Utah Dive’s Petersen Shatters Pool and Program Record

Utah Dive’s Petersen Shatters Pool and Program Record

2/7/2025 10:39 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Swim and dive make waves on day one against Cougars

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah swim and dive completed the first day hosting the Brigham Young University Cougars with a new program and pool record on the one-meter springboard, a sweep on the three-meter event, three top ten times, nine Utes earning a gold in the Ute Natatorium on Friday night.

The Utes showed out in their first session against rival BYU, taking the gold in nine of sixteen events and breaking both a pool and program record.

"I thought that the women had a really nice meet today," said head coach Jonas Persson, "They were really getting after it and racing hard, just like they've done the last few meets this year. They're just getting it done and they're up by a decent amount of points for tomorrow. They're very solid, so I'm excited about where they're at. They're gaining a ton of experience and getting stuff done, so it's going to be a great day tomorrow."

The women accounted for six of the nine top finishes and snagged six other podium spots in their races. They are currently sitting ahead of the Cougars, with the men in a slight deficit.

"On the men's side, I think our young team showed. It's not a lack of experience, it's more of a lack of being in this environment," said Persson. "I told the guys that they have to come in and learn how to compete with this energy, with a team that's very excited to be here. I'm just hoping they'll be able to step up and get it done tomorrow because I know they're capable of it. But, overall, a pretty decent day for the men, but I know they can do much better and I think tomorrow they're going to show it."

Taking It to the Top

Elias Petersen showed out in the diving well, finishing his 1m list with a score of 411.45, breaking the program record he set at this same meet in 2023 and desecrating the pool record that was set in 2018. His unmatched performance earned the Utes their first gold on the diving side.
The women's divers made their mark, sweeping the 3m event, starting with Holly Waxman with a final score of 339.80, Callie Eaglestone grabbed second with 321.45 and Kathryn Grant finished the sweep with 315.70.
Chloe Thompson clocked the first win of the meet, finishing her 1,000-yard freestyle at 10:12.83.
Isabella Riso was the next to lock in a gold, touching the wall at 1:50.29 in the 200-yard free.
In the same race on the men's side, Nick Chirafisi and Jakub Walter earned a one-two finish, touching in at 1:36.82 and 1:37.90, respectively.
Another gold and silver combo came in the women's 100-yard backstroke with Norah Hay finishing at 54.08 for the top spot and Alexia Duncan touching in at 54.93 for the silver.
Swimming the 200-yard butterfly, Sydney Even scorched her competition, finishing at 2:04.59, almost a full second ahead of second place.
Evan VanBrocklin took gold in the same race on the men's side, clocking in at 1:45.93 with Nicholas Kjaerulff taking the silver at 1:48.10.
Erin Palmer snagged the final gold on the swimming side, taking charge of the 50-yard freestyle with a 22.67.

"I love competing with BYU," said head diving coach Richard Marschner. "Our team and their team seem to bring out the best in each other, so it's always a lot of fun to see so much great diving. We always want to beat them and vice cersa, but I truly appreciate the respect that our diving squads have for each other."

Diving Head First

Sydney Kowalski crushed the 3m event, not only earning a 20-point personal best, but also collecting her first ever NCAA Zones qualification on that event.
Waxman, Eaglestone and Grant earned a sweep on the women's 3m event.
Petersen broke his own two-year-old school record and smashed the seven-year-old pool record in the same event.
Jesco Helling finished with the bronze medal on 1m with a 307.40, beating out four BYU divers for the podium.

"Holly put on a first-class performance tonight. She started off a little tight on her first dive, but she settled in nicely and put up a big number. The thrill of the night was Sydney popping off for a 20-point personal best and her Zones cut on 3m. She was a rock all night and it was amazing to see her have the success she earned.," said Marschner. "Elias was unstoppable and completely locked in. I loved how he didn't let minor mistakes bother him and he finished each dive like everything he had done up to that point was perfect. It's a point I've been making with him and he's really believing in his ability, so he's going to be a dangerous diver the rest of the way."

Looking Ahead
The Utes return to the Ute Natatorium to honor their seniors as they take on the BYU Cougars for the second session on Saturday morning in Salt Lake City.

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