Mountain Pacific Sports Federation

MPSF Swimming & Diving Annual Awards Announced

4/1/2022 11:55:52 AM

Photo: CSU Bakersfield's Autumn D'Arcy (Courtesy: CSUB Athletics)

2022 MPSF Women's Swimming & DIving Annual Awards (PDF)

2022 MPSF Men's Swimming & DIving Annual Awards (PDF)
   
CSU Bakersfield junior Autumn D’Arcy (Redlands, CA) was the Roadrunners’ first-ever NCAA Division-I Qualifier, competing in the 100 Fly, 200 Fly, and 200 IM. She placed 17th in the 100 Fly in a school record 51.80 and 29th in the 200 Fly in another school record 1:55.84. In the conference championships, D’Arcy was the MPSF Runner-Up in the 200 IM (2:00.74) and a double-event MPSF Champion in the 100 Fly (52.22) and 200 Fly (1:57.60). She was named MPSF Athlete of the Week a conference-high three times this year. She also recorded a second-place finish at the 2021 US Open with a long course CSUB record time of 1:00.24 in the 100 Fly, becoming the first-ever Roadrunner to reach an ‘A’ Final and medal in a USA Swimming national event. D’Arcy owns a school record 65 individual D-I victories and holds school records in the 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 IM and 100 Back. D’Arcy previously earned a conference swimmer of the year honor in 2020 when CSUB competed in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
University of Hawaii freshman Kathryn Ivanov (Fort Collins, CO) was the MPSF’s lone freshman on the women’s side to win a title at the 2022 conference championships (individual or relay). She was the 2022 MPSF Champion in the 100 Breast with an NCAA ’B’ cut time of 1:01.74, and swam on the winning 200 Medley Relay which finished in 1:39.14. She was also on the 400 Medley Relay which earned a second-place finish in 3:39.01. Ivanov contributed 38.5 points towards Hawaii’s second-place overall MPSF Championship team finish. Ivanov is the third MPSF Freshman of the Year recipient from Hawaii (Ivy Houser-2018; Kira Webster-2015).
   
Brigham Young University senior Kennedy Cribbs (Sammamish, WA) competed in all three events at the 2022 MPSF Championships, where she won the three-meter board (359.50) and placed second on both the one-meter (323.60) and platform (276.15) to contribute 54 individual points for the Cougars. She was the only diver from the MPSF who qualified for the NCAA Championships this year, competing on one-meter and platform. She placed sixth on the one-meter and 10th on platform at the NCAA Zones to qualify for the NCAA Championships. On October 26, Cribbs was named the MPSF Female Athlete of the Week after she recorded the top score, career-best, and a BYU facility record of 331.85 on the three-meter as the Cougars defeated Dixie State. Cribbs snaps the University of Hawaii’s perfect nine-for-nine all-time run in earning the MPSF Women’s Diver of the Year recognition.    
UC San Diego Head Coach Marko Djordjevic guided the Triton Women’s Swim & Dive team to the school’s first-ever MPSF Championship in any sport. UC San Diego won a conference-high eight of the 18 swim titles (44%), and placed in the top-three in 17 of the 18 swim events at the 2022 MPSF Championships. Individually, UC San Diego’s MPSF Championships came from Katja Pavicevic in the 200 IM and 200 Breast, Tina Reuter in the 400 IM, Ciara Franke in the 200 Free, and Juli Arzave in the 1650 Free. The Triton relay squads in the 200 Free, 400 Medley, and 400 Free each came out on top as well. Prior to taking over as head coach in July 2019, Djordjevic spent five seasons as the top assistant coach at UC San Diego. During that stretch, the Triton men and women both won five consecutive titles at the Pacific Collegiate Swimming and Diving Conference (PCSC) championships. 
 
Brigham Young University Diving Coach Tyce Routson helped guide the Cougars to a third-place overall team finish at the 2022 MPSF Championships. Routson coached MPSF Diver of the Year Kennedy Cribbs, who was the only diver from the MPSF who qualified for the NCAA Championships this year. Cribbs posted top-10 placements at the NCAA Zones on both one-meter and platform to qualify for the NCAA Championships. On platform, the Cougars placed four divers in the top-eight at the conference championships. All told on the three boards, the BYU Women had eight 2022 all-conference awards in diving. This is the first MPSF Diving Coach of the Year honor for Routson on the women’s side, snapping a streak of all nine previous awards going Hawaii’s way. He also won his third men’s coach of the year award this year.

