GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — BYU women’s swim and dive put on a dominant performance with six event wins and 50-point wins over each of its opponents in season-opening action at El Pomar Natatorium on Friday night.
| Dual Meet Format Team Scores | Oct. 4 | |
| BYU vs. Utah | |
| BYU 128, Utah 73 | |
| BYU vs. Colorado Mesa | |
| BYU 128, Colorado Mesa 76.5 | |
| BYU vs. CSU Pueblo | |
| BYU 174, CSU Pueblo 27 |
"Our athletes truly shined today," said BYU head swim and dive coach Tamber McAllister. "The entire team rose to the occasion. I'm so proud of so many things tonight."
The Cougars book-ended the day with wins in both the 400 medley and 200 free relays. BYU relay teams went one-two in the 400 medley relay with Emma Marusakova, Mackenzie Miller Lung, Sarah Eliason and Tatum Cooley combining to go 3:43.92 and secure 11 points. Katya Hulse, Lucy Warnick, Haylee Tiffany and Halli Williams followed in close order with a runner-up spot at 3:44.42. Rival Utah took fourth.
Williams, Lily Flint, Eliason and Cooley pulled away to beat Utah again at the end of the night, this time by just 0.18 seconds in a 200 free relay win at 1:33.83.
Marusakova tacked on an individual event win and runner-up finish, adding to BYU’s point tally and nearly breaking a school record along the way. The junior from Zilina, Slovakia won the 100 individual medley at 58.28, less than a second off Mariah Lindsey’s school record set in 2017 and just shy of two seconds ahead of every other swimmer in the event. Marusakova garnered four more points for the Cougars with a second-place finish at 56.21 in the 100 back.
Williams, Cooley and Flint helped BYU sweep the top three spots in the 50 free and rack up 14 points in that event alone. Williams won the race in 23.74 with Cooley and Flint following in 23.89 and 24.05, respectively.
A trio of Cougar freshman showed promise in their collegiate swimming debuts.
Haylee Tiffany reeled in BYU’s first individual event win of the day with a 1:53.08 in the 200 free. Lucy Warnick, a 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, won the 200 individual medley in 2:06.11. Eliason not only contributed to both relay wins but added a runner-up spot in the 200 IM.
Alexia Jackson Hansen won the 3-meter diving competition by over 54 points with a score of 306. Brooklyn Larson Clouse, Sophia DeBergh and Kate Eriksen followed in fifth, seventh and 10th, respectively.
"It was good to see good practices carry into our first competition with quality performances," said BYU diving coach Tyce Routson. "Alexia dominated with a strong start. Tomorrow we need to settle in with more consistency."
BYU completes its weekend at the Intermountain Shootout on Saturday with events beginning at 10:30 a.m. MDT.