AUBURN, Ala. – The SEC Swimming and Diving Championships begin this week, and for the first time since 1986, the men and women will compete at separate meets.
The women are up first, swimming Wednesday through Saturday in Athens, Georgia, at the SEC Women's Championship. At the same time, the men's and women's divers will compete on their own in Columbia, Missouri, as a part of the SEC Diving Championships.
The SEC Men's Championship will run next week, Feb. 23-26, also in Columbia.
WOMEN
On the women's side, Auburn is coming off a fifth-place performance at SECs a year ago that included three SEC titles and two record-setting relays. The bulk of those medalists have moved on, though, leaving the Tigers with a relatively young squad this year. The women's roster features just two seniors and is made up of mostly underclassmen.
"Athens is a fast pool, a great facility," Auburn head coach Gary Taylor said. "I think that will bode well for performances. We have some experience going there during the fall, which is really big for our group because the majority of our women competing in the meet are actually freshmen – which is exciting.
"We've got great leadership. Our seniors, Carly (Cummings) and Jewels (Harris), have been, there done that. They're three-time SEC Championship finalists and performers. They've got the experience there. Our junior class is very similar – been there, done that. Even the same with our sophomore class. So while the team is very young from a freshman standpoint, you're going to have a lot of leaders who have been there and been in that moment."
Cummings and Harris, the two seniors, have scored at SECs in each of their first three seasons at Auburn. Cummings also holds the fastest 200 breaststroke time in program history.
Cummings, along with junior Emily Hetzer and sophomore Averee Preble, all earned CSCAA All-American honors last season and are hoping to qualify once again for this year's NCAA Championships. Last year, the NCAA meet was canceled due to COVID-19.
The women's SEC meet will get started Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT with the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay. Each session of the meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
DIVING
Auburn features a young group of divers as well this year. Alison Maillard, the reigning SEC Female Diver of the Year, was a senior last year while Conner Pruitt, a finalist in all three events a year ago, won't be able to participate this year due to injury.
The Tigers do have four divers with SEC experience with senior Logan Andrews and sophomores Skip Donald, Ashlynn Sullivan and Gretchen Wensuc. Wensuc made podium on platform last year in her SEC debut. However, for the other five freshmen on the squad, this will be their first taste of the SEC Championships.
"The goal every time we step on the boards is to perform to the level that we've been training, and I think we've been training pretty well," head diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. "We've gotten better. Obviously, this has been a different year for everybody and every sport, but they get an opportunity to compete in the SEC Championships.
"What I'm looking for and what I talked to them about is focus on them performing each dive to the best of their ability and really just follow through with the process. The end results will be what they are – but attack the competition with a great deal of confidence."
The diving portion will begin Wednesday with the women's 3-meter event.
Auburn women, divers take stage at SEC Championships
