March 25, 2016
ATLANTA - Auburn's 200 medley relay team will swim for a national championship on Friday night and the team will also have three consolation finals swims as action continued at the 2016 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Friday morning at Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatic Center.
Auburn will be seeded fifth in the 200 medley relay after Kyle Darmody, Michael Duderstadt, Arthur Mendes and Peter Holoda clocked a 1:24.66. California is the top seed in the event after going 1:23.50 in the morning, the only team under 1:24.00.
Joe Patching will be the first Auburn swimmer to swim in nighttime finals of the 400 IM at NCAAs since Andrew Mitchell did it in 2008 after Patching swam a 3:42.75 Friday morning, qualifying for the B Final in a tie for 11th.
Hugo Morris will swim in the B Final of the 200 freestyle after qualifying 13th this morning in 1:33.86. The sophomore owns the school record in the event in 1:33.39, swum at the 2015 SEC Championships.
Michael Duderstadt tied for 11th in the morning in the 100 breast in 52.49 and will swim in the consolation finals of the event for the third straight year.
Arthur Mendes needed a swim-off to determine his placing in the 100 butterfly. Tying for 17th during prelims at 46.18, he was swimming for a spot in the B Finals after a scratch from the top 16. Mendes was beaten in the swim-off by Cal's Justin Lynch, 45.65 to Mendes' 45.90.
Though he didn't make finals, Zach Apple's personal-best time of 1:34.63 in prelims of the 200 freestyle is seventh-best in school history, ahead of Rory Connell (1:34.75/2006), Peter Holoda (1:34.86/2016) and Jakob Andkjaer (1:35.08/2007). It also knocked Romain Barnier's 1:35.22 from 1999 out of the top 10.
Friday's finals begin at 5 p.m. CT.
Auburn Results
400 IM
t11. Joe Patching ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 3:42.75
26. Sam Stewart ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 3:47.72
100 butterfly
t17. Arthur Mendes ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 46.18 (45.90 in swimoff)
30. Luis Martinez ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 46.83
200 freestyle
13. Hugo Morris ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 1:33.86
20. Zach Apple ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 1:34.63
100 breaststroke
t11. Michael Duderstadt ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 52.49
100 backstroke
Kyle Darmody - scratched
200 medley relay
5. Auburn ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 1:24.66 (Darmody 21.73/Duderstadt 23.79/Mendes 20.46/Holoda 18.68)
3-meter
31. Justin Youtsey ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 340.70 39. Scott Lazeroff ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" 320.70