HOUSTON (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV men's swimming and diving won the 800 free relay title for the third straight year and set a school record in the 200 medley relay on Wednesday's opening day of the WAC Championships at CRWC Natatorium.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:
The Rebels pulled off the three-peat in the 800 free relay as senior
Bryan Chavez, freshman
Dominik Bujak, and juniors
Chris Mykkanen and
Panos Bolanos reeled off the second fastest time in program history with a mark of 6:21.59. This was the first time UNLV won three consecutive titles in the event since it achieved the feat from the 2006-08 seasons.
Additionally, UNLV's 200 medley relay squad - which featured seniors
Richard Szilagyi and
Sam Willstrop, sophomore
George Ratiu and senior
Reece Hemmens - came out blazing off the starting blocks on the way to a record time of 1:25.17 to earn the silver medal. Their combined times topped the Scarlet and Gray's record set earlier this season (1:25.31) by .14 seconds.
THE RUNDOWN – MEN:
*Adding another top-5 effort in the nightcap, sophomore
Jamie Spilchak recorded a personal-best score of 308.00 in the 3-meter finals for a fourth-place finish to lead the Rebel divers. His six-dive score marked the fifth highest score on UNLV's all-time record chart.
UP NEXT: The Rebel men will look to ride their momentum into the second day of the WAC Championships on Thursday with prelims scheduled for 8:30 a.m. PT/10:30 a.m. CT and finals set for 4:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. CT.
2022 Western Athletic Conference Men's Swimming & Diving Championships
CRWC Natatorium at the University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Wednesday, February 23
First Day Results
Team Scoring
1. Wyoming - 103
2. California Baptist - 100
3. Air Force - 97
4. UNLV - 95
5. Grand Canyon - 57
6. Seattle - 26
Top-8 Finishes
800 Free Relay: 1st place - 6:21.59 (
Bryan Chavez,
Dominik Bujak,
Chris Mykkanen,
Panos Bolanos)
3-meter Board: 4th place - 308.00 (
Jamie Spilchak)
200 Medley Relay: 2nd place - 1:25.17 (
Richard Szilagyi,
Sam Willstrop,
George Ratiu,
Reece Hemmens)
^-NCAA 'A' Automatic Time
*-NCAA 'B' Provisional Time
~-NCAA Diving Zone Qualifying Score
