2022 MPSF Champs: Tanner Nelson Clocks 4:16.56 500 Free, Stirling Splits 18.77

MSPF Conference Championships

• February 16-20, 2022
• East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park, CA
• Defending Champions: Men- BYU (1x) Women- Hawaii (5x)
• Meet Mobile: 2022 MPSF Swim & Dive Champs
• Championship Central

Team Scores

WOMEN

1. UCSD – 240
2. Hawaii – 237
3. BYU – 211
4. UCSB – 163
5. UC Davis – 149
6. CSU Bakersfield – 127
7. San Diego – 84
8. Cal Poly – 78
9. Pacific – 75

MEN

1. BYU – 279
2. UCSB – 238
3. Hawaii – 209
4. UCSD – 178
5. Cal Poly – 136
6. CSU Bakersfield – 97
7. Pacific – 86

UCSD is leading the women’s meet by just 3 points following day 2 of the 2022 MPSF Championships, while BYU has opened up a 41-point lead in the men’s standings.

The Tritons kicked off the session with a big win in the women’s 200 free relay, posting a 1:30.41. Tina Reuter (23.07), Miranda Renner (22.53), Brittney Miles (22.66), and Jordan Phillips (22.15) teamed up to get the job done for UCSD, beating out runner-up Hawaii by well over a second.

The Tritons also grabbed a women’s win in the 200 IM, where Katja Pavicevic swam a 2:00.66 to narrowly beat out CSUB’s Autumn D’Arcy (2:00.74). The turning point of the race was the breaststroke leg, where Pavicevic split 34.06, and D’Arcy 37.05. UCSD also grabbed 3rd in the event, with Tina Reuter swimming a 2:00.94.

BYU’s Brynn Sproul won the 500 free, clocking a 4:48.81 to touch as the only swimmer in the field under 4:51. Hawaii’s Anna Kotonen took the women’s 50 free, swimming a 22.68. She was the only swimmer in the field to swim under 23 seconds last night.

BYU was dominant in the men’s 200 free relay, where Brigham Harrison (20.26), Roger Woods (19.74), Javier Nicolas (19.30), and Connor Stirling (18.77) combined for a 1:18.07. Stirling would go on to win the men’s 50 free at the end of the session, posting a 19.74. Hawaii also had a man under 20 seconds, as Tim Masten clocked a 19.91.

BYU’s Tanner Nelson swam a 4:16.56 to win the men’s 500 free in decisive fashion. He took the race out fast, splitting 2:05.62 on the first 250 of the race (4:11 pace). The swim also marked a personal best for Nelson, bettering his previous top mark of 4:17.62, which he swam in the fall. Unfortunately, the time will put him just outside what it will take to earn an invite to NCAA s this year, though it was a fantastic performance by a freshman nonetheless.

UCSB grabbed a win in the men’s 200 IM, where Kyle Brill got his hand on the wall just ahead of BYU’s Javier Nicolas. The pair hit the 100 yard wall right next to each other, then Brill opened up a bit of a lead on breaststroke, out-splitting Nicolas 29.82 to 30.37. Nicolas battled back on freestyle, splitting 25.95 to Brill’s 26.45, but it was just barely not enough for him to take the lead. Brill touched first in 1:45.34, with Nicolas finishing in 1:45.36.