Most people count on luck to win big in Las Vegas.

But not the Bruins.

No. 24 UCLA swim and dive (1-0) will travel to Las Vegas to compete in the UNLV invitational from Dec. 16 to Dec. 18, marking the squad’s third invitational of the year. The Bruins will be fresh off of a nearly month-long break from racing following the team’s last competition in November.

“It’s another opportunity to go fast and show the other teams out there what UCLA is going to do this year,” said sophomore Sarah Bennetts.

In its last appearance at the UNLV Invitational in 2022, UCLA took home first place, won all the relay races and had victories in 15 of 19 total events.

Redshirt sophomore Katrina Bellio and senior Eva Carlson return to Vegas after each winning two events the last time they competed at the invitational.

At the Ohio State Invitational, their most recent competition, the Bruins placed fourth out of eight teams, trailing behind No. 3 Indiana, No. 15 Ohio State and No. 7 Louisville.

“A lot of my teammates had some really fast swims,” Bennetts said. “Carrying that high from Ohio State into this (invitational), I think will be good.”

The Bruin’s entire roster will make its way to UNLV, giving athletes who didn’t race at Ohio State a chance to showcase their skills. For those who did, the meet will provide more practice in a high-pressure environment before UCLA enters the latter half of the season.

“We’re in a big block of training, and everyone’s been working hard and everyone’s been super exhausted,” senior Mia Chang said. “Practicing race strategies once again [is the goal].”

Lacking in race opportunities thus far, UCLA is one of only two nationally ranked teams with just one dual meet to its season – one of four total meets for the Bruins. Coach Jordan Cordry added that gaining experience is the team’s point of emphasis.

“For the people who didn’t get to travel to Ohio, it is their focus meet, they’re gonna be fresh and rested and ready for this meet. And for everybody else, it’s a training opportunity,” Cordry said. “My primary goal is that we get better. We rehearse the things that we are rehearsing. We sharpen up our skills. We get better at racing, at competing in a three-day format.”

The UNLV meet will also provide competition experience for the diving cohort who withdrew from the Riverside Diving Invitational earlier this month.

With the first half of the Bruins’ season coming to a close, Cordry said she is happy with what she has seen from the team so far.

“I love the competitive spirit, the fierceness, the toughness and the confidence that we have,” Cordry said. “I think that’s helping us take advantage of some big competitive moments.”

Racing begins Monday at 9:30 a.m. and will conclude Wednesday night.