PROVO, Utah – Despite not having a home pool to train, the BYU men and women swim and dive teams ended the season with 21 athletes named MPSF All-Conference and six athletes recording 11 new top-5 all-time BYU records.
Men's swim and dive
The men’s BYU swim and dive team ended the season with 98 top-three finishes and 55 new personal records. They finished third at the MPSF Championships as Preston Jenkins and Levi Jensen both broke school records.
Senior captain Jenkins led the team, becoming the 2017-18 MPSF Champion in the 200-yard freestyle, while breaking the school record with a time of 1:35.00. He recorded 17 top-three finishes, nine of which were first place, and posted four new personal best times. At the MPSF Championships, he also increased his own No. 3 all-time BYU record in the 200-yard IM (1:46.25) as well as his No. 5 all-time record in the 100-yard freestyle (43.41). After Jenkins' strong performance at the MPSF Championships, he was named First-Team All-MPSF in the 200-yard IM, 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle as well as Second Team in the 400-yard medley relay.
Freshman standout Brad Prolo was named MPSF Freshman Swimmer of the Year. He recorded nine top-three finishes and BYU’s No. 2 all-time record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 54.30. At the MPSF Championships, Prolo placed second and recorded BYU’s No. 4 all-time record in the 200-yard breaststroke. He was named First-Team All-MPSF in the 200-yard breaststroke and Second Team in the 200-yard IM and 100-yard breaststroke. Prolo will leave for two years to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ukraine.
In his first season back from his mission, diver Nathan Gonzales placed himself three times in BYU's all-time record book. The 2017-18 MPSF Champion on the 1-meter and 3-meter, Gonzales recorded BYU’s No. 4 all-time record on the 1-meter (351.15), 3-meter (384.00) and platform (324.70). He was named the MPSF/TYR Male Athlete of the Week after finishing first in the 1-meter and 3-meter at his first meet back from his LDS mission. He finished the season with 12 top-three finishes, including five first-place wins. Gonzales qualified to complete at the Zone E Diving Championships on the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform where he placed sixth, 12th and 12th, respectively. At the end of the season, he was named First-Team All-MPSF in all three events.
Another 2017 LDS returned missionary, Levi Jensen ended the 2017-18 season breaking his own school record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 53.88 at the MPSF Championships. Throughout the season, he finished top-three five times and posted four new personal bests. Jensen was named First-Team All-MPSF in the 100-yard breaststroke as well as Second Team in the 200-yard breaststroke and 400-yard medley relay.
In his final season at BYU, Matt Denkers recorded nine top-three finishes and qualified to complete in all three events at the Zone E Diving Championships. Denkers placed second in the 1-meter at the MPSF Championships and was named First Team All-MPSF on the 1-meter and Second Team on the 3-meter and platform. He was awarded the BYU Kimball Memorial Award for the highest cumulative GPA (3.91) of all BYU student-athletes with at least 70 credit hours completed.
The men’s team had nine athletes named Academic All-MPSF, including Jenkins, Jensen and Denkers.
Women's swim and dive
The women’s swim and dive team placed fourth at the MPSF Championships. The team totalled 67 top-three finishes and 34 new personal records.
Haley Bertoldo ended her junior season with BYU earning a new personal best, BYU’s No. 3 all-time record and second place in the 200-yard backstroke at the MPSF Championships. Throughout the season, she recorded eight top-three finishes and three personal bests. After her performance at the MPSF Championships, she was named First-Team All-MPSF in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke.
Freshman newcomer Elizabeth Holmes had an immediate impact on the team. At her first meet for BYU, she recorded first place on the 3-meter and second on the 1-meter. Throughout the season, she had nine top-three finish as well as qualified for the Zone E Championships on the 1-meter. She finished third on the 1-meter at the MPSF Championships and was named First-Team All-MPSF on the 1-meter and Second Team on the 3-meter.
Kelly Hatanaka, a junior from Colorado, was named the MPSF/TYR Female Athlete of the Week after she finished second in the 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard IM and 400-yard IM at the Intermountain Shootout. She was named Second-Team All-MPSF in the 200-yard IM, 400-yard IM and 200-yard while finishing the season with eight top-three finishes and three new personal bests.
Morgan Mellow finished her sophomore season with three top-three finishes and qualified to compete at the Zone E Diving Championships. At the MPSF Championships, she recorded a new personal best and claimed BYU’s No. 3 all-time record on platform. She was named Second-Team All-MPSF on the 1-meter and platform.
Seven athletes on the women’s team were named Academic All-MPSF including, Bertoldo, Hatanaka and Mellow.