BYU Women Sweep Grand Canyon, New Mexico State

The BYU women picked up two dual meet wins over the weekend, defeating Grand Canyon University and New Mexico State University (158.5-140.5). New Mexico State beat out BYU 150.5-148.5. On the men’s side, Grand Canyon swam to a 163.5-136.5 victory over BYU. Full results can be found here.

BYU:

PHOENIX – BYU women’s swim and dive defeated both Grand Canyon and New Mexico State, while the men’s team was edged out by Grand Canyon Saturday afternoon at the Southwest Valley Family YMCA in Phoenix.

The BYU women posted a score of 158.50-140.50 to top New Mexico State and won by a 173.50-125.50 tally over Grand Canyon. The final score in the men’s meet was 163.50-136.50 for Grand Canyon.

“I’m honored that Grand Canyon University would swim fast and wear tech suits against BYU,” BYU head coach John Brooks said. “On the men’s side, all of our returned missionaries and freshmen are really getting into the swing of things and are swimming well. For our women’s team, Katie Smith, Zerlynn Tiang, Brenna Dickson and Kelly Hatanaka all had great meets as well.”

In the women’s 200-yard medley relay, a BYU team of Ashlee Spindler, Anna Dahl, Lillian Moore and Alexandria Sorensenposted a 1:47.62 for second place. A men’s team consisting of Jake Taylor, Stephen Richards, Rainer Ng and Payton Sorenson placed third in the event with a 1:31.04 finish.

Vanessa Moffatt tied for second in the women’s 1000 freestyle with a 10:41.21 finish, while Shawn Western, Luis Ventura andDallin Johnson swept the men’s side of the event with finishes of 9:48.26, 9:48.28 and 9:49.18, respectively.

Ellie Thornbrue took first in the women’s 200 free with a 1:53.39, with Lauren Shaw Taylor registering a 1:54.18 for third place.

In the women’s 100 backstroke, Spindler took third place, finishing in 58.66, while Taylor and Preston Jenkins took second and third in the men’s event with finishes of 48.78 and 50.29.

In the men’s 100 breaststroke, Stephen Richards placed second with a time of 57.16. Ryan Sorensen posted a 58.37 time to take third in the event for the Cougars.

BYU swept the women’s 200 butterfly, with Dickson registering a 2:07.93 for first, Tiang posting a 2:07.97 for second and Moore finishing in 2:08.20 for third. On the men’s side, Ng posted a 1:50.07 to take first in the event. Seth Russell placed third for the Cougars with a time of 1:55.57.

Sorensen and Smith took first and third in the women’s 50 free with times of 24.30 and 24.67, respectively. In the men’s event, Sorenson took first place with a 20.41.

Thornbrue placed third in the women’s 100 free with a 53.43 finish, while Sorenson earned third for the Cougars in the men’s event with a 46.17.

In the men’s 200 back, Taylor posted a 1:49.02 finish, good enough for third place,

Hanna Skaggs finished the women’s 200 breaststroke in 2:25.82, which earned her third place in the event. Stephen Richardstook first for the Cougars on the men’s side, posting a 2:03.78.

In the women’s 500 free, Hatanaka earned first place with a 5:01.78 finish, with Thornbrue posting a 5:05.05 for third. Ventura and Connor Anderson placed first and third in the men’s event, with finishes of 4:38.68 and 4:43.68, respectively.

Tiang swam to a 57.49 in the women’s 100 fly to take third for the Cougars. In the men’s event, Ng placed third with a 49.63.

Hatanaka finished the women’s 400 individual medley in 4:29.02, good enough for second place. Brayden Murphy took third place for the Cougars on the men’s side, posting a 4:10.44.

In the final race of the day, a BYU women’s team of Smith, Alora Foliaki, Taylor and Thornbrue took first place in the 400 free relay with a 3:33.00 finish. In the men’s event, a team comprised of Taylor, Sorenson, Jenkins and Connor Stirling finished in 3:01.80 to place second.

“After our training trip and a little time off, we were really geared up and prepared to battle,” BYU head diving coach Tyce Routson said. “Jordan Tuckfield has been working hard and got his cut for NCAA Zone Diving Championships on the 1-meter board. Ali Tippetts-Kottcamp won the 3-meter event for the women and put together a really high-scoring dive. We are now looking forward to preparing for the rest of the season.”

