UNLV roundup: Track team soars to league indoor title

Senior Cassondra Hall notched two of UNLV’s five victories on the final day of the three-day, 11-team Mountain West indoor track and field championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, leading the Rebels to their second league title in three years.

UNLV totaled 161 points, 34.5 more than runner-up San Diego State. Colorado State (108.5), New Mexico (70.5) and Boise State (48) rounded out the top five.

Next were Air Force (43), San Jose State (37), UNR (33.5), Wyoming (18), Utah State (nine) and Fresno State (eight).

Hall won the 60- and 200-meter dashes in 7.27 and 23.42 seconds. Also winning for UNLV were junior Avi’Tal Wilson-Perteete (800, 2:06.80) and sophomores Jada Hicks (60 hurdles, program-record 8.18 seconds) and Jonon Young (triple jump, 41 feet, 11¼ inches).

Hall and Wilson-Perteete also were part of the Rebels’ second-place 1,600 relay, finishing in 3:37.03 with senior Kaysha Love and sophomore Amari Prude.

UNLV, which was the runner-up in 2017 and 2019, had 14 top-five efforts on the meet’s final day.

Seniors DeAndra Greer (60, 7.42) and Agnes Mansaray (800, 2:08.31) placed second.

Love was third in the 60 (7.48) and fourth in the 200 (23.76), and freshman Jazlynn Shearer was fourth in the triple jump (40-5) and eighth in the 60 hurdles (19.39).

In the shot put, senior Mackenna Howard was second (53-8¼), junior Cassidy Osborne-Butler fifth (50-4¾) and freshman Aaliyah Soa 10th (45-1½).

Freshman Tianna Randle was fifth in the 60 (7.55), sophomore Alexis Surrell seventh in the 400 (55.48), junior Elisa Rovere seventh in the 800 (2:11.86) and junior Emma Wahlenmaier 10th in the 800 (2:14.19).

SWIMMING AND DIVING

At Houston, freshman Panos Bolanos won the 200-yard backstroke in 1 minute, 41.20 seconds, and junior Jesse Cawley placed first in platform diving with 320.25 points to lead the Rebels to a second-place finish in the four-day, seven-team Western Athletic Conference championships.

Air Force won with 864 points, and UNLV had 692. Next were Grand Canyon (559.5), Wyoming (539), California Baptist (423.5), Cal State Bakersfield (341.5) and Seattle (139.5).

The Rebels had 11 top-five finishes Saturday, highlighted by a 1-2-3 showing in the 200 backstroke by Bolanos, freshman Ogi Maric (1:41.87) and sophomore Hayden Cornellison (1:43.21).

Maric also was part of UNLV’s second-place 400 freestyle relay with juniors Bryan Chavez and Richard Szilagyi and senior Hayden Hemmens. They finished in 2:54.26.

Chavez was fifth in the 100 freestyle (43.95 seconds) and sophomore Jack Binder fifth in the 200 breaststroke (2:00.39).

Placing fourth were freshman Christopher Mykkanen in the 1,650 freestyle (15:25.34) and sophomore Michael Klauss in the 200 butterfly (1:47.69).

Placing third were sophomore Michal Cukanow in the 200 butterfly (1:46.61) and classmate Ivan Zukov in the 200 breaststroke (1:57.43).

SOFTBALL

At Eller Media Stadium, Rock Benavides had two RBI hits in Houston’s eight-run third inning as the Cougars downed the Rebels 10-5 in the Boyd Gaming Classic for their 11th straight win.

Earlier, Justine Federe hit a two-run single in the sixth and a walk-off two-run homer in the eighth as UNLV edged New Mexico State 6-4 for its eighth consecutive victory.

Before facing the Rebels (15-5), Houston (16-4) had won its three previous tournament games via the five-inning run rule, outscoring the opposition 34-1.

Against UNLV, Benavides, Kati Ray Brown, Becca Schulte and Kelli Montogmery each had two hits for the Cougars, who outhit the Rebels 12-11. Brown homered and scored twice, Schulte doubled and drove in two runs, and Lindsey Stewart had three RBIs for Houston.

Caitlin Covington went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for UNLV, which pulled within 8-5 with a three-run fourth.

Maddie Schmidt, Mia Trejo and Jaclyn Candelas each had two of the Rebels’ 11 hits against Houston.

Against New Mexico State (10-6), Federe went 3-for-4, Schmidt went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, and Lauren Tycksen went 2-for-4 with two steals.

Alyssa Trejo opened the scoring with an RBI triple in the third and scored on Samantha Diaz’s sacrifice fly.

The Aggies went ahead 3-2 in the sixth on a solo home run by Ramsay Lopez and Shelby Shultes’ two-run shot.

After Federe’s two-run single put UNLV back in front, New Mexico State tied it on a solo homer by Nikki Butler in the seventh.

Butler and Lopez each had two of the Aggies’ six hits.

Rebels starter Breana Burke allowed one run on four hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. Jenny Bressler (7-3) worked the final two innings, allowing one run on one hit and one walk.

BASEBALL

At Wilson Stadium, Jack Grace hit a two-out RBI triple in the 11th inning to send Creighton past the Rebels 4-3.

UNLV starter Chase Maddux blanked the Bluejays (4-4) on four hits and no walks and struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings. Grant Robbins went 3-for-5 with a two-run triple and a double for the Rebels (2-8).

Robbins was the lone player with multiple hits for UNLV, which was outhit 9-8. His triple put the Rebels up 2-0 in the fourth inning, and they pushed the lead to 3-0 on Jack-Thomas Wold’s RBI double in the eighth.

Creighton cashed in on two ninth-inning errors to score two unearned runs and tie the score at 3. Garrett Gilbert hit a two-run single and Nick Gile an RBI single.

Ryan Mantle, who went 3-for-5, was the lone Bluejays player with multiple hits.