MEN:
 
Brigham Young University senior Javier Nicolas (Madrid, Spain) raced to two first-place and one second-place swim in his individual events, and swam on three winning relays as well as on a second-place relay at the 2022 MPSF Championships. Nicolas was the 100 Free Conference Champion in 43.65 (conference season-best 43.27 prelim), while his first-place title swim in the 100 Fly was an MPSF season-best 46.59. His 200 IM time was 1:45.36 to place second. Nicolas recorded a 50 free split of 19.30 on the MPSF Record-Setting 200 Free Relay which finished in 1:18.07, and a 100 Fly split of 46.25 on the winning 400 medley relay. His 100 free split was 42.51 for the first-place 400 Free Relay which closed out BYU’s overall MPSF Championship. Nicolas gives BYU its fifth MPSF Men’s Swimmer of the Year award (Nicolas-2022; Josue Dominguez-2021; Payton Sorenson-2019; Jake Taylor-2016 & 2015).
Brigham Young University freshman Tanner Nelson (South Jordan, UT) was a double-event MPSF Champion in the 500 Free in a conference season-best 4:16.56, and the 400 IM where he broke the MPSF record in 3:44.99. He took second in the 1650 Free. Nelson split 1:36.74 in the 800 Free Relay, which placed fourth. One of his highest achievements was being BYU’s lone entrant in the NCAA Championships, qualifying in the 400 IM, 500 Free, and 1650 Free. Nelson’s NCAA time of 3:42.87 in the 400 IM was an MPSF season-best, while his 14:59.73 in the 1650 ranked second. He was a two-time MPSF Athlete of the Week (Nov. 24, Oct. 5). In his collegiate debut on Oct. 5, he broke school and facility records in both the 500 Free and 1000 Free. Nelson is BYU’s fourth MPSF Men’s Freshman of the Year recipient (Nelson-2022, Brad Prolo-2018, Eric Muir-2017, Payton Sorenson-2013)  
Brigham Young University junior Mickey Strauss (Provo, UT) competed in all three events at the 2022 MPSF Championships, and posted the one-meter diving title with a conference season-best 358.75, placed second on three-meter, and a close second on the platform. Strauss was the individual high-point winner (54) in diving at the conference meet. At NCAA Zones, he also competed in all three events, where he held the highest placement of MPSF contestants in two events with sixth-place on three-meter and eighth-place on platform. He was also the second-highest MPSF finisher at 17th on one-meter. On January 19, Strauss was named MPSF Athlete of the Week for winning both the one and three-meter in a dual meet vs. Air Force. Strauss earns his second MPSF Diver of the Year award, and represents the third such honor for BYU (Strauss-2020; Nic Suder-2013).
Brigham Young University Head Coach Shari Skabelund guided the Cougars to their sixth MPSF Team Championship, and a repeat, while the squad extended their streak to all 11 years of finishing in the top-three at the conference championship. Skabelund had been on staff for each of those years prior to taking over as head coach this past season. For the second-straight year, the BYU men set two MPSF Championship records, with Tanner Nelson’s 400 IM along with the Cougar 200 Free Relay. BYU took first-place in more than half of the MPSF Championship events, 11 out of 21 (52 %). The Cougars also placed second in five events and third in three others. BYU swept all five annual MPSF awards this year, done only once previously on the men’s side (Hawaii-2014). This is the fourth MPSF Men’s Swim Coach of the Year award for BYU (Skabelund-2022; John Brooks-2021, 2016, 2015).  
   
Brigham Young University Diving Coach Tyce Routson helped lead the Cougars to their sixth MPSF Team Championship, and a repeat, while the squad extended their streak to all 11 years of finishing in the top-three at the conference championship. Routson coached Mickey Strauss to the MPSF One-Meter Title, and a second-place result on both the three-meter and platform. In the NCAA Zones, Strauss held the highest placement of MPSF contestants in two events with a sixth-place on three-meter and eighth-place on platform. In addition to Strauss’ three first team all-conference honors, Cougar Divers placed six on the second team, which included fourth and fifth-place outcomes on both one-meter and platform, and fourth-place on three-meter. This is the third MPSF Men’s Diving Coach of the Year honor for Routson (2022, 2020, 2016).