GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — BYU men’s swim and dive won both of its dual meet format matchups by a combined 135 points after totaling seven event wins in season-opening action at the Intermountain Shootout at El Pomar Natatorium on Friday night.
| Dual Meet Format Team Scores | Oct. 4 | |
| BYU vs. Utah | |
| BYU 129, Utah 73 | |
| BYU vs. Colorado Mesa | |
| BYU 142, Colorado Mesa 63 |
"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."
A collection of returned missionaries and freshmen put on strong showings in their 2024-25 debuts for the Cougars.
Tanner Nelson clocked 1:49.96 to win the 200 individual medley over Evan VanBrocklin of rival Utah. The 2022 NCAA Championships qualifier finished runner-up in the 100 IM at 50.87, good for No. 4 all-time at BYU. Friday marked Nelson’s return to collegiate competition after two years away from swimming as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Puebla, Mexico.
Jackson Dubreuil turned out an All-MPSF performance for BYU in 2022. In his return for the Cougars on Friday, Dubreuil picked up where he left off with a 1:51.10 to win the 200 fly. Dubreuil is also back with BYU after two years of missionary service in Mexico.
True freshman Max Kleinman surpassed Cameron Lindsay (2017) for No. 3 all-time at BYU in the 100 IM with a winning 50.65. Kleinman competed for the first time in a Cougar cap on Friday. The Gilbert, Arizona native spent the past two year serving a mission in Detroit, Michigan.
"The dedication of our returned missionaries to train over the summer, that was very evident today," McAllister said.
BYU finished one-two in the 1-meter diving competition with Marti Llop and Chase Hindmarsh scoring 320.85 and 288.30, respectively. Llop, a native of Barcelona, Spain and the 2024 Spanish Senior National Champion, made his collegiate debut on Friday with an NCAA Zone’s cut.
"It was good to see good practices carry into our first competition with quality performances," said BYU diving coach Tyce Routson. "Tomorrow we need to settle in with more consistency."
Junior Darwin Anderson added to BYU’s point tally with a win in the 1000 free and runner-up spot in the 200 free. Anderson won the 1000 free in 9:29.13, nearly three seconds ahead of second-place Owen Carlsen of Utah.
Emerson Edwards, Peter Etzold and Nelson swept the top three placements in the 100 breast race with Edwards winning at 54.33. The Cougars then stretched their lead with 11 more points courtesy Luigi Riva, Tanner Edwards, Nathaniel Eliason and Kleinman’s winning effort in the 200 free relay at 1:21.87.
BYU completes its weekend at the Intermountain Shootout on Saturday with events beginning at 10:30 a.m. MDT.