Cougars Face In-State Rival Utah In Final Dual Meet of Season
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams will host in-state and conference rival University of Utah Friday in Provo. Both the men and women dealt swept the Utah teams in November in Salt Lake City, with the men claiming a 150-93 win and the women a 148-88 margin of victory. The men are 13-6 against Utah in the past decade, while the BYU women have gone undefeated in five seasons against the Utes.
Last Weekend
The men were off, while the women hosted conference opponents Colorado State and New Mexico, sweeping both meets. The Cougar sprinters came alive, with senior Hanalee Hawkins setting season-best times in four events, two of which were team-bests this year. Junior Jennifer Tasker also had an explosive weekend, capped by a record-breaking performance in the 100 breast. With her time of 1:04.77, Tasker broke both the BYU pool record and her own high altitude record. Freshman Heidi Lietz had a breakthrough weekend as well, winning two events against Colorado State, while Jann Pickens, Tina Thompson, Amy Lueken and Mary Duffin also won individual events. Diver Rachelle Smith Kunkel also swept the 1-meter and 3-meter events against Colorado State.
Crump Nears Win Landmark
With wins against Colorado State and New Mexico, BYU women's coach Stan Crump upped his career coaching record at BYU to 149-40-1, just one victory shy of 150. In his 19th season at BYU, Crump has compiled a .787 winning percentage and has led four teams to conference championships, as well as four additional runner-up positions. His athletes (including divers) have earned a total of 38 All-America awards.
Season to Date
Junior All-American Arunas Savickas leads the Mountain West Conference with conference-best times in four events. Freshmen Stephen Wells and Gary Tan also hold conference-best times to date. Divers Aaron Russell, Scott Randall and Viraj Patil are among the top conference performers for the Cougars. For the women, junior Jennifer Tasker owns the best time in the 100 breast. Swimmers Hanalee Hawkins and Amy Lueken have also been strong contenders, each posting top-five conference times.
