On Dec. 7 a select group of swimmers was chosen to participate in the Texas invitational to compete against some of the best swimmers in the country. Because of the small number of swimmers present, this meet wasn’t focused on gaining a win for BYU but gave the opportunity to some star players to compete and secure qualifying times for the NCAAs.
Freshman Lucas Aquino shattered the 30-year-old all-time record in the 200 fly (1:46.54), a record originally set by teammate Dallin Johnson’s father, Paul Johnson, in 1985 (1:47.31).
“This was the oldest school record we have on the books,” said BYU head coach John Brooks. “That record had kind of a curse on it forever. It’s a 30-year-old record that guys have been trying to break over the last few years, so that was a pretty impressive record to break.”
In addition to Aquino conquering the BYU 200 fly record, Hayden Palmer broke the BYU 400 individual medley record. He finished in second place in 3:45.38 and beat the all-time BYU record 3:47.54, which he set himself earlier this year. This phenomenal time in the 400 individual medley will allow Palmer to represent BYU in the NCAAs.
Other Cougars who shone at the Texas invitational include Hailey Campbell in the 100 and 200 back event; the 400 free relay team consisting of Kimberly Doroghian, Campbell, Alexandria Sorensen and Andrea Grant, who placed 12th in the meet; and the men’s 800 relay team including Jake Taylor, Rafael Alfaro, Palmer and Aquino. The men’s 200 free relay also did well, placing 12th with a time of 1:21.94 thanks to swimmers Jordan Fletcher, McKay King, Rainer Ng and Taylor.
“This meet went pretty well for us, and I’m really proud of all our swimmers,” Brooks said. “Everybody that swam either got a personal-best time or a season-best time.”
The Cougars’ next meet is Jan. 17 at Denver against New Mexico and Denver.
