HOUSTON (UNLVRebels.com) – Freshman Rachel Wigginton won the 200 fly title and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships to lead the UNLV women's swimming & diving team on Friday's third day of the Mountain West Championships at CRWC Natatorium.
In a wire-to-wire victory, Wigginton posted the third-fastest time in school history (1:57.08). It marked the Rebels' first gold medal in the event since Blanka Bokros won in 2024.
Giving the Rebels their second podium finish of the day, sophomore Lauren Palacios earned a bronze medal in the 200 fly with the fourth-fastest time in program history (1:58.03).
Ending the night strong, the Scarlet & Gray 800 free relay team of seniors Erika Carlson, Marta Klimek, Gina Miller and junior Ava Olson claimed silver with the third-fastest time in program history (7:10.94). The team improved on their seed time by 8.23 seconds.
THE RUNDOWN:
- In the 200 medley relay finals, the Rebels' 'A' team collected an eighth-place finish with a time of 1:40.00.
- Senior Cameron Mykkanen also competed in the 200 fly finals, posting a sixth-place finish with a season-best time of 1:59.95.
- UNLV had two swimmers represented in the 100 back finals. Sophomore Halayna Montrichard finished in fifth place (53.54), while junior Dominika Trentkiewicz followed closely behind in sixth (53.62).
QUOTABLE: "I'm super proud of our women. We keep racing and bringing great energy. I'm proud of Rachel stealing the 200 fly and punching her ticket to NCAAs. We got one more day and our women are ready to make it their best one!"
-UNLV Head Coach Pat Ota
UP NEXT: The Rebels will look to contend for the MW title on Saturday, with prelims at 8:30 a.m. PT and finals at 4 p.m. PT. The 1650 free heats will start at 1:20 p.m. PT.
2026 Mountain West Women's Swimming & Diving Championships
CRWC Natatorium at the University of Houston
Houston, Texas
Friday, February 20
Night Three Results
Team Scoring
1. San Diego State – 958.5
2. UNLV – 831
3. Washington State – 733
4. UNR – 699.5
5. Fresno State – 644
6. Air Force – 571
7. Wyoming – 549
8. Colorado State – 517.5
9. San Jose State – 460
10. Grand Canyon – 369.5
11. New Mexico – 217
Top-8 Finishes
200 Fly – 1st place – 1:57.08 (Wigginton)
200 Fly – 3rd place – 1:58.03 (Palacios)
200 Fly – 6th place – 1:58.95 (Mykkanen)
200 Medley Relay – 8th place - 1:40.00 (Trentkiewicz, Hallgren, Mendez Guerra, and Webb)
100 Back – 5th place – 53.54 (Montrichard)
100 Back – 6th place – 53.62 (Trentkiewicz)
800 Free Relay – 2nd place – 7:10.94 (Carlson, Klimek, Miller, Olson)
-UNLV-