In the women’s 1-meter dive, Kaela Call placed third with a score of 247.25. Matt Denkers took second in the men’s event with a 317.20 result, followed by a third-place score for Kevin Dreesen with a 314.80. Tuckfield’s score of 301.55 was good enough to earn him his cut in the NCAA Zone Diving Championships later this year.

Tippetts-Kottcamp won the women’s 3-meter dive, posting a score of 278.25. In the men’s event, Dreesen took first for BYU with a 331.45, while Denkers finished in third with a 313.10.

BYU men’s and women’s swim and dive will take to the road to battle Denver and Minnesota next Friday and Saturday in Denver at the El Pomar Natatorium.

Grand Canyon:

PHOENIX — The Grand Canyon men’s swimming and diving team made its first home pool appearance of 2016 a successful one as the Lopes surged past a tough Brigham Young squad 163.5-136.5 on Saturday. On the women’s side, the Lopes suffered a difficult setback, falling just short by two points, 150.5-148.5, against New Mexico State, while dropping its matchup with BYU 173.5-125.5.

As the season continues, head coach Steve Schaffer is encouraged by the progess he’s seen on both sides, especially the growth of the men’s squad. The men accounted for an impressive 10 first-place finishes on the afternoon.

“Our guys really stepped it up today and beat a very good BYU team,” Schaffer said. “BYU regularly sends swimmers and divers to the NCAA meet. On paper, we had BYU beating us, so we took a few chances with our lineup and it seemed to pay off. We also got great support again from the divers.”

GCU kicked things in high gear early on by dominating the 200-yard freestyle with a 1-2-3 sweep of the top spots. Iegor Lytvenok led the way with a solid time of 1:37.91, easing by teammates Illya Glazunov (1:40.80) and Daniil Antipov (1:42.45). Lytvenok’s time was strong enough to better the NCAA Championships B-cut qualifying standard, although the Lopes are not eligible during the Division I transition. Mark Nikolaev also hit B-cut times with his winning mark of 46.94 in the 100-yard backstroke and 1:44.76 in the 200-yard backstroke.

Also adding individual victories for the GCU men were Antipov in the 100-yard butterfly (48.59; Youssef Elkamash in the 100-yard breaststroke (56.53); Jacob Lambros in the 100-yard freestyle (45.99); Michael Bidak on the 1-meter diving board (324.3); and Nikolaev in the 400-yard indvidual medley (3:55.64). In the relays, the men won the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:01.53) and the 200-yard medley relay (1:29.85).

Despite the tough loss to NMSU, Schaeffer still felt the women competed better, even with some athletes battling illness and injury.

“Our women really swam well today. They did a better job of focusing on their racing skills and it showed,” Schaffer said. “Our new spring addition, Estela Davis Ortiz really showed that she will be a top performer at the WAC Championships.”

Davis Ortiz played a hand in four of the Lopes’ seven victories on the day. She started things off with a bang, swimming the lead leg on the winning 200-medley relay (1:45.71) in the first event of the afternoon before coming back to post wins in the 100-yard backstroke (56.52), 200-yard backstroke (2:03.48) and 400-yard individual medley (4:27.26).

In one of the tightest races of the day, GCU’s Angelina Mikish won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:05.68, narrowly touching the wall ahead of teammate Kathleen Robertson, who trailed by just .15 for a 1-2 Lopes finish. The win was one of three individual top finishes by Davis Ortiz’s teammates, including a 100-yard freestyle victory by Jovanna Koens (52.71) and a Rebecca Coan win in the 100-yard butterfly (57.09).

New Mexico State:

PHOENIX, Ariz. – NM State swimming and diving defeated No. 33 Grand Canyon 150.50-148.50 on Saturday afternoon. The Aggies also competed against Brigham Young in the meet.

“It was great to see us get better today after being flat yesterday,” said head coach Rick Pratt. “It wasn’t perfect, but I’m really proud of our efforts as we gave both teams everything we had. Our distance swimmers really set the tone for us today, and there were several close races that could of gone either way. Our divers were outstanding today as well, and it was great to see that progress. We’ve got a couple days to recover before Idaho comes to Las Cruces, and I think we’re on the right track for something special.”

In the first event of the day, the 200-yard Medley Relay, senior Cassandra Rupp, freshmanLauren Wood, sophomore Georgia Brown and freshman Aimee Hatfield finished fourth and combined for a time of 1:49.14. Freshman Lanie McAlpin, freshman Hanna McGowan, sophomore Jannah Sonnenschien and senior Chelsey Reber finished sixth and combined for a time of 1:50.15.

