Sept. 13, 2006

LAS VEGAS - Joe Bartoch, former UNLV swimming standout, recently competed at the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships held in British Columbia, Canada.

Bartoch, a native of London, Ontario, represented his homeland in the Championships by qualifying for the A-Final with a time of 53.68 seconds, eighth among finalists. He then proceeded to best his qualifying time by .12 seconds, posting a 53.56 mark and seventh place finish in the final heat. His 53.56 time was a personal long course best, and he currently ranks 17th in the world.

Bartoch was named the 2006 Mountain West Conference Swimmer of the Year after claiming titles in the 100 free and the 100 fly in school- and league-record times en route to helping UNLV to its second-straight conference championship in 2006. At the 2006 NCAA Championships, he earned his fourth career honorable mention All-American honor after helping UNLV to a ninth-place finish in the 200 free relay, the highest finish in school history for a relay team.