DENVER, Colo. (Nov. 26, 2019) – Cowboy swimmer Brayden Love has been named the Western Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Week for Nov. 18-23. It's the first time in his career he has earned the honor and the first time this season a Cowboy has won the award. He is the first UW swimmer to win the honor since Liam Holt on Jan. 30, 2018.

Love, a junior from Fort Leavenworth, Kan., had a strong performance at the Mizzou Invite. He opened up the first day by breaking a school record. In the preliminaries of the 100 butterfly, he would finish in fourth place touching the wall at 47.20 to break the school mark and reach an NCAA B cut time. The previous best mark was held by George Eglesfield of 47.30 in 2016. In the finals, Love recorded a fifth place finish with a time of 47.35.

He would follow up his earlier performance in the 200 IM prelims with an eighth finish and a time of 1:48.63. The Cowboys would earn a podium finish in the 200 freestyle relay as well. The team of senior PJ Musser, Love, sophomores James Bouda and Grant Sloan would clock a time of 1:21.30 to finish third.

Love broke his second school record of the week on the final day of the meet. He would achieve the school mark in the 200-butterfly. In the preliminaries of the 200 butterfly, he would finish second touching the wall at 1:44.41, which was just nine hundredths faster than the record. It would also eclipse his career best mark of 1:46.94. The previous mark was held by George Eglesfield in 1:44.50 that was set in 2016. In the finals, he would finish third with a time of 1:46.41.

Several individuals will be back to competition for the US Open Championships beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 4. The meet is scheduled at the McAuley Natatorium and will be hosted by Georgia Tech. Both teams will resume dual action on Friday, January 10. They will host the Denver Pioneers beginning at 4 p.m. MT at Laramie High School.