In the 1000-yard Freestyle, the Aggies finished one-two with senior Mackenzie Soper winning the event with a time of 10:40.70. Senior Emily Nightingale came in second with a time of 10:41.21. Sophomore Melissa Rogers finished in 11:20.35.

In the 200-yard Freestyle, sophomore Picabo Bender finished second with a time of 1:53.46. Senior Moranda Madero finished sixth with a time of 1:57.88, and sophomore Gabby Sanchez finished seventh with a time of 1:58.23.

In the 100-yard Backstroke, Cassandra Rupp finished fifth with a time of 59.56. Lanie McAlpin finished seventh with a time of 1:00.01. Freshman Harlee Whitezell finished in 1:03.64.

In the 100-yard Breaststroke, Lauren Wood finished third with a time of 1:05.91. Hanna McGowan finished fourth with a time of 1:06.42. Junior Logan Morris finished eight with at time of 1:08.44. Freshmen Maya Loewen and Rachel Langone finished in 1:08.78 and 1:10.52, respectively.

In the 200-yard Butterfly, senior Dorottya Lennert finished fifth with a time of 2:08.39. Junior Nattie French finished sixth with a time of 2:08.41. Sophomore Jennifer Brennecke finished seventh with a time of 2:10.86. Junior Alissa Brezenek finished in 2:10.86.

In the 50-yard Freestyle, Georgia Brown finished fourth with a time of 24.74. Aimee Hatfieldfinished fifth with a time of 24.96. Jannah Sonnenschein finished ninth with at time of 25.36. Chelsey Reber finished in 25.40.

In the 1-meter dive, the Aggies finished one-two again with freshman Mackinna Hauff winning the event with a score of 263.45. Senior Lauren Reifel finished second with a score of 248.45. Freshman Raina Brommer finished seventh with a score of 203.60. SophomoreAbigail Watson finished with a score of 189.35.

In the 100-yard Freestyle, Picabo Bender finished second with a time of 53.31. Dorottya Lennert finished fifth with a time of 54.30. Morando Modero finished 10th with a time of 55.22.

In the 200-yard Backstroke, Cassandra Rupp finished fourth with a time of 2:06.66. Lanie McAlpin finished sixth with a time of 2:08.52. Gaby Sanchez finished seventh with a time of 2:08.76. Harlee Whitezell finished in 2:15.71.

In the 200-yard Backstroke, finished one-two for the third time with Lauren Wood winning the event with a time of 2:20.39. Hanna McGowan finished second with a time of 2:25.46.Logan Morris finished eighth with a time of 2:28.91. Maya Loewen finished in 2:28.98, and freshman Barbora Kriznova finished in 2:26.28.

In the 500-yard Freestyle, Picabo Bender finished second with a time of 5:04.96. Mackenzie Soper finished fifth with a time of 5:14.66. Nattie French finished sixth with a time of 5:15.07. Moranda Madero finished in 5:15.78.

In the 100-yard Butterfly, Dorottya Lennert finished second with a time of 57.09. Jannah Sonnenschein finished sixth with a time of 58.34. Alissa Brezenek finished ninth with a time of 59.95. Lanie McAlpin and freshman Rachel Langone finished in 1:00.66 and 1:00.75, respectively.

In the 3-meter Dive, Raina Brommer finished second with a score of 266.85. Mackinna Hauff finished third with a score of 253.40. Abigail Watson finished fourth with a score of 253.00.

In the 400-yard IM, Lauren Wood finished third with a time of 4:32.64. Jennifer Brenneckefinished fifth with a time of 4:40.62. Maya Loewen finished eighth with a time of 4:46.62.Emily Nightingale and Melissa Rogers finished in 4:46.74 and 4:53.53, respectively.

In the final event, the 400-yard Freestyle Relay, Georgia Brown, Dorottya Lennert, Cassandra Rupp and Picabo Bender finished third with a combined time of 3:34.54. Moranda Madero,Chelsey Reber, Gaby Sanchez and Mackenzie Soper finished sixth with a time of 3:40.54.

In dual scores, NM State fell to BYU 158.50-140.50.

The Aggies will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at noon as they host Idaho in a WAC Dual Meet at the NMSU Swimming and Diving Complex.

Swimming news courtesy of Grand Canyon, BYU, and New Mexico State Swimming & Diving.