BYU prevails in annual relay meet against the University of Utah

PROVO, Utah — In a back-and-forth, non-scoring contest, the BYU Cougars were ultimately able to take down the Utah Utes on Friday afternoon, winning the final meet of the day and taking seven of the 13 relay races.

In the first official meet of the fall season, BYU fell behind early, dropping the mixed 200-yard freestyle relay and the women’s 3x150-yard butterfly relay. However, veterans Brad Prolo and Javier Nicolas Matta, with the help of Sophomore Abe Barragan, responded in the third event of the day, taking the men's 3x150-yard butterfly with a time of 3:53.89.

After losing five of the first eight events, BYU went on to win three of the next four to knot things at six heading into the final event of the afternoon. Freshman Will Bonnett contributed to the team's success along the way, swimming in the men's 400-yard medley relay and helping post a 3:25.89. 

The final race featured an annual crowd-favorite event and an opportunity for the divers from each team to participate in the relays. BYU divers Alexia Jackson, Chase Hindmarsh, Hailey Johnson and Cody Dreesen posted a 1:46.93 in the mixed 200 yard freestyle relay to bring home the victory for the Cougars.

BYU swim and dive will look to build upon a successful event against Utah as it prepares to travel to Colorado for the Intermountain Shootout Invitational on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the El Pomar Natatorium.