HOUSTON (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV men's swimming and diving team secured its fifth consecutive Western Athletic Championship after a six-medal outing on Saturday at CRWC Natatorium.
This marks the first time UNLV has won five straight conference championships since the 2005-09 seasons when the Rebels dominated the Mountain West back when it previously sponsored men's swimming & diving.
The Scarlet & Gray ended this year's conference meet with 802 points, holding off California Baptist as the next closest finisher in second with 776 points. Behind them were Air Force (638.5 points), Grand Canyon (531 points), Wyoming (365.5 points) and Seattle U (236 points) in third through sixth, respectively.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY:
The 200 breast saw a 1-2 Rebel finish as senior Daniel Nicusan won the title (1:53.15) after he swam the fastest-time in school history, a WAC record and a WAC Championship meet record. Additionally, he gave the Rebels their first gold medal in the event since 2016. Following closely behind Nicusan, senior Adnan Beji grabbed silver with a time of 1:54.34.
The day's medal tally also included silver medals from sophomore Hayden Lambert in the 1650 free (15:11.39), sophomore Tatsuki Inoue in the 200 back (1:43.74) and junior Ian Belflower in the 200 fly (1:44.44).
In the final event of the four-day meet, the Scarlet and Gray 400 free relay team of redshirt freshman Emil Perez, sophomores Ambrus Barcsak and Wikus Potgieter and Nicusan grabbed bronze with a time of 2:54.35.
THE RUNDOWN:
- Joining Lambert in the 1650 free, senior Andrew Navarro claimed a sixth-place finish with a time of 15:24.50.
- The 200 back saw three more Rebels with top-8 finishes. Potgieter placed fourth (1:44.38), senior McKay Mickelson finished sixth (1:45.70) and sophomore Kyle Adamson placed seventh (1:46.14).
- In the 100 free, the Scarlet and Gray added two more top-8 finishes, with Perez taking fifth (43.71) and Barcsak finishing eighth (44.19)
- Adding to the Rebels 1-2 finish in the 200 breast, senior Michael Breitbart powered his way to a sixth-place time of 1:57.66.
- Notching more top-8 finishes in the 200 fly, redshirt sophomore Colby Raffel posted a time of 1:44.61 to place fourth and Navarro swam a 1:50.49 to finish in eighth. Raffel matched his personal best with the second-fastest mark in program history in the event during prelims.
- On platform, senior Dima Tereshchenko placed fourth with a score of 329.55 and sophomore Alex Vazquez dove to a sixth-place score of 299.90.
QUOTABLE: "These men really stepped up and earned this championship. We had a lot of ups and downs this weekend, but they never faltered and they kept responding to any challenges. I'm proud to coach this team!"
-UNLV Head Coach Pat Ota
2025 Western Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships
CRWC Natatorium at the University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Saturday, March 1
Day Four Results
Team Scoring
1. UNLV – 802
2. California Baptist – 776
3. Air Force – 638.5
4. Grand Canyon – 531
5. Wyoming – 365.5
6. Seattle U – 238
Top-8 Finishes
1650 Free – 2nd place - 15:11.39 (Lambert), 6th place - 15:24.50 (Navarro)
200 Back – 2nd place - 1:43.74 (Inoue), 4th place - 1:44.38 (Potgieter), 6th place - 1:45.70 (Mickelson), 7th place - 1:46.14 (Adamson)
100 Free – 5th place - 43.71 (Perez), 8th place - 44.19 (Barcsak)
200 Breast – 1st place - 1:53.15 (Nicusan), 2nd place - 1:54.34 (Beji), 6th place - 1:57.66 (Breitbart)
200 Fly – 2nd place - 1:44.44 (Belflower), 4th place - 1:44.61 (Raffel), 8th place - 1:50.49 (Navarro)
Platform – 4th place - 329.55 (Tereshchenko), 6th place - 299.90 (Vazquez)
400 Free Relay – 3rd place - 2:54.35 (Perez, Barcsak, Potgieter, Nicusan)
-UNLV-
