UNLV notebook: Women’s track to open indoor season

Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 | 10:23 a.m.

UNLV's women's track and field team begins the 2000 indoor season today at the Air Force Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo. The two-day meet will feature 14 teams from around the country.

Five of those eight teams -- Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, Wyoming and UNLV -- will convene this weekend for an early-season preview of the inaugural Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, which will be held in the same building Feb. 24-26.

Colorado, Florida State, Kentucky, Abilene Christian, Adams State, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), Colorado School of Mines, Nebraska-Omaha and Western State round out the field.

The Rebels have not competed indoors since posting a sixth-place team finish at the 1999 Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships.

* SWIMMING: The UNLV men's and women's teams will host a triple-dual meet on Saturday at noon in the Buchanan Natatorium. This will be the Rebels' final meet of the year prior to next month's Mountain West Conference Championships. The men's team will face off against conference rival Air Force while the women battle conference foe San Diego State and Western Athletic Conference member Fresno State. The women's team is coming off victories over UC Santa Barbara and the University of San Diego during last weekend's meet hosted by the Gauchos. Dana Penn won the 1000 freestyle (10:19.92), 200 butterfly (2:04.00) and the 400 IM (4:28.74) for the Rebels, setting season bests in each event.

The men's team lost to the Gauchos last weekend. UNLV's Michael Short took first place in the 50 free (21.05) and 100 free (45.99) and also was an integral part of the winning 200 free relay team.

Penn and Short were honored by the MWC as the women's and men's Swimmer of the Week for their performances last week.

* SOFTBALL: The Rebels will open the 2000 softball season at 1 p.m. Saturday with the annual alumni game at the Rebel Diamond.

Three-time All-Americans Cyndi Parus and Kim Rondina, 1996 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Lori Harrigan, two-time All-American Julie Crandall and All-Americans Sara Mallett, Amie Stewart, Tricia Reimche and Vera Bahr will play for the alumni.

* TENNIS: UNLV's women's team continues its three-match season-opening homestand Saturday at 10 a.m. against Weber State at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.