PROVO, Utah — BYU swim and dive invites fans to preview the 2023-2024 team during its annual Blue/White Meet at the Richards Building Pool on Friday at 2:45 p.m. MDT.
Cougar swim and dive embarks on its inaugural Big 12 Conference campaign after competing in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) since the 2011-12 season.
Over 12 years in the MPSF, BYU men’s swim and dive secured seven conference titles and never finished worse than third at the annual championship meet. BYU women’s swim and dive took home one conference championship and never finished worse than fourth in the MPSF. A season ago, the BYU men won their third-consecutive conference championship while the women finished third.
BYU enters a conference long dominated by Texas. The Longhorn men have won each of the league’s swim and dive titles since the event’s 1997 genesis. Texas women’s swim and dive enters 2023-24 with 11-consecutive Big 12 championships.
The Cougars are led into the new era by third-year swimming head coach Shari Skabelund and ninth-year diving head coach Tyce Routson.
Diver Alexia Jackson is the Cougars’ lone returning 2023 conference champion. The sophomore from Mesa, Arizona won both MPSF 3-meter and platform titles while also setting the school women’s platform diving record at 277.80. Jackson ranks fourth all-time at BYU in the 3-meter and fifth in 1-meter dive.
Halli Williams and Megan Bergstrom lead 12 BYU women who return with 25 combined 2023 MPSF all-conference honors. Williams earned All-MPSF First Team in the 50 free while Bergstrom did so in the 1650 free.
Mackenzie (Miller) Lung and Emma Marusakova both enter the new season with school records. Lung set the program’s top 50 breast mark at 29.05 in 2023 while Marusakova did so in the 50 fly at 24.96. Lung ranks second to only Katie McBratney (2:11.44, 2021) in the 200 breast at 2:11.94.
Seven true freshmen join BYU women’s swim and dive this season including Rachel Ballard, Tatum Cooley and Annie Reichner. Ballard signed with BYU over the likes of Tennessee and Harvard. Hailing from Littleton, Colorado, Ballard has seven Columbine High School swim records to her name.
Cooley was twice named a 200 freestyle relay All-American during her career at Mesa, Arizona’s Red Mountain High School. Reichner, a four-time Utah high school backstroke champion, prepped at Provo’s Timpview High School and is the granddaughter of former BYU men’s basketball head coach Dave Rose (2005-19).
The BYU women are further bolstered by the return of Katya Hulse and Tahis Ibáñez from full-time missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Women's Swim and Dive Newcomers |
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Name |
Hometown |
Last School/Club |
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Rachel Ballard |
Littleton, CO |
Columbine HS/Denver Hilltoppers |
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Ellie Boyer |
Springville, UT |
Springville HS/Utah Valley Aquatics |
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Tatum Cooley |
Mesa, AZ |
Red Mountain HS |
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Kara Martinson |
Weddington, NC |
Weddington HS/SwimMAC Carolina |
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Aubryn Ordyna (Dive) |
Mesa, AZ |
Mountain View HS |
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Annie Reichner |
Provo, UT |
Timpview HS |
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Lavenia Turagavou |
Provo, UT |
Timpview HS/Utah Valley Aquatics |