Mackenzie Miller Becomes BYU’s First Swimming 1st Team All-American Since 1991

2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 19-22, 2025
• Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center — Federal Way, Washington
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Start Times: Prelims: 10 AM ׀ Finals: 6 PM (Pacific Daylight Time)
• Meet Central
• Official Psych Sheets
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Live Results
• Live Stream

On Day 3 of the 2025 Women’s NCAA championships BYU’s Mackenzie Miller made a little bit of history, becoming the Women’s team’s first NCAA ‘A’ finalist since diver Rachelle Smith Kunkel in 2000, and first swimming finalist of any kind since Angela Goodson-Price in 2007. Miller, a junior originally from California, qualified fifth into the 100 breaststroke final with a best time of 58.14.

The men’s team has had more recent success, with Jordan Tiffany making a pair of ‘B’ finals in 2024 and Jake Taylor being a First Team All-American in both backstroke events in 2015 and 2016.

2025 was the first year that Miller has qualified for NCAAs, and this has been a year of big drops for her. After committing to BYU with times of 1:02.40 in the 100 breaststroke, 2:16.02 in the 200 breaststroke and 2:08.69 in the 200 IM, she’s dropped time every year but most noticeably so in 2024/25.

Prior to the Big-12 championships at the end of February Miller had yet to break a minute in the 100 breast, with her best time standing at 1:00.28. In prelims there she swam to a 59.47 before going 58.60 in the final to finish third behind Henrietta Fangli and Joleigh Crye. Both swims were school records, and made her the first BYU woman to break the minute barrier.

She then dropped half a second to make the NCAA ‘A’ final yesterday, and was only just off her new best time in the final to take 7th in 58.39. The aforementioned Fangli and Crye also made the final alongside her to give the Big-12 three swimmers in the ‘A’ final, with only the SEC qualifying more swimmers with four. Noticeably, prior to 2023 all three schools represented by the Big-12 here were Mid-Majors.

The 100 breaststroke does have a history of swimmers from non-powerhouse schools performing well at NCAAs. Iowa (Emma Sougstad, 2017, 6th), Eastern Michigan (Delaney Duncan, 2019, 2nd) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Emily McLellan, 2014, 2nd) have all had swimmers make the ‘A’ final in the last decade. In addition, Emily Escobedo (UMBC) and Kate Meili (Columbia) have both made US Olympic teams after making an NCAA ‘A’ final.

The last female swimmer from BYU to earn First Team All-American status was Hiroko Nagasaki, who took second in the 200 breaststroke in 1991. Also in that final was Lydia Morrow Chase, mother of fellow 2025 NCAA qualifier Campbell Chase (Texas) whom Miller swam against in the 200 IM on Day 2.

Nagasaki was an honorable mention All-American in the 100 that year, so Miller has the chance to become the first double First Team All-American for the Cougars since K.C Cline Lemon in 1990, who did so in the 100 and 200 backstroke.

Miller goes in the 200 breaststroke today, where she is entered as the fifth seed and has a great chance of making the ‘A’ final just like Nagasaki 34 years ago. Her time, also from Big-12s, is a 2:06.53 which was a three second PB there. Given how she dropped time in the 100, she may challenge for a top-3 position.

Miller is BYU’s only qualifier for these championships in Tamber McAllister’s first year as head coach, but a second ‘A’ final appearance could be enough to boost the Cougars into the top-25. Utah were 25th last year with 22 points, and barring a DQ a second ‘A’ final appearance would give BYU a minimum of 23. That would be their highest points total since 1994 where they finished 24th with a total of 27 points, driven by diver Vanessa Bergman Thelin’s NCAA title in the 1-meter.