“Big 12 Wave: ARIZ, BYU, ISU, and Utah Kick Off 2025 with Stellar S&D Honors!”

Four Big 12 programs received weekly accolades to kick off 2025 for their achievements in competitions wrapping up on Dec. 29. Arizona’s Ralph Daleiden (men’s swimmer) and Gage DuBois (men’s diver), BYU’s trio of Nathaniel Eliason (men’s newcomer), Mackenzie Miller Lung (women’s swimmer) and Lucy Warnick (women’s co-newcomer), Iowa State’s Anja Peck (women’s co-newcomer) and Utah’s Holly Waxman (women’s diver) were recognized as the athletes of the week.

Daleiden made history as the first Wildcat to be acknowledged as Big 12 Men’s Swimmer of the Week, amassing two individual event victories along with two relay triumphs in Arizona’s dual competition against BYU. The Luxembourg native clinched the 100 freestyle (43.34) and 200 freestyle (1:33.64), followed by swimming the anchor leg in the 200 freestyle relay (1:18.74) and 400 medley relay (3:09.00) for two additional gold medals in the respective relays.

 

Miller Lung secured three podium placements, which included an individual event victory in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:10.17, three seconds ahead of the runner-up. The Clovis, California native achieved a silver medal in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.78) and a bronze in the 200 medley relay as the breaststroke leg with a split of 26.94 (1:41.08). This marks her second weekly recognition this season.

DuBois clinched his third Conference award of the season with his performance against BYU. The junior topped the standings in the 3-meter dive and platform dive events with scores of 373.43 and 381.83, respectively. His victories contributed 18 points to Arizona’s team success.

Waxman captured two silver medals for Utah in a meet that included three ranked teams (No. 5 Tennessee, No. 19 Auburn and No. 25 Florida State). The senior concluded her performance with a score of 292.15 in the 1-meter dive and 314.65 in the 3-meter. This is her first Conference award of her career, making her the first Ute to be named Big 12 Women’s Diver of the Week.

Eliason is the second individual from BYU’s men’s team to be honored as the Big 12 Men’s Newcomer of the Week this season. The freshman from Mechanicsville, Virginia capped off his weekend with a silver medal in the 50 freestyle (20.26) and a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly (48.36). He also secured three additional bronze medals in the 200 medley relay (1:27.87; 19.75 split), 200 free relay (1:20.37; 19.82 split) and 400 medley relay (3:12.42; 42.98 split). This marks his first Conference award.

Warnick emerged victorious in the 400 IM event, touching the wall with a time of 4:21.73, over four seconds ahead of the second-place competitor, marking her third win of the season. She concluded her match against Arizona with a runner-up finish in the 200 IM (2:02.83) and a 51.70 anchor split in the 400 freestyle relay.

Peck achieved top-two finishes in both the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke at the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. The freshman clocked a personal-best time of 2:16.97 in the 200 breaststroke, marking the 12^th-fastest time in program history, along with the 19^th-best time in Cyclone history for the 100 breaststroke (1:03.91).

 

A comprehensive list of this season’s weekly Big 12 Swimming and Diving award recipients can be located here.

 

Big 12 Swimming and Diving Weekly Awards- January 3

 

Men’s Swimmer of the Week: Ralph Daleiden, Arizona

Men’s Diver of the Week: Gage DuBois, Arizona

Men’s Newcomer of the Week: Nathaniel Eliason, BYU

Women’s Swimmer of the Week: Mackenzie Miller Lung, BYU

Women’s Diver of the Week: Holly Waxman, Utah

Women’s Co-Newcomers of the Week: Lucy Warnick, BYU and Anja Peck, Iowa State