Cougar swimmers kickoff 2014-15 season

PROVO, Utah – The Cougar swim team competed against some familiar faces in the annual alumni meet Friday night at the Richards Building Pool.

“It’s always awesome to have alumni come back and get in the pool and interact with our swimmers,” head coach John Brooks said. “We had a good turnout this year and we are so grateful for them. We have some swimmers who swam really well and others who need some more work in the water as we get going.”

Assistant coaches Yolanda Bates and Tamber McCallister were two of the almost 30 alumni who made their way back to Provo to compete in the event.

The night got under way with the women’s 200 medley relay. Haley Bertoldo, Riley Buer, Zerlynn Tiang and Alora Foliaki posted a time of 1:49.23 to win. In the men’s 200 medley Jake Taylor, Chad Sorensen, McKay King and Levi Jensen won with a 1:34.90.

Freshman Brenna Dickson won the women’s 200 freestyle, posting a time of 1:57.11. Luis Ventura kept the freshmen theme going in the men’s 200 free, winning the event with a blazing time of 1:44.06.

Up next was the 200 individual medley race. Hannah Hansen won the event with a 2:13.19, just edging out Bertoldo who recorded a 2:13.30. Captains Hayden Palmer and Taylor were neck-and-neck in the men’s 200 IM with Palmer just getting the win posting a time of 1:53.93, Taylor finished just behind with a 1:54.45.

Hansen won her second event of the night in the women ‘s 50 breaststroke with a time of 32.03, just beating out Buer who posted a 32.18.

Cierra Keller posted a 26.97 to win the women’s 50 backstroke and Taylor won the men’s even with a 24.07.

Tiang finished first in the 100 butterfly with a 1:00.17, just beating Bertoldo who posted a 58.77. McKay King finished first for the men, posting a 52.07.

In the 100 free it was another freshman taking home the win for the women, Foliaki impressed everyone posting a 52.83. For the men, Rafael Alfaro picked up his first win of the night with a 48.41, just ahead of Seth Russell who swam a 48.67.

Keller picked up her second win of the night in the women’s 100 backstroke with a 1:00.06. For the men, it was Taylor leading the way with a 53.43.

Vanessa Moffat picked up her first win of the evening in the 500 free posting a time of 5:15.54. Ventura won the 500 free for the men with an outstanding 4:45.24, beating out his next closest competitor by over 12 seconds.

Bertoldo took home the 50 fly in 26.49 and former swimmer Andrew Rutherford won the men’s event with a 23.78.

In the final event of the night, the team of Emily To’o, Emily Harris, Moffat and Tiang won the women’s 200 free relay in 1:41.96. For the men’s 200 free relay, McKay King, Taylor, Evan Berger and Alfaro won with a 1:25.40.