Cougars victorious at Intermountain Shootout

Grand Junction, Colo. — On the second day of the Intermountain Shootout, BYU swim and dive closed out the competition with an impressive performance to come away with the victory. 

"As a coaching staff we are very happy for our athletes," said BYU head coach Shari Skabelund. "They showed grit and passion through the whole competition. We are pleased with how they came together as a team and fought through the fatigue."

The Cougars began their winning ways in the second event of the day, with a team of Andrew Eliason, Josue Dominguez, Javier Nicolas and Brigham Harrison posting a 1:28.95 in the men's 200-yard medley relay. Many other athletes contributed to the men's success on the day. Brad Prolo won the men 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:51.47 and placed second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 50.49.

On the men's diving team, Mickey Strauss placed first in the 3-meter dive with a score of 560.10, capping off a successful individual weekend. In total, the men won nine events on the day, continuing their excellent start to the season.

"The Shootout was a good kickoff to our diving season," said BYU diving coach Tyce Routson. "The women's team performed consistently, with freshman Alexia Jackson winning the three-meter and finishing six points shy of her NCAA zone cut and transfer Tessa Watkins winning one-meter to earn her way to the NCAA zones. The men's team proved they were strong contenders for this season." 

The women contributed to the team's success as well, winning four events. Brynn Sproul had another excellent day, winning both the women's 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard backstroke with times of 5:05.16 and 2:03.30. Senior swimmer Katie McBratney-Graves placed first in the woman 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 29.91 to also contribute 20 points to the team's final tally. 

The men's team ultimately defeated all other competitors with a final meet score of 1,140.5 after 44 well-contested events. The women's team also came out on top with a final meet score of 1,041. 

Looking ahead, the Cougars will prepare to continue their success as they get set to face TCU back home at the Richards Building Pool in what is already their second to last home meet of the season. The meet will occur on Oct. 13th and 14th, and admission will be free to the general public.