Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Mountain West Championships
Ugne Mazutaityte takes home gold at MW Championships
2/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
By Jason Kelm
jakelm@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Bulldog freshman Ugne Mazutaityte took home the Mountain West Freshman of the Year award as the Fresno State swimming and diving team wrapped up the Mountain West Championships at the Texas A&M Natatorium in College Station, Texas on Saturday.
Fresno State freshman Ugne Mazutaityte took home the gold in the 200-yard backstroke championship final with a Fresno State record time of 1:54.47, one second faster than her previous personal-best.
This was the Bulldogs' first MW individual event champion since Dani Yoho won the 50-yard freestyle in 2013. Mazutaityte is also the first 'Dog to medal in two individual swimming events in a conference championship since the program returned in 2008.
Junior Esme Gullick placed seventh overall in the 200-yard butterfly championship final when she tied the program record with a time of 2:01.78.
Senior Leah Hatayama's 100-yard free time of 50.69 seconds in the bonus final was second-fastest in program history.
Senior Brooke Rodriguez swam a 2:15.77 in the 200-yard breaststroke consolation final, an NCAA 'B' standard and second-fastest in Fresno State history.
Nevada swam the fastest times in the 200 breast and 200 fly and took the top two scores in the platform dives, Boise State placed first in the 400-yard free relay, Air Force won the 1650-yard free and UNLV took the top spot in the 100 free.
Team Leaderboard
- Nevada (664)
- Boise State (651)
- San Diego State (511)
- Wyoming (457)
- UNLV (373)
- San Jose State (258)
- New Mexico (248)
- Colorado State (223)
- Air Force (207)
- Fresno State (182)
Day one
Day one began with the 1-meter dive preliminaries, in which Fresno State junior Shelbie Holden (237.05) and senior Lacie Ruth (171.80) placed 19th and 29th, respectively.
In the late afternoon, the Bulldogs took seventh place in the 200 medley relay and 10th place in the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:28.04) with the group of Hatayama, Esme Gullick, Mazutaityte and Casey Kennemann.
Boise State swam first in both relays and Nevada took the top two spots in the 1-meter dive finals.
Day two
Fresno State junior Esme Gullick rewrote the Bulldog record book in the 200-yard individual medley twice, swimming a 2:02.23 in the prelims and finishing in third place in the consolation finals with a time of 2:01.76. Gullick set the previous high mark earlier in the season at 2:02.46.
Bulldog senior Leah Hatayama also set a personal record twice today in the 50-yard freestyle. Her preliminary time of 22.94 seconds got her into the consolation finals in which she placed third with a time of 22.93 seconds, an NCAA 'B' standard. Hatayama continues to hold the second-fastest 50 free time in Bulldog history.
Fresno State junior diver Shelbie Holden also reached the consolation finals and finished in third place in the 3-meter dives with a score of 285.70, an NCAA 'A' standard.
The Bulldogs were unable to reach finals in the 500-yard free and placed 10th in the 200-yard free relay.
Nevada took the top two spots in the 3-meter dives, Boise State placed first in the 200 free relay and 200 IM, Air Force swam fastest in the 500 free, and San Diego State took the top spot in the 50 free.
Day three
Ten Fresno State swimmers appeared in finals events and Bulldog freshman Ugne Mazutaityte medaled and broke the Fresno State 100-yard backstroke record twice.
Mazutaityte's performance further cemented her name in the Bulldog record book with a third-place 100 back championship final swim of 54.06 seconds, an NCAA B standard, following a preliminary time of 54.21 seconds. This was Fresno State's first top-three finish at the MW Championships since Dani Yoho placed first overall in the 50-yard freestyle in 2013.
The Bulldogs finished sixth in the 400-yard medley relay with a program-record time of 3:41.74 with the group of Mazutaityte, Brooke Rodriguez, Esme Gullick and Leah Hatayama.
Gullick placed sixth overall in the 400-yard individual medley championship final (4:23.55), while Danielle Powers, Lindsay Ruiz and Vanessa Dugan placed second, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 400 IM bonus final.
Boise State swam the fastest in the 100 fly, 200 free and 100 back, Wyoming took the top spot in the 400 medley relay and 100 breast, and Nevada placed first in the 400 IM.
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