Men beat rival Utah, women drop matchup

BYU vs. Utah Results

BYU vs. Utah Final Score

PROVO, Utah – Jake Taylor led BYU men’s swim and dive in a senior-day win against rival Utah in front of a packed crowd Saturday at the Richards Building Pool. The women’s team battled but was eventually edged out in the rivalry matchup.

The Cougar men’s team won the Deseret First Duel 155-145. The BYU women’s team lost the matchup 198-102. Highlighted swimmers included Taylor, Anna Dahl, Alexandria Sorensen, Kent Fellows. Among seniors honored were Taylor, Stephen Richards, Dallin Johnson, Nathan Henderson, Chad Sorensen, Alexandria Sorensen, Zerlynn Tiang and Ali Tippetts-Kottcamp.

"All of our seniors did an amazing job," BYU head coach John Brooks said. "It's been a few years sent we have beaten Utah. It’s nice to be in the rivalry and to compete. This is one of the most exciting swim meets around, with a very high energy level, people racing and a lot of pressure. It was a lot of fun and a great meet for us."

In the women’s 200-yard medley relay, BYU took second as a team of Ashlee Spindler, Dahl, Katie Smith and Sorensen combined for a 1:45.49. On the men’s side, the Cougars took first and second in a high-energy battle, with Taylor, Richards, Rainer Ng and Payton Sorenson clocking a new pool record at 1:29.05 and Preston Jenkins, Nathan Henderson, Luis Ventura and Connor Stirling coming in second with a 1:31.56.

Vanessa Moffatt took third place for the Cougars in the women’s 1000 freestyle, racing to a 10:44.56.

BYU earned first and third in the women’s 200 free, with Lauren Shaw Taylor and Ellie Thornbrue posting times of 1:53.54 and 1:54.02, respectively. Jenkins won second in the men’s event, posting a 1:41.16.

In the women’s 100 backstroke, Spindler swam to a 57.76, good enough for second. Taylor won the men’s side of the event, posting a 48.62 for first.

Dahl won the women’s 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:04.83. The Cougars took first and second in the men's event, with Richards swimming a 56.24 for first and Ryan Sorensen finishing in 58.00 for second.

Moffatt and Lillian Moore placed second and third for the women in the 200 butterfly, with times of 2:07.26 and 2:07.49, respectively. On the men’s side, Ng swam to a second-place finish with a 1:50.43.

In the women’s 50 free, the Cougars placed two swimmers, with Sorensen earning first in 24.01 and Smith taking second with a 24.03. BYU swept the men’s event in a thriller, with Sorenson sprinting to a 19.99 for first, Stirling posting a 20.89 for second and Fellows swimming to a 21.28 for third.

Sorenson and Stirling earned first and third in the men’s 100 free, finishing with times of 44.37 and 45.92, respectively.

Taylor won the men’s 200 back event, finishing in 1:47.23 for first.

In the men’s 200 breaststroke, Richards earned first place with a time 2:04.69.

Kelly Hatanaka posted a second-place finish in the women’s 500 free with a time of 5:10.26, with Taylor following close behind for third in 5:14.09.

Tiang took second in the women’s 100 fly, clocking a 57.38, with Thornbrue earning third with a 57.63. On the men’s side, Ng and Fellows placed first and second for the Cougars with times of 51.83 and 52.78, respectively.

Taylor won the men’s 200 individual medley for the Cougars, posting a 1:49.92.

In the final swim event of the day, BYU placed two teams in the women’s 400 free relay, with Taylor, Smith, Sorensen and Thornbrue finishing in 3:33.40 for second and Brenna Dickson, Emily Harris, Alora Foliaki and Bennion clocking a 3:35.30 for third. On the men’s side, the Cougars took first and third, with a team of Stirling, Jenkins, Fellows and Sorenson taking first in 3:01.11 and Ng, William Watts, Ventura and Seth Russell earning third with a 3:07.12.

In the men’s 1-meter dive, Tippetts-Kottcamp earned a third-place finish with a 250.15. On the men’s side, Kevin Dreesen placed third with a 334.10

Tippetts-Kottcamp took second in the women's 3-meter event with a 292.60. In the men's event, Dreesen posted a 394.80, good enough for second place.

BYU divers will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., on Feb. 5-6 to compete in the Air Force Invite at the USAFA Cadet Natatorium. The next competition for BYU swimmers will be at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on Feb. 17-20 in Monterey Park, California.