- BYU's swimming and diving teams set two school records at the CMU Intermountain Shootout and beat UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 16, the men 170-54 and the women 122-102.
- BYU Men's Swimming and Diving, BYU Women's Swimming and Diving connect back to Brigham Young University and the wider olympic sports picture.
- The story is backed by 9 sources and a visible last-verified date.
October 18, 2026
October 18, 2026
4 min / 967 words
9 official links
BYU swimming and diving has started 2026-27 with two school records on the opening weekend and a pair of team wins on the road. At the CMU Intermountain Shootout in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Oct. 2-3, freshman Summer Thresher and junior Sarah Eliason each broke a school mark on day one. On Friday, Oct. 16, the men's team beat UC Santa Barbara 170-54 and the women's team won 122-102 at Samuelson Aquatics Center in Thousand Oaks, California. Both squads compete in the Big 12 Conference and are coached by Tamber McAllister, now in her third season in charge.
Two school records in Grand Junction
Thresher, from Chico, California, swam the 100 backstroke in 52.97 on Oct. 2, her first collegiate race, according to BYU's recap. That time broke a 12-year-old school record by 0.23 seconds and made her the first BYU woman under 53 seconds. Eliason, a junior from Rockville, Maryland, set the school record in the 100 individual medley at 56.91, the first BYU woman under 57 seconds.
The rest of day one produced winners across both rosters. Haylee Tiffany won the 200 freestyle in 1:50.68, Lucy Warnick the 200 individual medley in 2:03.79, Tatum Cooley the 50 freestyle in 23.36, and Melissa Turley the 1,000 freestyle in 10:22.56. On the men's side, Tanner Nelson won the 200 individual medley in 1:47.86 with Max Kleinman second in 1:49.56, Tanner Edwards won the 100 backstroke in 48.84 and Peter Etzold the 100 breaststroke in 53.80. BYU won 13 first-place finishes on day one, and both teams stood second behind Colorado Mesa after the first session, the men with 176 points and the women with 173.50.
By the end of the meet, BYU's schedule pages show both squads in first place: the men with 198 points and the women with 183 points.
A road sweep at Santa Barbara
The Oct. 16 dual brought 18 first-place finishes across both teams, 11 by the men. Kleinman, from Gilbert, Arizona, swept every event he swam. Etzold, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, swept the 100 and 200 breaststroke, and BYU's preview of the trip notes that his 52.03 in the 100 breaststroke is the No. 2 mark in school history. Joshua Reed won the 100 freestyle in 44.84, Nelson the 200 freestyle and Edwards the 50 freestyle. McAllister said, "Our freshmen stepped up in some key moments."
The women's seven first-place finishes started with Thresher, who won the 100 and 200 backstroke. Her 53.54 in the 100 was just over half a second off the school record she set two weeks earlier. Ana Loveridge and Cooley went 1-2 in the 100 freestyle in 50.73 and 50.82, Tiffany won the 200 freestyle in 1:50.10 and Chesney Bonner the 200 individual medley in 2:06.13. Cooley's 22.59 in the 50 freestyle stands No. 2 all-time at BYU, and Tiffany holds the school record in the 200 freestyle, per the same preview.
What BYU carried over from last season
BYU returns five of the seven Cougars who earned All-Big 12 honors in 2025-26: Nelson, Easton Mousser, Etzold, William Bonnett and Lucy Warnick. Tom Huynh is the head diving coach. McAllister was Big 12 Co-coach of the Year for the women's team in 2024-25, according to BYU's schedule release.
The men finished fifth at the Big 12 Championships in February with 843 points and fourth at the Big 12 West Championship Meet in January with 730. They won duals at Hawaii, 167-133 on Jan. 3, and at Denver, 183-116 on Jan. 10. The women finished eighth at the Big 12 Championships and fifth at the Big 12 West meet, according to the headlines on BYU's news archive.
The Feb. 6, 2026 dual with Utah belongs in this ledger as well. BYU's women beat Utah 160-140 at Richards Building Pool, the first win over the Utes since 2012, and four pool records fell that night. The men's dual that night finished Utah 161, BYU 140. The two programs meet again in Salt Lake City on Feb. 6, 2027, according to BYU's schedule.
The schedule ahead
BYU's women's schedule lists the Utah Tech Sprint Dual at Richards Building Pool on Nov. 6, and both teams list UNLV there on Nov. 7, a date the schedule marks for senior night. The Big 12 West Showdown follows in Tucson on Jan. 15-16 at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center, and the Big 12 Championships are listed for Feb. 23-27 at Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. The women's NCAA Championships are listed for March 17-20 in Austin, Texas, and the men's NCAA Championships are also in Austin, at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. The release also lists an NCAA Zone E diving qualifier in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Where to follow the Cougars
The men's team page and the women's team page link to BYU's official rosters and schedules. BYU's roster pages print position and height but not class, so class years here come only from BYU's own recaps and previews.
Key facts:
- Teams: BYU men's and women's swimming and diving, Big 12 Conference, home pool Richards Building Pool in Provo
- Head coach: Tamber McAllister, third season; Tom Huynh is head diving coach
- CMU Intermountain Shootout (Oct. 2-3): men 198 points and women 183 points, both first on BYU's schedule pages
- School records, Oct. 2: Summer Thresher, 100 backstroke, 52.97; Sarah Eliason, 100 individual medley, 56.91
- Oct. 16 at UC Santa Barbara: men won 170-54, women won 122-102, in Thousand Oaks, California
- Individual standouts: Max Kleinman swept every event he swam; Peter Etzold swept the breaststroke events; Thresher won the 100 and 200 backstroke
- 2025-26: men fifth at the Big 12 Championships (843 points); women eighth; BYU's women beat Utah 160-140 on Feb. 6, 2026
- Next home meets listed: Utah Tech (women) on Nov. 6 and UNLV on Nov. 7