BYU swim and dive earns conference title, breaks school record at Big 12 championships

The sound of teammates pounding the pool deck echoed through the Greensboro Aquatic Center as swimmers stepped onto the blocks for the final races of the week, capturing the energy that defined BYU’s performances at the 2026 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The five-day meet, held Feb. 24–28, featured several of the conference’s strongest programs, including Arizona State, Arizona, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU and Utah, with BYU’s men’s and women’s swim and dive teams competing throughout the week.

Arizona State entered the championships as one of the conference favorites and continued to showcase its depth during the meet, but the Cougars still delivered several standout performances of their own.

Leading the way for BYU was Tanner Nelson, who captured the Big 12 title in the men’s 400-yard individual medley with a time of 3:44.46. Nelson continued his strong week in the distance events as well, placing fourth in both the 500-yard freestyle (4:17.04) and the 1,650-yard freestyle (15:05.30).

The Cougars also earned a podium finish in the men’s distance races as Easton Mousser placed third in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:04.56, giving BYU two swimmers inside the top four of the event.

On the women’s side, Lucy Warnick delivered one of the team’s top individual swims of the meet, finishing third in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:15.78.

BYU also made program history in the relays as Taylor Bennett, Tatum Cooley, Lily Flint and Sophie Scoville combined to set a new school record in the women’s 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:30.35.

Additional scoring performances came from several Cougars throughout the week. Peter Etzold recorded two top finishes in the breaststroke events, placing sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 52.58 before later finishing fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke in 1:55.37, while Will Bonnett added another scoring swim in the 100-yard breaststroke with an eighth-place finish in 53.09.

Meanwhile, Jacob Ballard contributed in the butterfly events, placing seventh in the men’s 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:45.46.

BYU also earned points in diving, where Marti Llop finished seventh in the men’s 1-meter competition with a score of 352.60 before adding another scoring finish on platform, placing eighth with a score of 308.70.

Despite facing some of the conference’s top programs throughout the week, the Cougars delivered several standout performances — highlighted by Nelson’s conference title, multiple distance podium finishes and a new school relay record — before leaving Greensboro with continued momentum as the program grows within the Big 12 under second-year coach Tamber McAllister.