AUBURN, Ala. – The 2019 Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championship begin on Tuesday at the University of Georgia.
Auburn's women go into the meet ranked No. 7 in the CSCAA Dual Meet Top 25, the highest of any SEC women's team, but will face a tough test over the course of the five-day meet.
"I expect our women to come out and fight really hard with five competitive relays and a number of performers that can perform on an elite level individually," first-year Auburn head coach Gary Taylor said. "We will have some athletes each and every day step up. We may not win this year, but it's all about putting yourself in a position to grow and see what it takes to win on that level."
Auburn goes into the meet with the fastest time in the conference in the 400 free relay (3:13.75) and also has top-8 individual times in the 50 free (Claire Fisch - 22.05), 100 free (Fisch - 48.37; Aly Tetzloff - 48.58), 500 free (Emily Hetzer - 4:39.18), 1650 free (Hetzer - 16:05.48), 200 back (Erin Falconer - 1:53.56; Sonnele Oeztuerk- 1:54.18), 200 fly (Bailey Nero – 1:56.57) and 200 IM (Nero – 1:56.84).
Diver Alison Maillard is also top-8 in the 1-meter (eighth), 3-meter (fifth) and platform (seventh).
Auburn's men's team has two people currently among the top-8 in the conference. Josh Dannhauser's 1650 free (15:00.59) is the fourth-fastest time heading into the week while Conner Pruitt's 381.90 on the platform is the second-best mark in the conference.
"On the men's side, we've certainly been in a different spot this year," Taylor said. "Talking to the men's captains last week, they said the culture, the vibe and the camaraderie amongst the group is as good as it has been in their four years. From start to finish, regardless of the moment or the outcome, they have fought really hard. I think these four-and-a-half days will be no different."
The competition begins on Tuesday with the men's 1-meter and women's 3-meter diving competitions and the 200 medley and 800 free relays. Diving prelims begin at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday and finals begin at 4:20 p.m.
"There is a great vibe, a great energy and intensity from our team," Taylor said. "I think they have really come together. To see the two teams grow and come together as a family and support one another has been tremendous throughout the season."
For the remainder of the championships, which run through Saturday, prelims will begin at 10 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. The SEC Network and SECN+ will broadcast all of the sessions live on-line.
Live event results can be found at www.sidearmstats.com/ugeorgia/swimming, divemeets.com as well as through the MeetMobile app.
Follow @AuburnSwimDive on twitter for in-session results and notes.