BYU swim and dive collects seven MPSF season awards

PROVO, Utah — BYU’s swim and dive teams racked up seven MPSF end-of-season awards, with the men sweeping the annual awards, the conference announced Friday.

The Cougars also earned two awards on the women’s side.

Kennedy Cribbs earned MPSF Women’s Diver of the Year, as the only diver from the MPSF who qualified to compete at the NCAA Championships this year. She was also named Female Athlete of the Week earlier this season after winning the 3m dive with a career-high, BYU-facility-record score of 331.85.

Tyce Routson earned MPSF Women’s Diving Coach of the Year after leading BYU’s women to eight 2022 all-conference diving awards. Both awards broke Hawaii’s nine-year MPSF award streak.

The men swept the MPSF awards, going five-for-five. 

Javier Nicolas Matta earned the MPSF Men’s Swimmer of the Year title. At the 2022 MPSF Championships, Matta earned two wins in his individual events, in addition to swimming on three winning relays. He also recorded an MPSF season-best time in the 100-yard fly with a 46.59. 

Tanner Nelson won MPSF Men’s Freshman of the Year. Nelson was BYU’s only entrant to the men’s NCAA Championships, where he recorded an MPSF season-best time of 3.42.87 in the 400-yard IM. He currently holds school and facility records for multiple events, and won two individual events at conference championships. He was also a two-time Male Athlete of the Week this season.

Mickey Strauss earned MPSF Men’s Diver of the Year. Strauss competed in all three events at the MPSF Championships, winning the 1m event with a conference season-high score of 358.75 and placing second in the other two events. Strauss was named MPSF Male Athlete of the Week earlier this season after winning both the 1m and 3m events in BYU’s meet against Air Force.

Routson earned a second season award on the men’s side, earning MPSF Men’s Diving Coach of the Year. He was recognized for coaching Strauss to the MPSF 1m title. This is his third MPSF Men’s Diving Coach of the Year award.

Shari Skabelund was named MPSF Men’s Swim Coach of the Year at the conclusion of her first season as BYU’s head coach. Skabelund led the Cougars to win their sixth MPSF Championship, where the men took first in more than half of the events and set two MPSF Championship records.

BYU swimmers and divers earned multiple Athlete of the Week awards throughout this season. Cribbs, Katie McBratney, Brynn Sproul and Regan Geldmacher were all honored as MPSF Female Athletes of the Week, while Nelson, Strauss and Brigham Harrison were named MPSF Male Athletes of the Week.