PROVO, Utah — Darwin Anderson and Tanner Nelson each broke their own pool records as BYU men’s swimming defended the Richards Building Pool with a 193-107 dual meet defeat of Denver on Saturday afternoon.
“We’re super happy with how the team turned out today,” said BYU head swim and dive coach Tamber McAllister. “I’m happy with where are team is. Everyone is getting better and that’s all I can ask for.”
For the second time in three home meets this season, Anderson broke his own pool record with a 9:17.13 in the 1000 free. The junior from Rock Springs, Wyoming cut over eight seconds off his previous record set Nov. 1, 2024 versus UNLV. At 9:17.13, Anderson also clocked a new personal best while remaining third all-time at BYU in the 1000.
Nelson followed Anderson with another successfully defended pool record, this time in the 200 free. The sophomore from South Jordan, Utah clocked 1:35.59 to top his own Richards Building top mark and earn his ninth event win of the season. Nelson’s 1:35.59 was also good for a personal best, improving on a 1:36.09 set at the Texas Invitational in November.
In the final individual event of the day, Nelson added nine more points for the Cougars and worked his way into double digit wins for the season with a 1:48.48 in the 200 individual medley.
Freshmen Max Kleinman and Peter Etzold combined for 36 more BYU points with two wins a-piece.
Kleinman earned his sixth and seventh race victories of the season with a 48.11 in the 100 back and 47.62 in the 100 fly. Kleinman also climbed the program’s 50 back record board to No. 6 all-time with a 22.16 to lead off the 200 medley relay “B” squad.
Etzold captured both 100 and 200 breast races for BYU with times of 54.12 and 1:59.47, respectively. The Cape Town, South Africa native also opened the day helping Diego Camacho Salgado, Luigi Riva and Nathaniel Eliason to a winning 1:26.64 in the 200 medley relay.
With Etzold’s “A” squad and Kleinman’s “B” crew of Tyler Edlefsen, Jacob Ballard and Joshua Reed, BYU swept the medley relay as Grant Chapa, Fletcher Madsen, Joseph Pyon and Asa Frisbee finished third.
Ballard, Riva and Nathaniel Eliason rounded out the Cougars’ 10 individual wins of the day. Ballard clocked 1:47.93 to win the 200 fly while Riva and Eliason went 19.95 and 44.00 in the 50 and 100 free, respectively.
With BYU and Denver’s dive teams both competing at the Cal Diving Invitational this weekend, the compiled Cougar-Pioneer diving scores contributed to the dual meet final in Provo as well. A pair of freshmen led BYU’s dive scoring with Martí Llop finishing second on 1-meter at 291.45 and Ezra Purcell taking runner-up on 3-meter at 290.95.
Cougar swim and dive next takes to the road for a dual meet at Air Force Jan. 24-25 at Cadet Natatorium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.