Men break four records in first day of MPSF Championships

MPSF Championship Results-Day 1

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – Jake Taylor led BYU as the men’s team shattered four school records in the timed relays on the first day of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships Wednesday night at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, California.

“This was just a great way for both of our teams to start the meet,” BYU head coach John Brooks said. “The men’s team started really fast and the women’s team started out very strong as well and are the fastest we have looked all season. Everyone is doing a really good job and both teams should have a great meet.”

The first day of the championships consisted of a timed men’s and women’s 200-yard medley relay and 800 freestyle relay. Taylor, Stephen Richards, Rainer Ng and Payton Sorenson broke the school and championship meet record in the 200 medley relay, while a team of Taylor, Connor Stirling, Preston Jenkins and Luis Ventura broke a 13-year-old school record while also setting a new MPSF Championship meet record in the 800 free relay. Taylor’s lead-off splits in both relays (21.44 in the 50 backstroke, 1:35.03 in the 200 free) also broke standing school records. Another highlight for the women’s team was Ellie Thornbrue, who split a 1:49.50 leading off in the 800 free relay.

A BYU team comprised of Ashlee Spindler, Anna Dahl, Katie Smith and Alexandria Sorensen took fifth place in the women’s 200 medley relay with a 1:42.31 finish. On the men’s side, Taylor, Richards, Ng and Sorenson won the event, breaking a BYU record and clocking a 1:26.51 for first place.

In the women’s 800 free relay, Thornbrue, Lauren Shaw Taylor, Natalie Bennion and Kelly Hatanaka posted a 7:23.18 for sixth. Jake Taylor, Connor Stirling, Preston Jenkins and Luis Ventura raced to a first-place finish with a 6:26.28 in the men’s relay, shattering the old school record by four seconds.

The MPSF Championships will continue Thursday, with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. PST, followed by event finals at 6 p.m. PST. Diving will begin at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center at 11 a.m. PST. Fans can follow the meet through the live stream or live results page. Complete results will be posted on the website at the conclusion of the day’s events.