Multiple Conference Records Fall as Competition Continues on Day 2 of WAC Championships

2025 WAC Swimming & Diving Championships

• Feb. 26 – Mar. 1, 2025
• CRWC Natatorium – Houston, TX
• SCY (25 yards)
• Start times: Prelims – 10:30 am CT / Finals – 6:00 pm CT
• Defending champions:
  • Men: UNLV (4x)
  • Women: NAU (11x)
• Championship Central
• Live Results
• Livestream Links
  • Prelims / Finals
• Day 1 Recap

Men’s Recap

The excitement continued during night two of the WAC Championships, which saw two all-time conference records fall over the course of the evening.

Cal Baptist’s Remi Fabiani shattered the conference record in the 50 free, throwing down a time of 18.86 to mark the first sub-19 performance in WAC history. Fabiani’s performance lowered the record, set back in 2016 by Dillon Virva, by .21 and improved his lifetime best by .23; his previous best time of 19.09 had tied the former championship record back in 2023.

Teammate Andrija Petkovic snagged the runner-up spot behind Fabiani in 19.58 to help boost the Lancers’ overall points.

Another conference record fell in the very next event, with UNLV’s Alex Vasquez breaking the record in the 3-meter diving event. He posted a score of 450.75 to soar past the former record of 418.55 set by Mario Del Valle in 2023.

The Cal Baptist men shone throughout the competition, winning two more events in addition to Fabiani’s victory in the 50 free. The Lancers kicked off the night with a win in the 200 free relay, which saw the team of Fabiani, Petkovic, Ian Mullen and Brendan Man turn in a 1:16.77 to secure the championship title by over a second. Their performance was just .15 off of the conference and championship record of 1:16.62, set by UNLV in 2023.

Bringing home the team’s second win of the night was Mark Kovacsics, who claimed the 500 free title in 4:16.95 to become the back-to-back champion in the event. He won by a margin of nearly six seconds, marking the only performance under 4:20, and dropped almost two seconds from his previous lifetime best.

UNLV’s Daniel Nicusan prevailed in the 200 IM, throwing down a 1:43.96 to secure the Rebels’ 4th straight championship title in the event and set a new program record. Teammate Cooper Kiel, who was the 2024 champion, took 3rd in a 1:44.86 to tie his exact time from prelims and bring home some critical points.

Following the second night of competition, Cal Baptist holds the lead with 323 points, followed closely by defending champions UNLV (299). Air Force is chasing them down in 3rd, having put a handful of athletes in the A-finals to help rack up the points.

Women’s Recap

NAU shone once again in the diving events, placing four divers in the top eight of the 1-meter event. Victoria Knapp completed a sweep of the diving events, winning the 1-meter with a score of 280.60 after prevailing in the 3-meter on night 1. Knapp’s performance marked her 5th-straight victory on the 1-meter.

Teammates Grace Wesche and Catalina Devia brought home two more medals for the Rebels, taking 2nd and 3rd with scores of 279.20 and 273.10, respectively.

New Mexico State picked up its first win of the championship, securing the title in the 200 free relay. The team of Emily Dobbins, Dijana Mazumdar, Kira Brownell and Katie Rink posted a 1:31.65, edging out runner-up Idaho by just .12.

The Aggies brought home another gold in the 500 free, with Naomi Slee turning in a 4:48.95 to break a four-year NAU winning streak in the event. Rink finished 3rd in a time of 4:49.80, while NAU took 2nd and 4th thanks to Kylie Ney (4:49.54) and Casey Craffey (4:50.02), who was last year’s champion in the event.

Idaho’s Ginger Kiefer secured the Vandals’ first victory of the meet in the 200 IM, throwing down a 1:58.35. Kiefer was the only competitor in the field under 2:00, racing into the wall over two seconds ahead of runner-up Fruzsin Macsok (2:00.65) from Grand Canyon.

Cal Baptist’s Sofia Maksimova successfully defended her title in the 50 free, winning in a time of 22.19.

Team Standings Through Day 2

Men

1. California Baptist – 323
2. UNLV – 299
3. Air Force – 232
4. Wyoming – 181
5. Grand Canyon – 173
6. Seattle U – 111

Women

1. Northern Arizona – 303
2. New Mexico State – 238
3. California Baptist – 210
4. Idaho – 169
5. Grand Canyon – 165
6. Northern Colorado – 163
7. Seattle U – 107
8. Utah Tech – 94
9. UTRGV – 70