Upcoming Event: Men's Swimming & Diving versus Alumni Meet on October 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM
10:00 AM
Men's Swimming & Diving
vs Alumni Meet
Photo by: Axe Tang/Utah Athletics
Utah Swim’s Durgan McKean Shatters Program Record in Day Two
2/26/2025 10:53 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
Utes end night with three podium finishes, 25 finalists and six new top times
FEDERAL WAY, Wash.– The University of Utah swim and dive program makes a splash in the second night of the Big 12 Conference Championship with a new program record, 25 swimmers earning a place in finals and three top-three finishes on Wednesday night at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
"On the men's side, we did really well and earned a lot of personal bests. From our freshmen to our seniors, they all got the job done. We scored major points in both swimming and diving, so we're in a good spot and we want to keep for the rest of the meet," said head coach Jonas Persson. "On the women's side, we had a solid day and some great swims. People really stepped up on both the diving and swimming side, so I'm certainly excited to see what we can do here in the next three days."
Smashing Records
In the IM
Freestylin'
On the diving side, the Utah women competed on the one-meter springboard, while the men took on the three-meter. Five Utes, two on 3m and three on 1m, made it into the top eight in prelims, successfully earning a spot in the A-final.
"I couldn't be prouder of the performance we're putting on so far," said head diving coach Richard Marschner. "By no means are thing going exactly our way, but I'm so impressed with the team's resilience and focusing on the things that we can control. We were the only team to have five A-finalists, one team had four and then every other had two or fewer."
Won Meter
On Three
"Both finals were very exciting and the men's final came down to the final dive for Elias, and that's really all you can ask for, is to have that opportunity. Holly, Kat and Callie were so composed and the way the dove tonight will be rewarded and regarded better at zones and NCAAs in a couple weeks," said Marschner.
Looking Ahead
The swimmers kick off day three at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday morning for the preliminary competition, while the divers take their start at 12:30 p.m., both groups hoping to earn a place in finals at 6:15 p.m.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UTAHswimdive | Instagram: @utahswimdive | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahUtesSwimDive), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 -- download here.
"On the men's side, we did really well and earned a lot of personal bests. From our freshmen to our seniors, they all got the job done. We scored major points in both swimming and diving, so we're in a good spot and we want to keep for the rest of the meet," said head coach Jonas Persson. "On the women's side, we had a solid day and some great swims. People really stepped up on both the diving and swimming side, so I'm certainly excited to see what we can do here in the next three days."
Smashing Records
- The Utes broke their second record of the meet, this one thanks to Durgan McKean's 200IM. Earning a third-place medal with a time of 1:44.33, McKean successfully beat Daniel McArthur's seven-year-old record.
In the IM
- McKean was the highest placing Ute in the 2IM, successfully touching in for the bronze medal.
- Evan VanBrocklin dropped time for a seventh-place finish and the third-fastest time in Utah history with a 1:44.70.
- Strahinja Maslo, Baylor Lewis and Kelson Flynn all had a successful race in the B-final, taking 12th, 14th and 16th.
- In the C-final, Caleb Gallagher finished with a time of 1:47.69, followed close behind by Cole Bettis at 1:47.87 and Matthew Sexton finished the group off at 1:48.72.
- On the women's side, Ella Derby touched in at 2:00.31 for the 12th-place slot.
Freestylin'
- Chloe Thompson kicked off the evening in the lanes, taking seventh in the B-final of the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:55.30.
- In the same race on the men's side, Jones Lambert picked up speed and stole second-place with a new personal best and the second-fastest time in program history, 4:15.47.
- Nick Chirafisi swam a 4:17.64 for a fourth-place finish.
- Nolan Arnholt grabbed 11th at 4:21.40 and Jakub Walter finished his 500-free at 4:24.56, securing 13th place.
- Owen Carlsen and Brandon Miller swam in to 15th and 16th place, while Quinn Jones and Oskar Farkas appeared in the C-final for Utah, touching the wall at 4:24.88 and 4:27.99 for 21st and and 24th.
- Erin Palmer grabbed another top-eight medal for the Utes with a 22.25 finish in the 50-free and a fourth-place medal.
- Finishing off the evening for the Utes, Julia Bartell finished in 21st with a 23.10 in the 50-free.
On the diving side, the Utah women competed on the one-meter springboard, while the men took on the three-meter. Five Utes, two on 3m and three on 1m, made it into the top eight in prelims, successfully earning a spot in the A-final.
"I couldn't be prouder of the performance we're putting on so far," said head diving coach Richard Marschner. "By no means are thing going exactly our way, but I'm so impressed with the team's resilience and focusing on the things that we can control. We were the only team to have five A-finalists, one team had four and then every other had two or fewer."
Won Meter
- Callie Eaglestone secured a fifth-place finish, the highest from Utah on the 1m, with a score of 293.65. Going in to finals the freshman was seeded eighth, but moved up the ranks in the third round after securing over 50 points on her inward 1 ½ pike. Her fourth round solidified her standing, adding 55.90 points to her total after her front 2 ½ pike.
- Kathryn Grant followed close behind, finishing in sixth with a total of 293.20. Her highest scoring dive came in the first round, her inward 1 ½ pike scoring 52.80 points.
- Rounding out the finalists, Holly Waxman grabbed seventh-place with a total score of 287.35. The senior averaged 47.89 points a round, the outlier coming in the final round, a front 2 ½ pike that brought in 54.60 points.
- Sarah Kauffman and Sydney Kowalski finished prelims with scores of 177.85 and 172.50, respectively.
On Three
- Elias Petersen finished his six-dive list in third-place, grabbing the Utes' third podium finish of the evening. His final score totaled out to be 383.30, averaging 63.88 points each round. After a small slip up in the fourth round, Petersen bounced back, scoring 76.50 points on a front 2 ½ with a double twist.
- Finishing in sixth-place, Jesco Helling earned a total score of 341.85. The grad student's front 3 ½ added 69.75 points to his total, effectively raising his average score for each round to 341.85.
- Attila Bernatsky finished his three-meter list with 262.15 and a 19th-place finish.
"Both finals were very exciting and the men's final came down to the final dive for Elias, and that's really all you can ask for, is to have that opportunity. Holly, Kat and Callie were so composed and the way the dove tonight will be rewarded and regarded better at zones and NCAAs in a couple weeks," said Marschner.
Looking Ahead
The swimmers kick off day three at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday morning for the preliminary competition, while the divers take their start at 12:30 p.m., both groups hoping to earn a place in finals at 6:15 p.m.
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UTAHswimdive | Instagram: @utahswimdive | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahUtesSwimDive), and the official mobile app of Utah Athletics, Utah360 -- download here.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Swimming & DivingHear It From Harlan with Utah Diving's Holly Waxman
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