LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV men's swimming and diving earned two 2022-23 postseason awards with head coach Ben Loorz being named the WAC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year and freshman Kris Matuszewski tabbed as WAC Co-Freshman of the Year, the conference office announced Thursday. This is the third consecutive honor for Loorz, while Matuszewski draws the program's second top freshman honor - previously won by George Ratiu in 2021 - in three years.
 
In his seventh year at the helm of the Rebel program, Loorz led the Scarlet and Gray to a WAC Championship three-peat. The final medal count for UNLV at this year's conference meet reached 21, including all five of the league's relay golds, four individual event golds, four individual event silvers and eight individual bronzes. Additionally, Loorz's squad set conference records in the 200 free relay and 200 back, a conference championship record in the 400 medley relay and school records in the 100 back and 100 breast.

This also marks the second straight year Loorz guides a Scarlet & Gray relay team to the NCAA Championships, as the squad's 200 free relay quartet (Bryson Huey, Ratiu, Steven Butler, Reece Hemmens) posted an NCAA automatic qualifying time (1:16.62) during its most recent title run.

A native of Bydgoszcz, Poland, Matuszewski shares his award with California Baptist's Gael Jimenez. He brought home gold medals in the 200 IM (1:46.14) and with the Rebels' 400 free and 800 free relay squads, placed fourth in the 200 free (1:35.49) and took fifth in the 100 free (43.50). Along with his top-5 finishes, Matuszewski left the competition with NCAA 'B' cuts in all three of his individual events.

UP NEXT: The Rebels will now send their divers to the NCAA Zone E Championships in Federal Way, Washington, from March 6-8. On the women's swimming side, the Scarlet & Gray will be represented by Blanka Bokros in the individual butterfly events at the 2023 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., from March 15-18. On the men's swimming squad, UNLV's 200 free relay team will head to the NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships set to be held in Minneapolis from March 22-28.