PROVO, Utah — The BYU swim and dive team completed its 2021 season with 31 Cougars named All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, four athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships and the men's team crowned MPSF champions.
In February, the team competed at the 2021 MPSF tournament in California where the men succeeded at reaching first place for the first time since 2016, and won by more than 100 points. Meanwhile, the women reached their second-highest MPSF score in program history with 727.50 points. Throughout the tournament, the Cougars won 16 of the 40 events, with Gustafson notching four first place finishes (50 free, 50 free, 200 free, 400 free relay, 800 free relay) and Javier Matta collecting six first place titles (200 IM, 100 fly, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 400 free relay). The diving team took home four second place finishes at the MPSF Tournament.
Most noticeably, BYU broke four new program records at the MPSF tournament:
- MPSF record, 200 fly, 1:44.16
- MPSF record, 100 breast, 51.81
- MPSF record, 100 breast, 1:00.10
- MPSF record, 200 breast, 2:11.44
Divers Adia London, Kennedy Cribbs, Morgan Paul and Mickey Strauss qualified for the Zone E Diving Championships. Throughout the competition, Mickey Strauss qualified for the NCAA Championships in all three events including the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform which was the first time a BYU diver has qualified for all three events since the 2001-02 season. Kennedy Cribbs secured a spot in nationals after an 11th place finish in the 1-meter finals with a score of 525.55. Seniors Morgan Paul and Adia London battled in both of their last official meets as Cougars. Morgan Paul advanced to the women's 3-meter finals on Tuesday and received a score of 525.55. Adia London competed in both the women's 3-meter and 1-meter events coming in 24th and 25th in the preliminary rounds.
Sophomores Mickey Strauss and Katie McBratney competed in their first ever NCAA Championship event, with Kennedy Cribbs and Josue Dominguez each making a second-time appearance. Strauss Dominguez recorded his second-fastest personal time with an NCAA time of 52.26 in the 100-yard breaststroke. Even though Dominguez was just two spots off from reaching the NCAA Finals in that event, he finished the season ranked No. 19 in the country in the 100 breast.
The Cougars collected multiple major MPSF awards this season including Katie McBratney as MPSF Women's Swimmer of the Year and Josue Dominguez as MPSF Men's Swimmer of the Year. Out of all swimmers from the MPSF, McBratney and Dominguez were the only individuals to qualify for the 2021 NCAA Championships. McBratney is BYU's first ever MPSF Women's Swimmer of the Year, and was the only female in the 2021 MPSF Championship meet to break a conference record.
Ryan Sorensen, Connor Stirling, Tama Tuitama, Brigham Harrison, Tyler Edlefsen, Levi Jensen, Chloe Freeman, and Brynn Sproul have qualified for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and will compete at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska during the month of June. Josue Dominguez broke three Dominican Republic records in April and has the olympic B-cut for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
2021 MPSF All-Conference Teams