14th). Auburn leads the team standings after the first day with 178.5 points, while Arizona is second at 136.5 and Stanford is third at 132. Also from the Mountain West Conference, BYU is 26th with five points, and Air Force is tied 29th with four points.

Swimming in individual action in the morning preliminaries for UNLV, Nelms finished 29th in the 50 free in a career-best time of 19.88, while Bartoch was 50th for the second straight year in 20.32, and Hortness was right behind in 51st place with a time of 20.35.

The three day meet continues Friday, and will conclude on Saturday.

2006 Men's NCAA Swimming & Diving ChampionshipsGeorgia Tech Aquatics CenterAtlanta, Ga.
Thursday, March 23First Day Results
Team Scoring16th. UNLV-18 points
50 Free - 29th  - Brandon Nelms (19.88), 50th  - Joe Bartoch (20.32), 51st - Richard Hortness (20.35).200 free relay - 9th - UNLV - Hortness, Nelms, Bartoch, Byers (1:19.47)