Gonzales, Denkers and Cooper earn 1A diving zone cuts

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. ­­– Divers Nathan Gonzales, Matt Denkers and Morgan Cooper received 1A zone cuts Friday night, during the first day of the Intermountain Shootout.

“We swam well today and the hard work we have put is paying off,” BYU head coach John Brooks said. “The highlight for our team was our three men’s divers getting zone cuts.”

The Cougars took the top three scores in men’s 3-meter. Gonzales placed first with a score of 324.05, followed by Denkers with 319.35 and Cooper at 307.20.

The men’s swim team also took the top three times in the men’s 100-yard breaststroke with Brad Prolo placing first at 58.05 followed by Cameron Lindsay and Levi Jensen. Cougar Preston Jenkins placed first in both the men’s 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke.

For the BYU women’s swim team, Ellie Thornbrue Brinton took first in the women’s 200-yard freestyle and Katia Quezada took first in the women’s 1650-yard freestyle. Tiare Coker also took first in the women’s 50-yard butterfly, besting her seed time with a time of 25.34.

The Cougars continue in the Intermountain Shootout Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m., MDT at El Pomar Natatorium in Grand Junction.

The BYU men's and women's swim teams are wearing pink swim caps in commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and will continue to do so for the whole month of October.