Looking strictly at the books, Lone Peak’s Jordan Tiffany knew his qualifying time in the 100-yard butterfly wasn’t really very close to the state record. In fact, at the Class 6A swimming championships, it was almost three seconds off — making it a longshot to break under normal circumstances.
But, you see, that state record was set by none other than Tiffany himself only a year ago.
So when the Tennessee Volunteers-bound swimmer got on the block at the BYU pool on Saturday, he knew he was capable of doing it again.
And again he did, as Tiffany set a new Utah state mark by swimming the event in 47.71 to beat the 47.74 time he made at last year’s state meet. And Tiffany then went on to set a new state record in the 100 backstroke in his final event as a high school swimmer.
“It’s kind of crazy to process. I feel like a week ago I was a freshman and now it’s my last 100 fly in high school. Really, my whole goal in view of the whole meet was to enjoy it and have fun,” said Tiffany, as he helped lead Lone Peak to the 6A men’s team title, too.
"It’s my last chance, racing with my best friends. I know I’ve worked my butt off,” Tiffany added. “Just come here, have fun and don’t stress.”
In the girls’ 6A team standings, American Fork kept Lone Peak at bay and earned the school a championship with 318.5 points while the Knights finished at 279.5.
Tiffany’s new record wasn’t the only one of the day on the boys’ side.
The Class 5A meet was also held at the same venue and Ryan Garstang of Olympus, a senior bound to swim collegiately at the University of Utah, broke Tiffany’s state record in the 100-yard back — albeit, for only a touch over five hours — as he touched the wall at 48.71.
Tiffany’s backstroke mark, set last year, was at 49.39. After Garstang raced to victory in 5A, Tiffany then re-set the standard with a swim of 48.25 in the later 6A state meet.
Garstang also won the 5A 200-yard individual medley and his teammate, Titans sophomore Evan Van Brocklin, earned first in the 100 butterfly.
The performances of Garstang and Van Brocklin propelled Olympus from a fifth-place overall team finish in 2019 to the championship in ’20.
"All of us have been working extremely hard,” Van Brocklin said. “Double days, almost three practices a day, it’s been pushing us really hard. It’s been awesome.”
In the girls’ 5A team standings, Timpview outlasted Olympus, Wasatch and Park City for the crown as the Thunderbirds scored relay wins in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle. Senior Rachel Oyler, who will swim at BYU, beat back Bountiful’s Elliott Howe in the 50 freestyle.
Oyler also took first in the 100 butterfly and saw her existing state record (set last year) in the 100-yard free withstand a challenge from Spanish Fork freshman Madison Parker. Parker finished at 50.89 while Oyler’s time of 50.74 remained at the top of Utah’s swimming list for that event.
The Timpview relay team in the 400-yard freestyle relay, including Oyler, came within an eyelash of setting a new state record as their time of 3:32.09 was only .02 off the old mark set by a Kearns team in 2005.
“I was really proud of them. It’s been a real long, exhausting meet for all of us,” Oyler said. “I’m just so proud of my teammates for what they’ve done. We missed it (the record), but I’m happy with what we are.”