HOUSTON (UNLVRebels.com) – Junior Blanka Bokros set a conference record and won the individual title in the 200 fly to highlight the UNLV women's swimming and diving team's performances in Saturday's finale of the Mountain West Championships at CRWC Natatorium. Additionally, Teneka Ash was honored with the MW Senior Recognition Award prior to the night's final session.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:
In the morning prelims, Bokros broke the conference, MW Championship and school records in the 200 fly with a time of 1:55.44. The Budapest, Hungary, native surpassed Utah All-American Whitney Lopus' previous conference record (1:55.52) and UNLV All-American Zsuzsanna Jakabos' program record (1:56.33) - each of which stood since the MW event in 2009.

Bokros made history again when she claimed the 200 fly title (1:55.81) for the second straight year. She became the first UNLV swimmer to win the event's Mountain West gold in back-to-back years, while also claiming the program's first individual sweep of the 100 and 200 fly titles at a conference meet since former Rebel Rosie Zimsen in 1992.

Meanwhile, Ash received her honor in a special senior ceremony for each squad's departing classes. The Senior Recognition Award is given annually to a senior for excellence in and out of the pool, including academics, leadership and community involvement. She then went on to record a pair of top-8 individual finishes, placing seventh in the 1650 free (6:47.53) and eighth in the 200 fly (2:01.50).

The Rebels ended the meet in second place with 1,103 points, improving upon last year's third-place finish to land ahead of Wyoming (986 points) in third and UNR (930 points) in fourth. With the higher finish over the Wolf Pack, the Scarlet & Gray claimed the three points in the Silver State Series presented by America First Credit Union.

THE RUNDOWN – WOMEN:
*WIth her 200 fly time, Bokros secured one of two Scarlet & Gray NCAA 'B' cut times during the nightcap.
*Junior Ruby Howell solidified a fourth-place finish in the 200 Breast an NCAA 'B' cut and the fourth-fastest time in program history at 2:12.32. Adding a top-8 finish just two spots behind, junior Calysta Bartlett swam a sixth-place time of 2:14.16.
*Pacing UNLV in the 500 free, freshman Hannah Jones (16:49.96) glided to a fourth-place finish with the ninth-best mark on the Rebels' all-time record chart.
*Securing the squad's remaining top-8 finishes, junior Malia Fernandez (50.12) pushed her way to fifth place in the 100 free and sophomore Cameron Mykkanen (1:58.83) backstroked her way to seventh in the 200 back.
*The meet ended with the Rebel 400 free relay 'A' team (Carlson, Cohen, Bokros, Fernandez) earning a fourth-place finish (3:21.35).
*Joining Ash in being honored during a senior ceremony, seniors Alexia Taylor-Arredondo and Gabby Lizzul also notched the final swims of their careers. Lizzul took 11th place (2:02.21) in the 200 fly, while Taylor-Arredondo swam the anchor leg one final time as part of the Scarlet & Gray's 400 yard free relay 'B' team.

QUOTABLE: "I couldn't be more proud of this group of women. We have phenomenal leadership, an inspiring freshman class and a proven ability to rise to the occasion. Blanka's (200 fly) time is holding up well, so now we are hopeful to be representing the Rebels at NCAAs in a few weeks. In the team standings this year, second through fifth was wide open on paper. We did a great job digging deep in our hearts to establish ourselves at the top of that pack. We feel blessed to have a conference that is very competitive on the national stage. Our ability to continue our upward trajectory within the Mountain West shows where this squad is headed. "

NEXT FOR THE REBELS: UNLV's men's squad will head to Pharr, Texas, for the 2023 WAC Championships, which will be hosted by UTRG from Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 22-25.

2023 Mountain West Women's Swimming & Diving Championships
CRWC Natatorium at the University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Saturday, February 18
Final Day Results
 
Team Scoring
1. San Diego State - 1,638
2. UNLV - 1,103
3. Wyoming - 937
4. UNR - 930
5. Fresno State - 866
6. Air Force - 825.5
7. Colorado State - 790
8. San Jose State - 632.5
9. University of New Mexico - 316

Top-8 Finishes
1650 Free: 4th place - 16:49.96 (Hannah Jones); 7th place - 16:47.53 (Teneka Ash)
200 Back: 7th place - 1:58.83 (Cameron Mykkanen)
100 Free: 5th place - 50.12 (Malia Fernandez)
200 Breast: 4th place - 2:12.32* (Ruby Howell); 6th place - 2:14.16 (Calysta Bartlett)
200 Fly: 1st place - 1:55.81 (Blanka Bokros); 8th place - 2:01.50 (Teneka Ash)
400 Free Relay: 4th place - 3:21.35 (Carlson, Cohen, Bokros, Fernandez);

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