SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Feb. 25)-Senior Alannah Lawrence and freshman Tricia Kiss both won individual titles for the New Mexico State swimming and diving team on the third day of the 2011 WAC Championships.

Lawrence defended her 100 breaststroke crown with her second consecutive win in the event with a NCAA B cut time (1:01.35). Kiss won her first championships as an Aggie in the 400 individual medley (4:16.62), which was also a NCAA B cut. Kiss had destroyed the school record in the preliminaries, and she repeated the feat with a four-second improvement in the finals.

“I am extremely proud of our team,” head coach Rick Pratt said. “We raced with great energy tonight and had many program firsts. We keep getting better each session and that’s the plan for tomorrow as well.”

The Aggies are in fifth place in the team standings with 293 points after the third day of competition. NM State also had junior Maria Spies finish fourth in the 100 breast with a NCAA B cut (1:02.94), while senior Kelly Runestrand scored in 13th (1:05.01). Junior Brittney Moore also provided points with a 16th-place finish in the 400 IM.

Sophomore Beth Cate claimed bronze in the 100 butterfly (54.68) after she improved on her school-record performance in the prelims. Sophomore Hannah Ferrin followed in ninth (56.00), and freshman Terrin Seaver was 14th (56.93).

In the 200 free, senior Kelly Conrad garnered an eight-place showing (1:51.07), while sophomores Alex Fenton and Jessi Vlasic grabbed 14th (1:52.21) and 15th (1:53.73), respectively. In the 100 back, Seaver led the Aggies in ninth (57.54), and Fenton scored in 13th place (58.43).

The Aggies ended the night with a second-place finish in the 400-medley relay. Kiss, Lawrence, Cate and Conrad combined for a school record and NCAA B cut (3:42.24).

In the preliminaries, Kiss crushed the school record by five seconds (4:20.80) in the 400 individual medley and was third going into the finals. In the 100 butterfly, three Aggies beat the school record with Cate leading the way in fourth (55.33). Ferrin followed in 10th (56.28), and Seaver was 11th (56.37).

“We had the best session in program history today,” Pratt said. “Everyone swam best times and we broke three school records. Tricia (Kiss) looked so good smashing our record with a 4:20.80. Beth (Cate), Hannah (Ferrin) and Terrin (Seaver) were all under the school record in the 100 fly with Beth coming up first with a time of 55.33.”

Conrad broke her own school record in the 200 free (1:50.06) in fifth place. Vlasic and Fenton also advanced in 15th (1:15.72) and 16th (1:51.73), respectively.

In the 100 breaststroke, Lawrence recorded the top time in the prelims (1:01.84), while Spies reached the finals in sixth (1:03.85) and Runestrand moved on in 10th (1:04.84).

“Kelly Conrad swam a really tough race going 1:50.06,” Pratt said. “Alannah (Lawrence) is seeded first with a B cut in the breast event with a 1:01.84.”

Kiss also led the Aggies in the 100 back with sixth place (56.59) and Seaver advanced in 10th (56.92).

The Aggies finish the 2011 WAC Championships Saturday.