LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV women's swimming and diving kept its momentum going Friday with two titles and 13 top-eight finishes to remain in championship contention after the third day of the 2021 Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships being held at Jim Reitz Pool and Air Force's Cadet Natatorium. The Rebels once again find themselves just 10 points off the lead in second with 916 points, while reigning MW champion San Diego State (926 points) took over first and UNR (892 points) sits in third.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:
The Rebel quartet of junior Kristina Schneider, senior Eva Kim, freshman Malia Fernandez and senior Caitlyn Schreiber began the night in championship fashion, claiming the 200 free relay title. Schneider jumped out to an early lead after the first 25 yards before Kim, Fernandez and Schreiber held off efforts for a comeback by San Diego State in second place.
 
Capturing UNLV's second Mountain West title of the night, freshman Sarah Koopmans snatched the first-place hardware in the 100 fly with an NCAA 'B' cut time and her final split was enough to outlast a late Wolf Pack push by .19 seconds on the final touch.
 
With the championship performances in the 200 free relay and 100 fly, the Rebels ended their respective six-year and 12-year MW title droughts in those events. The Scarlet and Gray's last 200 free relay title came in 2008 and is the first MW relay win under head coach Ben Loorz, while its last 100 fly title was earned in 2014 by former Rebel Katelynne Herrington.
 
In the 200 free, junior Julia Filippova, Schneider, and senior Lauren Smith all punched in within the top-8 to finish with UNLV's highest point output during Friday's events and bring the Scarlet and Gray within one point of the top spot momentarily in the team standings with 801 points.
 
THE RUNDOWN – WOMEN:
*During their 200 free relay win, the Scarlet and Gray's 'A' team posted the third best time in program history with a mark of 1:30.81.
*With her qualifying mark of 53.58*, Koopmans launched all the way up to fifth all-time at UNLV for the 100 fly after shedding over one second off her previous personal best time.
*Filippova 1:48.50 reached the podium after coming .35 seconds within her personal best in that event to take hold of the first of two individual silver medals for the Scarlet and Gray in tonight's round of swims.
*Meanwhile, Schneider (1:50.10) and Smith (1:50.43) reeled in respective fourth-place and fifth-place finishes to help claw to its closest distance to the top spot during the MW meet after the 200 free.
*Junior Carissa Armijo (1:50.42) touched first in the 200 free B final to contribute to the 200 free point onslaught for UNLV.
*Afanasyeva recorded two top-eight individual finishes in her final individual races as a Rebel, cementing her spot as a Rebel great with a second-place finish in the 100 back (54.43) for UNLV's final piece of silver on the evening. She also finished fifth in the 100 fly with a time of 55.00 to cap the Rebel point scoring in the A final.
*The freshman duo of Calysta Bartlett (1:01.70) and Tosia Iwanowska (1:02.03) paced the Rebels in the 100 breast race, finishing in fifth and sixth, respectively. Bartlett's time was an NCAA 'B' mark and landed her in fourth on UNLV's all-time list, while Iwanowska took over the fifth best time in school history in the 100 breast.
*Junior Gabby Lizzul (4:22.09) and freshman Ruby Howell (4:22.36) each earned UNLV another pair of  top-5 finishes, with the former taking fourth and the latter coming in fifth.
*Closing out the slew of top-eight finishes by the Rebels, junior Kacey reached the wall with a time of 55.61 to finish seventh in the 100 back.           
*Junior Montse Moreno represented the Rebels on the podium in the 3-meter diving finals, earning the bronze medal with a score of 314.85.

QUOTABLE: "Sarah's win in the 100 Fly was certainly the most exciting individual race of the evening, with the freshman being crowned MW champion in her first year as a Rebel.  Her last split was four-tenths of a second ahead of the second-place finisher, and that made the difference in the end. The 200 free was our deepest event by far and put over 100 points on the board for us tonight." - Head coach Ben Loorz

NEXT FOR THE REBELS: The Rebels will continue their championship pursuit Saturday on the fourth and final day of the 2021 Mountain West Swimming and Diving Championships. The swimming portion is scheduled for prelims at 11 am (PT) and finals at 6:30 pm (PT) starts, while the diving competition is set for prelims at 11 am (PT) and  2 pm (PT).
 
2021 Mountain West Women's Swimming Championships
Jim Reitz Pool at UNLV
Las Vegas, Nevada
& 2021 Mountain West Women's Diving Championships
Cadet Natatorium at Air Force
Air Force Academy, Colorado
Friday, February 19
Third Day Results
 
Team Scoring
1. San Diego State - 926
2. UNLV - 916
3. UNR - 892
4. Wyoming - 653
5. Colorado State - 562
6. Fresno State - 548
7. Air Force - 456
8. San Jose State - 267
 
Top-Eight Finishes
200 free relay: 1st place – Kristina Schneider, Eva Kim, Malia Fernandez, Caitlyn Schreiber (1:30.81)
100 fly: 1st place – Sarah Koopmans (53.58*), 5th place – Katsiaryna Afanasyeva (55.00)
200 free: 2^nd place – Julia Filippova (1:48.50), 4th place – Kristina Schneider (1:50.10), 7th place – Lauren Smith (1:50.43)
3-meter board: 3rd place – Montse Moreno (314.85~)
400 IM: 4th place – Gabby Lizzul (4:22.09), 5th place – Ruby Howell (4:22.36)
100 Breaststroke: 5th – Calysta Bartlett (1:01.70*), 6th place – Tosia Iwanowska (1:02.03)

^-NCAA 'A' Automatic Time
*-NCAA 'B' Provisional Time
~-NCAA Diving Zone Qualifying Score