Feb. 17, 2015
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn's men took an early lead after the first day of the 2015 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships on Tuesday, setting two school records in the pool and placing three divers into the men's 1-meter final.
In the men's 800 freestyle relay, Auburn's Hugo Morris, Arthur Mendes, Kyle Darmody and Joe Patching set the school record in the event with a time of 6:14.15, blowing away the previous record of 6:17.29 set in 2014.
Morris also provided the Tigers with another highlight on the opening night of competition, breaking the school record in the 200 freestyle with a leadoff split of 1:33.39 to earn a NCAA automatic qualifying standard. The freshman's time topped the mark set by former Tiger and three-time Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines, whose record of 1:33.80 had stood since 1981.
"We started off with diving and it really set us up for the day. Getting three up on the men's side was huge," Auburn head coach Brett Hawke said. "It just gives the team confidence starting a meet already knowing you're in the lead. Those guys did an outstanding job. We were strong in the 200 medley relay, but we were a little conservative in some of our change overs which cost us."
"To come back and see Rowdy Gaines' record go down in the 200 free after all these years was great, especially since it happened on Rowdy's birthday. It was an outstanding performance by those four guys in the 800 free relay, especially Hugo Morris."
Congrats to Hugo Morris for taking down my 34 year old school record in the 200 free! @AuburnSwimming #1:33.39
-- Rowdy Gaines (@RowdyGaines) February 18, 2015
Auburn's trio of Fraser McKean, Pete Turnham and Justin Youtsey scored major points for the Tigers in the 1-meter diving final to open the competition. Youtsey was Auburn's top-finisher with a season-best score of 359.75 to take sixth. McKean placed seventh with a six-dive list of 346.80, while Turnham took eighth at 319.65.
Patching, Michael Duderstadt, Mendes and Jacob Molacek gave the Tigers a fourth-place finish in the men's 200 medley relay, improving their NCAA `A' cut time to 1:24.91.
Auburn's men have 177 points after the first day of competition, 13 ahead of Tennessee (164).
On the women's side, the Tigers took third in the 200 medley relay to start Tuesday night's finals. Jillian Vitarius, Natasha Lloyd, Megan Fonteno and Allyx Purcell touched in at 1:36.70 to take bronze in the event. The time was just .59 seconds off Auburn's school record, which was set back in 2011.
Auburn is tied for eighth with Alabama with 105 points heading into Wednesday's second day of action. LSU leads the women's competition with 164 points.
Day two of the 2015 SEC Championships gets underway at 10 a.m. Wednesday with prelims for the 500 freestyle, 200 IM and 50 freestyle. Women's 1-meter diving prelims are slated to start at 1 p.m. and Wednesday's finals session will begin at 6 p.m. Both sessions will be carried live on the SEC Network +.
For the latest updates on Auburn Swimming and Diving, follow the Tigers on Twitter, @AuburnSwimming or like Auburn Swimming and Diving on Facebook.
Auburn Swimming & Diving Results
2015 SEC Championships - Day One
February 17, 2015
James E. Martin Aquatics Center
Men's Team Scores: Auburn 177, Tennessee 164, Georgia 146, South Carolina 140, Missouri 132, Texas A&M 127, Alabama 121, Florida 119, LSU 114, Kentucky 98
Women's Team Scores: LSU 164, Georgia 148, Kentucky 144, Florida 140, Missouri 137, Texas A&M 132, South Carolina 120, Alabama 105, Auburn 105, Tennessee 104, Arkansas 103, Vanderbilt 60.
Men's 1-Meter Diving
6. Justin Youtsey (359.75)
7. Fraser McKean (346.80)
8. Pete Turnham (319.65)
Men's 200 Medley Relay
4. Patching, Duderstadt, Mendes, Molacek (1:24.91)
Women's 200 Medley Relay
3. Vitarius, Lloyd, Fonteno, Purcell (1:37.65)
Women's 3-MeterDiving
14. Calabretta (282.50)
20. Mullins (270.40)
24. Schuelein (264.90)
26. Scheper (262.75)
Men's 800 Freestyle Relay
2. Morris, Mendes, Darmody, Patching (6:15.14) [School Record]
Women's 800 Freestyle Relay
11. Hull, Merritt, Purcell, Thatcher (7:11.71)
Auburn Notes (Day One)
- Auburn's Hugo Morris, Arthur Mendes, Kyle Darmody and Joe Patching set the school record in the 800 freestyle relay record with a time of 6:15.14. It marked the second-straight year that the Tigers have broken the event record.
- Morris also set the school record in the men's 200 freestyle with a leadoff split of 1:33.39 in the men's 800 freestyle relay final. Gaines' record had stood since 1981 (1:33.80).
- Auburn's men now have NCAA automatic qualifying standards in four of five relays this season.
- Justin Youtsey set a season-best with a six-dive list of 359.75 in the men's 1-meter final.