PROVO, Utah — Former BYU swimming great Hayden Palmer has returned to the Cougars as an assistant coach, swimming head coach Shari Skabelund announced Monday.
“Hayden was an elite BYU athlete who competed in everything we asked him to,” Skabelund said. “He brings energy, teaching expertise and great organizational skills to our staff. We are so excited to have him.”
Palmer began his collegiate swimming career at BYU during the 2009-10 season and ended it on a high note with a Mountain West Conference 400 individual medley championship. Following a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Apia, Samoa, Palmer completed his BYU career from 2012-15 with a second individual conference title, eight all-conference honors and an appearance at the NCAA Men’s Swim and Dive Championships.
Palmer earned three-straight All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors in the 400 IM (2013-15) and back-to-back awards in the 200 IM (2014-15) along with all-conference recognition in the 200 breast (2014), 200 fly (2015) and 400 freestyle relay (2015). Palmer’s performances in the MPSF, including the individual 400 IM title in 2015, helped BYU to consecutive team conference championships in 2014 and 2015.
As a junior in 2014, Palmer also advanced to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas where he competed in preliminary competition in both 200 and 400 IM events.
Palmer still holds three top-10 times at BYU including No. 2 all-time in the 200 fly (1:45.91) and 400 IM (3:45.38) as well as ninth in the 200 IM. Palmer held the 200 fly and 400 IM school records until they were broken by Brad Prolo and Tanner Nelson, respectively, in 2022.
Following the conclusion of his BYU career, Palmer joined the coaching ranks with an assistant coach position at Timpview High School in Provo, Utah during the 2015-16 season. Palmer then notched his first collegiate coaching experience as a graduate assistant at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California (2017-18) and as a volunteer assistant for the Cougars (2018-19, 2021-22).
Palmer hails from Moreno Valley, California and prepped at Canyon Springs High School where he won three CIF individual championships in 2008 and 2009. Palmer competed in club swimming for the Riverside Aquatics Association under head coach Rodney Pilman and competed at the 2008 North American Challenge Cup in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
The son of Dean and Kim Palmer, Hayden’s brother McKay also swam for BYU (2012-13 and 2015-17). Palmer graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in physical education teaching and coaching in 2016. He will contribute to the Cougars’ coaching staff in a variety of capacities.