LYNCHBURG, Va – In the first day of the two-day Liberty Invite on Friday, BYU men placed first in seven out of nine events, while divers Morgan Cooper, Nathan Gonzales and Kimble Mahler received zone cuts.
“The men swam well and won almost every event,” BYU head coach John Brooks said. “Brynn Sproul had a great 100-yard backstroke time and the women overall had a lot of season bests. I’m looking forward to rising up to another day having them be the best they can be.”
A team of Kunmi Ogunfeibo, Josue Dominguez, Javier Matta and Levi Jensen gave the Cougars a strong start in the meet placing first in the 200-yard medley relay. The women placed third in the women’s 200-yard medley relay as Sproul lead off and helped the team record a time of 1:45.85. Sproul came out with another win in the women’s 100-yard backstroke with a time of 55.06, setting a new personal best.
Tama Tuitama, Jensen and Matta swept in the men’s 200-yard IM, claiming the top-3 places, respectively. Jensen found himself on the board again in the 100-yard breaststroke placing fourth with a time of 57.75. Matta also placed second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 49.21.
Senior Payton Sorenson continued to place high for the Cougars with a first place time of 20.40 in the 50-yard freestyle. Connor Stirling followed in second, recording a time of 21.03. Ogunfeibo also got on the board finishing first in the men’s 100-yard backstroke with a time of 49.55. Both the men and women finished the meet strong as the men took first in the 4x50 freestyle relay and the women placed second.
For the women, freshman Gwen Gustafson earning second in the women’s 50-yard freestyle while Kelly Hatanaka took third in the women’s 200-yard IM. Tiare Coker contributed by placing second in the women’s 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:52.03 and third in the women’s 100-yard butterfly at 57.28
BYU had divers place in the top-3 in both the men's 1-meter and the women's 3-meter. Cooper, Gonzales and Mahler shined in the 1-meter event, earning the top three scores and all receiving zone cuts. Adia London took third in the 3-meter event scoring a 277.70.
The Liberty Invite continues Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. EDT. Live stats can be found on the swim and dive schedule page.