Courtesy: Fresno State Athletics
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After leading Fresno State to a tie for second at the UNLV Invitational junior Manuela Mendolicchio was named the MW Swimmer of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday. The award is the first for Mendolicchio in her Bulldog career.
Mendolicchio won the 200 Breast, broke the program record in the 100 IM, and placed in the top four in each of her four individual races at the three-day meet competing with at least 37 other swimmers in each event. The ‘Dogs finished tied with host UNLV for second place in a field of nine teams at the mid-season invitational.
The 2018 MW Champion in the 200 Breast, Mendolicchio won the race in Las Vegas in a field of 38 swimmers. Her time of 2:12.30 won by nearly a second and a half and was an NCAA B Cut time, the first by a Bulldog this year. It was also the 2nd fastest time in the event by a MW swimmer this season.
Mendolicchio broke the Fresno State program record with a career-best 57.80 time in the 100 IM, breaking the previous school record of 58.21, and placed fourth. She was also second in the 100 Breast in a field of 43 swimmers in 1:02.08, just .06 behind her program-record time of 1:02.02. She added a 3rd-place finish in the 200 IM with a career-best 2:02.94, the third fastest time in program history.
To cap her weekend, Mendolicchio also swam the second leg on Fresno State’s top 400 Medley Relay team that placed 3rd and on the 200 Medley Relay team that was fourth. This season, the Bari, Italy native has five event wins, claiming the 200 Breast three times, and has 11 total top-three finishes to lead the team. She now holds three individual program records (100 Breast, 200 Breast, 100 IM) and is also part of two relay team records (200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay).