SEATTLE – Three broken pool records and a sweep combined for the BYU men’s swimming team’s 155-49 win over Seattle Saturday.
“This meet gave our swimmers the chance to swim some of the events they don’t usually get to,” BYU head coach John Brooks said. “It really paid off because we won every single event. It was also a great bonding experience for the guys before conference.”
Swimming
The 400 medley relay team of Rainer Ng, Chad Sorensen, Lucas Aquino and Jake Taylor swam the event in 3:21.52 to break the previous pool record. Ng also broke a pool record of his own in the 500 free, completing the event in 4:35.67. In exhibition, Hayden Palmer finished the 200 IM in 1:51.62 to break the third pool record of the night.
The Cougars swept Seattle in all of the events, the first sweep of the 2013-2014 season.
Dallin Johnson swam the men’s 1000 free in 9:56.01 for the first solo win of the night.
Stott Bushnell, McKay King and Aquino went first, second and third in the men’s 200 free. They finished in 1:42.50, 1:42.62, 1:44.66, respectively.
Jordan Fletcher was the top finisher in the men’s 50 free. He swam the down and back in just 20.74.
BYU swept first through third again in the men’s 200 IM. Taylor was the top finisher with a time of 1:52.95. Teammates Andrew Rutherfurd (1:54.18) and Sorensen (1:59.02) followed.
Aquino earned his solo win of the night in the 200 fly, swimming the event in 1:52.70.
King, Rutherfurd and Fletcher were the top three swimmers in the men’s 100 free. King finished first with a time of 46.58.
Taylor earned first place in the men’s 200 backstroke. He finished in 1:51.77 with teammate Stephen Richards close behind (1:52.99).
Rutherfurd finished in first place in the men’s 200 breast with a time of 2:07.22. Sorensen followed close behind in 2:07.29.
With a strong end to the meet, King, Ng, Rafael Alfaro and Palmer swam the men’s 400 free in 3:06.62, three seconds before Seattle for the win.
Diving
At the Air Force Academy over the weekend, the men’s team had three top-10 finishes in the men’s 3-meter finals. Nicholas Suder finished in fourth with a score of 355.00. Freshman Bryce Farabee took sixth with a score of 334.60. And in ninth place was Edward Young who score 305.55 points.
Suder also finished fourth as the top BYU finalist in the men’s 1-meter. He scored a total 323.25 points in the event.
For the women’s team, MacKenzie Rands as the top BYU finalist scoring 280.50 points for eight place in the women’s 3-meter. Teammate Raleigh Willams Taylor finished tenth with a score of 278.55
Willams Taylor was the only Cougar to place in the women’s 1-meter, taking 10th again with 258.70 points.
The men's team and divers now prepare for conference championships that begin Feb. 14. The MPSF Swiming Championships are held at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, Calif. The MPSF Diving Championships are held at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena Calif.