PROVO, Utah – Payton Sorenson was awarded Swimmer of the Week by College Swimming on Tuesday.
“Payton is an outstanding swimmer and this honor is well-deserved,” said BYU head coach John Brooks, who has watched Sorenson claim a current ninth-place national ranking in the 50 freestyle.
Sorenson recently competed in a dual against UNLV, and finished the day with a first-place finish in the 50 freestyle in under 20 seconds (19.95). He also assisted his team in the men’s 200-yard medley by swimming the final leg of the event (19.45) to seal the victory for the Cougars (1:31.83).
In BYU’s men’s all-time record book, Sorenson currently holds the top mark in the 50 freestyle with a time of 19.23 (2016) and the 100 freestyle at 42.86 (2016). He also holds records with his teammates in the 200 and 400 medley relays.
At Mountain View High School, Sorenson prepped under coach Robert Ronan, while also swimming for the Mesa Aquatics Club under coach Jack Giles. At BYU, he has assisted the men’s swim team in two of its three standing Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship years. Sorenson qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 50 and 100 freestyle. He took 13th place in the semifinals of the 50 freestyle (top eight went to finals) and 48th in the 100 freestyle in the preliminaries.
This is Sorenson’s first honor from College Swimming in addition to having received Male Freshman of the Year (2013) and two additional Swimmer of the Week awards (2016) from the MPSF.