Cougars Sweep Utes in Final Conference Meet

PROVO -- The BYU women's swimming and diving team won the final race of the night to edge the University of Utah, 127-110, while the 20th ranked men's team easily defeated the Utes, 144-95, to earn the MWC dual meet title.

The meet went back and forth all night, and the 400 free relay was no different. The Cougars A team trailed Utah until the final leg of the race, when BYU's Britney Davis edged Utah's Melissa Young to the wall, giving BYU the victory in the relay and the meet.

"I had given up on the A team," women's coach Stan Crump said. "And I was hoping the B team would place third because that would have given us the victory in the meet, but then I noticed everyone cheering for the A team."

Crump said Davis swam the meet of her life and she needs competition like this to bring the best out of her. Besides anchoring the 400 free relay, Davis won the 200 and 500 free. In the 500 free, Davis beat Utah's Marta Stepanczuk by less than half a second.

"The Utah girls have been dominating the 500 all year," Crump said. "If it wasn't for her they'd have gone 1-2-3."

The Cougars also won the 400 medley relay and went 1-2-3 in the 200 breast with Tamber McAllister placing first.

With the victory, the Cougars avenge an earlier loss to the Utes. BYU improves to 5-2 in conference, while Utah lost its first conference dual meet of the season. The Utes are still guaranteed at least a share of the MWC dual meet title.

On the men's side, the Cougars dominated from start to finish, losing only one race--the 100 breast--all night.

"We had a great performance tonight," men's coach Tim Powers said. "We had some really fast times tonight. Times that would have beaten almost anyone in the country."

Two Cougars, Mark Chay and Zach Ancerson, won two events with Chay winning the 200 free and 100 back and Anderson triumphing in the 500 and 1000 free.

Also winning for BYU were James Bekker (50 free), Randy Belliston (400 IM), Diogo Yabe (100 fly) and Kurt Mullen (100 free). BYU also won both relays.

The two teams split the diving events with BYU's Justin Beardall winning the 1-meter and Utah's Sterling Richards taking the 3-meter."

BYU improved to 4-0 in conference (7-2 overall), while the Utes fell to 3-1 (7-1 overall). The Cougars will not compete until Feb. 18 at the MWC championship meet.