Payton Sorenson breaks record and is nationally ranked

AUSTIN, Texas and GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado  – Payton Sorenson broke his personal and school record in the 50 freestyle and earned a fourth-place national ranking Thursday evening in Austin.

“It was so exciting to see Payton match his prelim and final time in the 50 freestyle today,” said head BYU swim coach John Brooks. “We also had some strong lead swimmers in the relays with Natalie Bennion, Ashlee Spindler and Ethan Kramer. It was an exciting meet today and we look forward to our next day of competition.”

Sorenson held the BYU all-time record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 19.23, a mark that he achieved earlier this year. He broke that record on Thursday morning in his preliminary swim with 19:22 and was ranked the top seed of that event going into the finals. He matched his preliminary time in his final swim of the 50 free and is ranked with the fourth best time in the country.  

Preston Jenkins performed well in the 200 individual medley, taking 23rd overall in 1:49.55. He also competed in the 400 medley relay, assisting teammates Darrin Lam, Rainer Ng and Sorenson to take 15th place with a total registered time of 3:15.60.

The women’s 400 medley relay also took 15th place, with Lauren Taylor, Anna Dahl, Ellie Thornbrue and Tiare Coker completing the event in 3:43.02.

Taylor competed additionally in two events that differed from her usual routine, including the 500 free (4:56.73) and the 50 free (23.76).

At the Mesa Invite, Lillian Moore, Mackenzie Heffernan and Kerra Bispo took the top three places in the 200 individual medley. Moore took first with 2:07.30, followed by Heffernan in 2:07.52 and Bispo in third with 2:08.17.

The women’s 200 freestyle relay team took second place, with teammates Olivia Capocci, Emily To’o, Allison McCormick and Alora Foliaki registering a time of 1:36.40.

Regie Tophan, a freshman from South Jordan, Utah, achieved first in the preliminaries during the 50 freestyle in 20.76 and took third in the finals with a registered time of 21.07.

The Texas and Mesa Invites will continue competition tomorrow, with the preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. CST and MST, respectively. Results and scores can be found on the schedule page.