AUSTIN, Texas and GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado (December 3, 2016) – Payton Sorenson finished in the top five of the 100 freestyle in the final day of the Texas Invite on Saturday.
“We had a strong finish at our meet in Texas and Colorado,” said head BYU coach John Brooks. “Both Payton and Preston (Jenkins) placed well in their events, as well as many of our breaststrokers. Our men’s 400 freestyle relay team is also one of the top 12 in the country. In Colorado, there were several season bests, with Alora (Foliaki), Sam (Palmer) and Lillian (Moore) leading the way. I’m proud of the way our athletes competed this week.”
Sorensen added to his stellar week of swimming with a fourth-place finish in the 100 free, with a registered time of 43.06. He is on the verge of breaking his current All-Time record in the 100 free, which is 42.86.
In addition, Sorenson assisted the men’s 400 freestyle relay team to a seventh-place finish. Teammates Preston Jenkins, Roger Woods and Jacob Rees worked together to clock a time of 2:55.61.
Jenkins also participated in the 200 backstroke, finishing in the top 10. He placed 10th out of 32 contestants with a time of 1:44.67.
Lauren Taylor and Emma Richards finished in the top 20 of the 200 backstroke. Taylor registered a time of 2:00.79 to place 19th, with Richards following in 20th with 2:00.91.
In the final day of the Mesa Invite, Lillian Moore had a season-best race in the 200 butterfly with 2:07.72, placing first over-all.
Kasdyn Rafie performed well in the 1650 free and placed second, with a registered time of 17:57.95.
Sam Palmer had a second-place finish in the 200 backstroke. She qualified in prelims with 2:04.10 and swam her season-best time in the finals (2:03.41).
Regie Tophan competed in the 100 freestyle and placed third overall, with a time of 46.44.
The women’s 400 freestyle relay team ended the race in fourth place. Together, Alora Foliaki, Olivia Capocci, Mackenzie Heffernan and Allison McCormick registered a time of 3:34.12.
The Texas and Mesa Invitationals were the last competitions of the 2016 swim and dive season. The men’s and women’s swim team will begin their 2017 season against Harvard at home on Jan. 6 in the Richards Building at 5 p.m. MST.