Soak Up the Action: Utah Invite and UCSB Showdown Awaits on Jan. 10-11!

PROVO, Utah — The BYU swim and dive team is back in the pool on January 10-11, with the Cougars’ diving squad participating in the Utah Invite and swimmers facing off against UC Santa Barbara in a Dual Meet at the Richards Building Pool.

MEET FACTS | Utah Dive Invite
Schedule:	Jan. 10-11 Events on Friday kick off with women’s 3m and men’s 1m preliminaries at 12 p.m. MST, finishing with finals at 5:30 p.m. (women) and 6:30 p.m. (men).  Saturday competitions start with women’s 1m and men’s 3m preliminaries at 9:45 a.m., concluding with finals at 2:30 p.m. (women) and 3:30 p.m. (men).
Location:	Ute Natatorium Salt Lake City, UT
Results:	DiveMeets
Participating Teams:	BYU, Utah, UCLA & Wisconsin

 

MEET FACTS | Dual Meet vs. UC Santa Barbara
Schedule:	Jan. 10 The events will commence at 4 p.m. MST with the 200 medley relay.
Location:	Richards Building Pool Provo, UT
Live Results:	Meet Mobile

MEET OPPONENT

The men’s swimming team from UC Santa Barbara arrives in Provo having won five successive dual meets after losing their season’s opening match against Cal Poly 151-143. The Gauchos have triumphed in dual meets versus UC San Diego, Cal State Bakersfield, Hawaii, UNLV, and Cal Baptist.

The women’s swimming team from UC Santa Barbara has achieved victory in six out of seven dual meets this season, with the only defeat being a 104-97 loss to UNLV. The Gauchos have triumphed over Cal Poly, Pepperdine, UC San Diego, Cal State Bakersfield, Hawaii, and Cal Baptist.

LAST TIME OUT

Despite suffering a 217-131 defeat to Arizona on December 20-21 in Tucson, BYU women’s swimming garnered two additional weekly Big 12 honors, with Mackenzie Miller Lung and Lucy Warnick recognized for their performances.

In the Cougars’ dual meet against the Wildcats, Miller Lung captured her seventh victory of the season with a time of 2:10.17 in the 200 breaststroke. Miller Lung’s win was achieved with a margin of three seconds ahead of runner-up Eleni Gewalt from Arizona. Additionally, in the dual meet in Tucson, Miller Lung placed second in the 100 breaststroke at 1:00.78 and contributed to BYU’s 200 and 400 medley relay teams achieving top-5 finishes.

The junior hailing from Clovis, California has now received the Big 12 Women’s Swimmer of the Week honor twice this season.

Warnick achieved her first Big 12 recognition with two top-3 finishes in Tucson. The freshman from Las Vegas, Nevada secured victory in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:21.73 and took second place in the 200 IM at 2:02.83. Warnick’s 400 IM triumph came over four seconds ahead of the Wildcats’ Joy Felner. Warnick, a qualifier for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, also anchored the Cougars’ 400 free relay team to a fourth-place finish with a time of 3:27.89.

Meanwhile, BYU men’s swimming faced a 240-107 loss to Arizona, yet its emerging talent was again acknowledged, with Nathaniel Eliason receiving the Cougars’ second Big 12 Men’s Newcomer of the Week award this season.

Eliason’s first Big 12 honor followed a meet where he excelled in three relays and two individual events for BYU. He finished second in the 50 free and third in the 100 fly, respectively. The freshman from Mechanicsville, Virginia anchored the 200 and 400 medley relays, aiding both to third-place finishes. In his fifth event of the meet, Eliason also helped the 200 free relay team achieve a third-place finish.

RANKINGS REVIEW

BYU men’s swim and dive received a sole vote in the CSCAA’s December Top 25, trailing behind Big 12 counterpart Arizona, which garnered two votes. Arizona State remains the only ranked team in the league in both men’s and women’s categories, ranking No. 3 in the men’s and No. 14 in the women’s.

BYU showcases the only nationally ranked divers participating in the upcoming weekend’s Utah Dive Invite. The Cougars’ Chase Hindmarsh ranks 29^th nationally and is second in the Big 12 for 3-meter scoring, with a season-high score of 344.55. Marti Llop is positioned 31^st nationally and holds the third position in the Big 12 with a season-best score of 320.85 on 1-meter.

Leading BYU women’s divers is Alexia Jackson Hansen who is ranked No. 30 nationally in the 3-meter at 306 points. Jackson Hansen is also third and sixth in the Big 12 for the 3m and 1m, respectively.

The only nationally-ranked participant for BYU swimming remains Miller Lung, ranked 24^th in the women’s 200 breast (2:09.61). Additionally, the Cougars’ men’s 200 medley and 400 free relay teams are positioned in the top-50 nationally.