KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Auburn swimming and diving team finished the first day of the SEC Championships on Tuesday with two relays earning NCAA A-Cut times, two swimmers making the program's all-time top 10 list, and a near podium finish from Conner Pruitt.
WOMEN
The Auburn women set the tone early with an NCAA qualifying time in the 200 medley relay. Sophomore Meghan Lee led off with a personal best 50 backstroke split (23.94). She was followed by freshman Anastasia Makarova, junior Claudia Thamm, and then another freshman, Rebekah Hamilton, who swam the freestyle leg to close out the race.
The Tigers finished fourth in the event, narrowly missing the podium, and their time of 1:35.96 was the second-fastest 200 medley relay time in Auburn history.
Later in the night, Auburn's 800 freestyle relay team of Mykenzie Leehy, Kensley Merritt, Hamilton and Emily Hetzer placed seventh with a time of 7:06.14.
MEN
The Auburn men picked up their NCAA A Cut in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 6:15.96, the fourth-fastest 800 free relay time in program history. It was good for fifth place at the meet.
Christian Sztolcman, Ryan Husband and Jaques Rathle swam the first three legs, and then sophomore anchor Michael Bonson rallied with a split of 1:32.69 on the final leg to pass Missouri and get under the A-Cut mark. It's the third men's relay team to qualify for the NCAA Championships this season, joining the 200 free relay and the 200 medley relay.
The Tigers would have made the podium in the 200 medley relay if not for a DQ.
Juniors Lleyton Smith and Aidan Stoffle both made Auburn's all-time top 10 list in time trials during the morning session. Smith climbed to No. 7 in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:40.29 while Stoffle moved into ninth in the 100 back with a time of 45.94.
DIVING
Senior Conner Pruitt nearly made his second career podium appearance at the SEC Championships with a season-best score of 411.70 on 3-meter but just missed with a fourth-place finish in the men's final. It was the second-highest 3-meter score in Pruitt's career.
Pruitt, who scored 381.55 in prelims, was the only Auburn diver on the men's or women's team to advance to finals on the first day. Freshman Whit Andrus, competing in his first SEC Championships, finished 13th in prelims with a score of 326.15.
Juniors Gretchen Wensuc and Ashlynn Sullivan placed 20th and 21st respectively to lead the way in the women's 1-meter prelims.
UP NEXT
It's a full day of prelims and finals Wednesday with prelims for the 500 freestyle, 200 IM and 50 freestyle beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT. Finals will start at 4:30 p.m. CT with the 200 freestyle relay while the men's divers will be back on the boards competing on 1-meter.
Watch: Prelims | Finals
Tigers cap Day 1 at SECs with two NCAA qualifying times
