2010-2011 College Previews: No. 23 UNLV Riding a Major Upswing

Over the next few weeks, as the Long Course season closes out, new freshman are arriving on campus, and fans everywhere ramp up for another exciting NCAA Season, we will be running a team-by-team preview of the upcoming NCAA season. Starting with the no.12 teams and finishing with the defending National Championships (Texas men and Florida women) we will work our way down the top finishers from last year’s NCAA teams, and will also jump into some rising teams that we expect to break into the top tier this season. Click here to see the other men’s previews, and click here to see all of the previews for both Men and Women.

Key Losses: None

Key Additions: Giacomo Gremizzi (IM) David Szele (Breaststroke)

2010 Recap: At the 2010 NCAA Championships, UNLV finished ranked 23^rd, which was higher than any other non-BCS team. They didn’t graduate a single one of their 5 NCAA qualifiers, which includes returning their entire 14^th place 200 free, 17^th place 400 medley and free, and 8^th place 200 medley relays.

Their two individual scorers at NCAA’s were senior Kier Maitland and sophomore Cody Roberts. Maitland finished 10^th in the mile at NCAA’s in 14:55.5.

Eye-Test: This season, UNLV is shooting for even bigger things. I saw them swim at the University of Houston invite last season, and this team certainly passes the eye test, in that they look very strong and very fast.

Roberts is the really exciting member of this team. In the individual 100 fly, Roberts finished 15^th in the nation, with a best time in the prelims of 46.59. That left him behind only Tim Phillips of Ohio State and Thomas Shields of Cal for the best freshman times in the nation. If he were at a big-time school, he would be getting a ton of writeups and publicity. Instead, he flies mostly under the radar in the desert. This season, though, he looks like he is primed for a breakout. Roberts also split a 45.92 in the medley relay, a split which only 5 swimmers beat.

Speaking of the medleys, the Rebels were very good in the 200 last season. The back half of the relay (Roberts and junior Steven Nelms) were outstanding. The front half, however, has a little work to do, as the relay was a full second-plus behind most of the field by the time Roberts hit the water.

The 400 medley should definitely make a big improvement this season. Last year, they were really hurt by the lack of a backstroker. Senior David Seiler assumed that role, though he is a natural butterflier (he was the MWC 100 fly record holder before Roberts beat his mark last season). If they can improve on that 48.03 this year, their 400 free relay could threaten a top-10 finish as well. That could either come from Seiler improving his time, or fellow senior Nick Blank, who was the MWC Champion last season in the 100 at 48.47.

Scoring Potential: Other returning swimmers with individual scoring potential include Seiler and Nelms in the 100 fly, junior Andrew Morrell in both breaststrokes, and Maitland in the 500.

Seiler and Nelms swam twin 47.16’s at the MWC Championships last season in the 100 fly, which would have put them tied for 25^th at NCAA’s, where a 46.79 finaled. Morrell’s MWC times in the breaststroke events of 54.22/1:55.75 mean he probably would have scored at least a few points in the two events, but UNLV chose to focus his efforts on the relays instead.

Maitland also has a chance at adding a 500-free B-final to his mile this season. His 500 time from the MWC Championship meet (4:19.82) would have put him in 18^th, though he added 4 seconds to finish 35^th. If he can reverse that and improve from the conference meet to the national championship meet, a few more points could be coming there.

Freshman Sensations: UNLV also brought in a very good freshman class, including two international swimmers who would be good enough to crack the lineups of every team in the nation. Giacomo Gremizzi from Italy (if you couldn’t guess with a name like that) is a star IM’er who has already gone long course times (in textile) that convert to numbers that smash the conference records. His 200 IM converted time is a 1:46.1, and his 400 IM converted time is a 3:46.88. Assuming everything goes well with his transition to yards, he will definitely score in the 400, and has a very good shot in the 200.

The other big-time recruit is David Szele, who is the Hungarian National record holder in the 50 breaststroke. While the junior Morrell’s best event is the 200 breaststroke, Szele is a better sprinter and will likely take over medley relay duties. His best 100 time from the past summer converts to a 53.65, and like Gremizzi should score individually if his transition goes well.

They also added some great depth to their sprints in Wyatt Adams and Alex Kulwin, who both go around a 21.4 in the 50 free, and Brandon Meier, who has Junior Nationals cuts in both breaststroke events (57.6 in the 100) and the 200 IM (1:52.3).

2011 Prognosis: UNLV has to be shooting for bigger things this season. UNLV has a coach in Jim Reitz who is entering his 32^nd season at the helm of the Rebels. Reitz’s goal is to qualify 12 swimmers for the NCAA Championships this year. While 12 might be a bit high, an even 10 is certainly doable. At any rate, UNLV will win its 7^th straight MWC title and should be shooting for much bigger things, like a top-15 finish at NCAA’s.