Utes Host Colorado Mesa on Halloween

Friday, October 31

Salt Lake City, UT

1:00 PM

University of Utah

Colorado Mesa

Utah men’s swim and dive intra squad meet at Ute Natatorium in Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday, October 10, 2025.
Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics

Photo by: Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics

10/30/2025 3:13 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Utah Swim and Dive to compete at home for the first time this season

SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah swim and dive program will compete for the first time at home this season when it welcomes Colorado Mesa to Ute Natatorium on Halloween. The meet is slated to begin at 1 p.m. and live results can be found on the MeetMobile app.

Opponent: Colorado Mesa
Location: Ute Natatorium | Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: Friday, Oct. 31
Time: 1:00 p.m. MT
Live Results: MeetMobile App

Last Time Out
Utah opened the season on the road last week, taking on Wyoming in Green River. The men's side started the campaign with a 196-104 victory over the Cowboys while the women's team fell, 172-128.

Caleb Gallagher logged 20 points for the Utes, thanks to wins in both the 100 and 200 Breast, while Davis Stachelek and Evan VanBrocklin each logged a pair of individual wins and some relay victories. On the women's side, Rylee McColley led the charge with 18 points for the Utes thanks to a pair of victories, while Megan Legarth, Erin Palmer, Ella Derby and Teagan Steinmetz all logged double-digit points.

"We are in a good spot for our home meet, and I'm looking forward to us continuing to develop and get better," head coach Jonas Persson said.

Attila Bernatsky shined for head diving coach Richard Marschner, winning the men's 3m with a list total of 281.25 and placed second in the 1m. Alex Just placed second in the 3m in his Utah debut as well.

Annalise Shrader and Cierra Cole also showed promise in their collegiate debut. Cole finished second in the women's 3m and third in the 1m, while Shrader logged a second-place result in the 1m and placed fourth in the 3m.

Bernatsky Breaks Out
Sophomore diver Attila Bernatsky was named the Big 12 Men's Diver of the Week on Thursday after a stellar start to the season last week against Wyoming. Bernatsky claimed his first collegiate win on the 3-meter springboard thanks to a 281.25 list score. The Winnipeg, Canada native also finished second on the 1-meter springboard, logging a 256.60 score in the event.

Bernatsky's recognition is the first of his career and the 11th weekly award by the Utes since joining the Big 12 Conference prior to last season. Eight of Utah's 11 weekly awards have come from divers.

Big Test in the Big 12
Utah will look to take another step forward as a program as it embarks on its second season in the Big 12 Conference. The Utah men placed third at the Big 12 Championships a season ago, while the women's squad placed fifth in the conference. The Utes will look to improve on those finishes this season, bringing back 22 returners on the men's side and 17 on the women's.

A Look Back - In the Pool
Utah Swimming will look to continue the improvement it has seen under the leadership of Jonas Persson, who embarks on his fourth season at the helm of the program. After a successful first season in the Big 12 Conference, both the men's and women's teams will aim to compete for a conference title this season.

Erin Palmer put together her fastest season in the pool last season, posting a number of program records. Her 1:00.40 in the 100-yard breaststroke against Wyoming shattered a program record that had stood since 2014, while her 22.55 in the 50-yard freestyle marked the second-fastest time in program history. She also clocked a 22.57 in the event against BYU, the fastest time recorded inside the Ute Natatorium.
Palmer was named the Female Swimmer of the Meet at last season's CSCAA National Invitational Championships.
Nick Chirafisi, Jakub Walter, Jones Lambert and Evan VanBrocklin smashed the Utah program record in the 800m freestyle relay – a mark that had stood for 11 seasons – at the 2025 Big 12 Championships.
Chirafisi set three personal bests at the conference meet, recording new fastest times in the 200-, 500- and 1650-yard freestyle events.
Chirafisi, Lambert and Durgan McKean return to the pool after earning all-Big 12 first team honors a season ago, while Lambert, VanBrocklin, Walter, Strahinja Maslo and Brandon Miller were named to the all-Big 12 second team.
On the women's side, Palmer earned a first team all-Big 12 nod last season.

A Look Back - On the Boards
In the 16th season under head diving coach Richard Marschner, the Utes have high expectations and are receiving some preseason national recognition. The women's diving team was ranked ninth in the nation and the top team in the Big 12 Conference, while the Utes ranked 13th among all combined Division I programs and take the top spot in the Big 12 when the US PDCA released its first preseason coaches poll earlier this month.

On the women's side, the Utes will be led by Kathryn Grant and Callie Eaglestone.
Eaglestone was recognized as the Big 12 Freshman Diver of the Meet at the conference championships last season and the duo both represented the Utes at the NCAA Championships and will look to return to McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta come March.
Eaglestone earned a spot on both the all-Big 12 first and second teams while Grant was named to the conference's second team.
Elias Petersen, last season's Big 12 Men's Diver of the Year, will look to anchor the men's side after placing fourth to earn All-America status on the 1-meter springboard and 25th on the 3-meter springboard at the 2025 Championships.
Petersen broke his own program record in the 1m last year and smashed the Ute Natatorium record that stood since 2018 with a list score of 411.45. He will be joined on the men's side by Auburn transfer Alex Just.

Coaches Corner
Two new additions have joined the Utah coaching staff since the Utes were in the pool last. Persson brought on alumnus McKay King to help guide the swim program. King swam for the Utes during the 2016-17 season, earning Pac-12 all-academic team honors, after swimming at BYU. He spent last season coaching at American Fork High School, leading the boys' team to the 5A state title, and has overseen the training of Paralympian Audrey Kim, who has set three American records and claimed five induvial titles while under King's guidance.

On the boards, Marschner brought on Logan Andrews to help coach the Ute divers. Andrews spent the last two years as the head diving coach at New Mexico after spending the prior season at Ouachita Baptist. He spent his college career at Auburn, where he qualified for NCAA Zones all four years and was a two-time finalist at the SEC Championships. He was teammates with current Utah swimming assistant coach Aly Tetzloff while in Alabama.

King and Andrews join Tetzloff, Jos Smith, Jordan Taylor and Brody Lewis as assistant coaches under Persson and Marschner.

Looking Ahead
The Utes hit the road again next week, traveling to Las Vegas for a dual meet against UNLV on Saturday, Nov. 8. Action begins at 11 a.m. MT.

Stay Connected
Fans can follow along on social media (X: @UTAHswimdive | Instagram: @utahswimdive | Facebook: FB.com/UtahUtesSwimDive), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 -- download here.

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