PROVO, Utah — Mackenzie Miller Lung and Alexia Jackson Hansen are set to represent BYU at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Federal Way, Washington March 20-22.
With two athletes competing in 2025, BYU has its most women qualified for nationals since Katie McBratney and Kennedy Cribbs did so in 2021. Between Miller Lung and Jackson Hansen, the Cougars have five entries at the national meet: their most since six in 2011.
Events: 200 Breast, 100 Breast, 200 IM
Miller Lung rides a wave of momentum into nationals after a historic performance at Big 12 Championships in Federal Way Feb. 25-March 1. After a season in which she won 16 races, the junior breaststroke specialist maximized the conference championship stage to clock school records in the 100 breast (58.60), 200 breast (2:06.53) and 200 individual medley (1:58.27). Miller Lung’s 58.60 in the 100 breast marked the first sub-minute race in the event in BYU women’s swimming history.
"Mackenzie has truly committed herself to improving this season," said BYU head swim and dive coach Tamber McAllister. "Her unwavering consistency, dedication, and hard work have directly impacted her success."
At 2:06.53 in the 200 breast, Miller Lung won the Cougars’ first women’s individual Big 12 title. Miller Lung also added All-Big 12 First Team placements in the 100 breast and 200 IM. The native of Clovis, California is BYU’s first women’s swimmer to reach an NCAA Championship meet since Katie McBratney in 2021.
Miller Lung enters the meet ranked among the top breaststrokers in the nation with a fifth-place standing in the 200 and 14th in the 100. In the 200 breast, Miller Lung will face Paris 2024 100-meter breast Irish bronze medalist Mona McSharry of Tennessee. Miller Lung’s 100 breast competitors include Emma Weber of Virginia, who helped Team USA’s 400 medley relay team to gold in Paris. The 200 IM pits Miller Lung against the Cavaliers’ defending national champion Alexandra Walsh and Paris fourth-place finisher Phoebe Bacon of Team USA.
Events: 3-meter Dive, Platform Dive
Jackson Hansen returns to Federal Way for her first nationals’ entries after securing All-Big 12 First Team on platform and second team on 3-meter.
“Alexia has kept getting better,” said BYU head dive coach Tyce Routson. “I’m so proud of her efforts and hard work over the years to get here and claim this spot in style.”
Over the last three meets of the season, Jackson Hansen has sequentially upped her 3-meter game with scores of 309.60 in a dual meet at Utah to 314 in the Big 12 preliminary and 325.45 at last week’s NCAA Zone E Championships. Jackson Hansen ranks No. 4 all-time at BYU on 3-meter with a personal-best score of 336.05 achieved as a freshman at the 2022 Mizzou Diving Invitational.
The junior from Mesa, Arizona tallied a season-best 270.95 on platform in the Big 12 prelim. Jackson Hansen then secured her spot on platform at NCAA’s with a 259.85 at zone’s. As a sophomore in 2024, Jackson Hansen posted a platform school-record score of 281.75 at the Air Force Diving Invitational.
At nationals, Jackson Hansen will face defending 3-meter champion Aranza Vazquez Montana of North Carolina and Miami’s Chiara Pellacani, a fourth-place finisher for Team Italy at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Jackson Hansen’s platform opponents include defending champion Viviana Del Angel of Minnesota and Paris 2024 Olympians Alejandra Estudillo (Texas), Kate Miller (USC) and Else Praasterink (Texas A&M).
