The BYU swim and dive season came to an end as swimmer Jake Taylor and diver Nathan Gonzales finished competing in the swim and dive NCAA championships March 26–28.
Taylor was named a first-team All-American in both the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke competitions during the championships after he finished fourth in both events.
“I’m so proud of Jake and all the hard work he’s put in,” BYU head coach John Brooks said. “For him to come out here and do exactly what he wanted to is so awesome. It means a lot to our program for him to come out here, and we are proud of the way he has represented BYU.”
Taylor was in seventh place with half the race to go in the 200-yard backstroke on Saturday. He knew he had to recover some of the lost time and used splits of 25.68 and 25.40 to finish the race and end in fourth. The last Cougar swimmer to be named an All-American was Brett Allen in 2007 in the 50-yard freestyle.
“I feel so good, and honestly I’m almost relieved that it’s over,” Taylor said after his final race. “I’m so glad I was able to accomplish the goals for myself, and I’m looking forward to taking a little swimming break and getting rejuvenated before next season.”
Gonzales was able to finish 39th in the men’s 1-meter dive event. He earned a total score of 298.10 and beat out nine other competitors. Gonzales will leave on his mission this summer and return to the BYU dive team in 2017 for another chance at the championships.
