Cougars Claim Men and Women's Title

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – The BYU men and women’s swim teams were named the 2012 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation swim and dive champions after placing first at conference championships this weekend.

The men’s team received a total of 625 points ahead of UNLV (603.50), Wyoming (556), University of Hawaii (493.50), Cal State Bakersfield (463.5), Air Force (265), University of the Pacific (238), Seattle University (227.50) and North Dakota (191).

The BYU women's team surpassed all teams with their score of 732. Next was UC Santa Barbara (699), University of California Davis (546), Cal Poly (539.50), University of San Diego (299.50), University of the Pacific (250), Cal State Bakersfield (211), Loyola Marymount (179), Northern Colorado (179) and Seattle University (136).

In the fourth and final day of the MPSF conference championships, the Cougars proved successful and finished with the MPSF title for both the men and women’s teams.

Highlights of the fourth day include the 1650 free, where Allie Dodds grabbed third place with her time of 16:49.23.

Hailey Campbell and Candice Smith gained a 1, 2 sweep in the 200 back, where Campbell touched in at 1:55.46 for first, setting a new MPSF record. Smith earned second place with her time of 1:57.04.

In the 100 free, Andrea Grant recorded a time of 50.80, gaining her a fourth place finish. In the men’s heat, Garret Beaman took the title with his time of 44.34, an NCAA B-cut time. 

Brady Wells achieved a third-place finish in the 200 breaststroke, with his time of 2:01.25.

In the 200 butterfly, Melissa Manser had a good showing at fifth place with her time of 2:02.82. David Armstrong obtained third place in the same event with his time of 1:48.91.

As the final swim event of the meet, the BYU women’s 400 free relay team of Taryn Toolson, Andrea Grant, Angela Bennion and Hailey Campbell finished third with their time of 3:24.56, an NCAA B-cut time.

The men’s team of Stott Bushnell, Armstrong, Ryan Krause and Beaman accomplished third place in the same event with their time of 2:59.40, surpassing the previous MPSF record of 3:00.13.

In Colorado, Raleigh Williams took the title for the women’s platform diving competition with her final score of 195.75. Teammate Syrena Miskin placed in second behind her, with a score of 191.75.

In the men’s platform, Brandon Watson scored 322.20 to put him at second place, ahead of Travis Day and Kevin Dreesen who claimed third and fourth place. Day scored a final of 300.15, and Dreesen recorded a score of 286.25.

Next up, qualified divers will travel to Colorado to compete in  Zone E Diving Championships, March 8-10.