Longtime rivals BYU and Utah decided to kick their seasons off with an unscored friendly relay competition in Salt Lake City.
BYU Press Release:
A non-scored friendly relay meet against rival Utah on Saturday at the Ute Natatorium in Salt Lake City continued a strong showing by BYU’s swim and dive team.
“The meet was a lot of fun for everyone,” BYU head coach John Brooks said. “We had a really good turnout in terms of fans. I’m proud that we were able to get out there and race and be competitive. I’m glad we had a fun time and also honor the divers as well.”
Jake Taylor, Stephen Richards, Alexandria Sorensen and freshman standout Ellie Thornbrue lead the BYU swimmers a continued the team’s streak of preseason excellence.
Taylor led the men’s 150 yard backstroke relay team, which also included Payton Sorenson and Preston Jenkins, to a 1:08.12 finish, good enough for first place in the event. The same team of Taylor, Sorenson and Jenkins, along with freshman Connor Stirling, took the men’s 400 freestyle relay, with a finishing time of 3:04.96.
Alexandria Sorensen, Brenna Dickson, Vanessa Moffatt and Thornbrue finished first in the women’s 500 free ladder relay, posting a time of 4:34.77.
In the 4×100 relay, Richards, Taylor, Rainer Ng and Luis Ventura posted a 3:26.28 finish, good enough for a win in the event.
Sorensen, Stirling, Alora Foliaki and Kent Fellows also helped BYU with a win in the mixed 200 free relay, with a 1:29.86 finish.
The divers were also able to start the season in excellent fashion, competing in synchronization events, executing difficult dives and finishing in a fun mixed 200 free relay. Matt Denkers, Trayton Speth, Shelby Johnson and Kaela Call led the team in a strong showing for the Cougars.
“The divers did really well, and they performed almost perfectly in terms of synchronization,” BYU head diving coach Tyce Routson said. “I was proud that they threw some harder dives for the synchronization meet. That just really helps us build for the rest of the season.”
BYU will compete in its annual Alumni meet this Friday, which will see the return of some former Cougar standouts. The meet will take place at 3 p.m. MDT at the Richard Building Pool and is open to all Cougar fans.
Utah Press Release:
The University of Utah swimming and diving team took to the pool this Saturday in a relay meet against rival BYU. All events were non-scored.
“I thought this was a great event,” said Joe Dykstra. “Obviously, the energy in the building was fantastic from both teams and the crowd. I really think this is a fun way to start the year. I think we will keep doing this in the future, just switch locations opposite of who hosts the dual meet. It is a great dress rehearsal to get ready for an upcoming meet. I have a whole list of things we need to work on in the next week.”
This meet will not count towards the annual Deseret Dual meet, which will take place in Provo on Jan. 23, 2016.
In the 150 fly relay, the team of Jenna Marsh, Maddie Meisel and Jordan Anderson touched in first with a time of 1:18.59. Taking second was a team consisting of Sydney Bull, Petra Soininen and Alex Stein with a time of 1:18.81.
Ben Scott, David Fraser and Kristian Kron teamed together to take first in the 150 fly relay on the men’s side with a time of 1:08.26.
Taking first in the 150 back relay was the team of Shayla Archer, Megan Kawaguchi and Hailey Pabst touching in at 1:18.49. On the men’s side, the team of Paul Unger, Brandon Deckard and Daniel McArthur took second (1:08.24).
Claiming the top two spots in the 150 breast relay was the team of Genevieve Robertson, Julienne Tadera and Stina Colleou in first (1:31.41) followed by the trio of Darby Wayner, Bull and Isabella Kearns (1:33.65).
On the men’s side, Jack Burton, Keanu Interone and Bence Kiraly took first in the 150 breast relay with a time of 1:19.42. Unger, Interone, Marsh and Gillian St. John teamed together to take first in the mixed 200 medley relay with a time of 1:38.28.
In the 500 free ladder relay, David Fraser, Daniel McArthur, Kiraly and Kron finished with a time of 4:02.60 for the Utes. For the women, their team of Williams, Darby Wayner, Jordan Anderson and Meisel took second with a time of 4:36.10.
In the 400 IM relay, Anderson, Wayner, Tadena and Ashlyn Karosas claimed the top spot with a time of 4:01.71. Kiraly, McArthur, Brandon Deckard and Kron took second in the 400 IM relay with a time of 3:29.13.
The Utes grabbed second in the 400 free relay as the team of Dorien Butter, St. John, Williams and Meisel clocked in with a time of 3:32.18. Taking second was the team of Brendan Nguyen, Sean Bloore, Kristian Almberg and Peter Kotson (3:04.43).
In the mixed 200 free relay, a grouping of Unger, St. John, Fraser and Williams took second with a time of 1:30.59.
The divers took to the pool as well and competed in the 200 free relay. A group consisting of Jacob Crayne, Lauren Hall, Nicole Ford and Connor Cain took first with a time of 1:47.76. Josiah Purss, Madison Cock, Olivia Payne and Keaton Quinn took second (1:49.70).
The men take a break from competition while the women return to the pool next weekend, Oct. 3, where they will host USC.
