LOS ANGELES, Calif. – With six wins on the table at the USC Invite, head coach Ryan Wochomurka and the Auburn Swim and Dive program claimed five of them.
Anchored by a deep roster, the Tiger men swept Hawaii, UC San Diego and host USC. Meanwhile, the women coasted past the Warriors and Triton, falling only to the Trojans.
FINAL SCORES
Men
Auburn 255, Hawaii 59
Auburn 255, UC San Diego 59
Auburn 191.5, USC 122.5
Women
Auburn 233, Hawaii 79
Auburn 250, UC San Diego 62
USC 182, Auburn 130
WOMEN
Though it was a second-place finish to start the morning, the group of Lexie Mulvihill, Claudia Thamm, Emma Steckiel and Rebekah Hamilton are already closing in on an A cut in the 200 free relay, coming in at 1:28.99.
Hannah Ownbey and Meghan Lee delivered another strong performance for the Tigers in the 400 IM. Ownbey hit the wall at 4:12.78 for a second-place finish as Lee came in close behind in third.
Captain Claudia Thamm kept things rolling for the Orange and Blue. Her 53.49 in the 100 fly gave Auburn another second-place swim. Fellow Tiger Avery Bargeron wasn't too far off Thamm's pace, clocking a 53.71.
Sophomore Polina Nevmovenko gave the Tigers its best swim in the 200 free, placing third with a 1:46.94. Payton Marvin grabbed fourth to solidify an important haul of points.
Rounding out the first session of the day, Anastasia Makarova narrowly missed out on a sub-one-minute 100 breast but still managed to secure the second-fastest swim of the morning. Herndon, Virginia native Brynn Curtis grabbed third.
Although the afternoon weather didn't brighten up, the Auburn women continued to shine.
Lee, Makarova, Thamm and Mulvill kicked off the session with a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay.
Lee was back in the pool alongside Ellie Waldrep in the 200 back. The duo went 2-3 to put more points on the board for the Orange and Blue.
Mulvihill also wasn't done making an impact. In the 100 free, the Lutz, Florida native hit the wall third with a 49.53.
It was distance queen Emily Hetzer who made the biggest splash, though. Her 16:14.61 in the 1650 free had her 10 seconds clear of the next competitor.
Junior Hannah Ownbey teamed up with fellow Tiger Brynne Curtis to deliver a solid performance in the 200 breast. The two finished third and fourth, respectively.
Freshman Casey Cullen impressed everyone in Los Angeles, cranking up a 1:58.89 in the 200 fly to grab second place.
But there was no way, the Auburn women weren't going to return to the plains without a win in the 400 free relay. Mulvihill, Thamm, Steckiel and Nevmovenko teamed up for an impressive victory
MEN
Once more, the Tigers came out ready to swim. Kalle Makinen, Nate Stoffle, Logan Tirheimer and Ryan Husband wasted little time setting the tone with a win in the 200 free relay at 1:87.07.
There was no dying the Tigers in the 400 IM. Freshman Danny Schmidt paced the field by over two seconds with a 3:49.42 and Jacques Rathle made sure there was another Auburn swimmer at the top with a 3:51.51.
The men made it back-to-back events with a 1-2 finish in the 100 fly. Nate Stoffle's 47.07 was the fastest swim of the meet while Sohib Khaled Emam hit the wall at 47.35.
Mikkel Gadgaard flexed his muscles in the 200 free along with Michael Bonson. The duo made it three straight events with a 1-2 finish.
To kick off the afternoon session, Nate Stoffle, Aidan Stoffle, Reid Mikuta and Kalle Makinen outswam USC by nearly two seconds grab the win and kept the momentum rolling.
The Stoffle brothers were back on the blocks in the 200 back. Nate's 1:44.12 narrowly beat out Aidan as the Tigers went 1-2 in yet another event.
Speaking of momentum, Mason Mathias and Michael Bonson weren't going to be denied in the distance events. The two when 1-2 in the 1650 free, keeping the Men's dominant performance going.
Half man, half machine Kalle Makinen found an extra gear in the 100 free. His 43.48 led the field and solidified another victory for Wochomurka.
Reid Mikuta claimed second place in the 200 breast after narrowly missing an A cut in the 100 breast earlier in the day swimming 51.41. Mikuta hit the wall at 1:54.74 for the second-fastest swim of the day in the event.
Evan McInerny made sure the Tigers claimed some big points in the 200 fly. His 1:46.58 was good enough for second place.
Capping off the epic performance, though, was Aidan Stoffle, Kalle Makinen, Logan Tirheimer and Christian Sztoltcman in the 400 free relay. The foursome dialed up a 2:53.64 to put the cherry on top of Auburn's wins over all three schools at the USC Invite.
DECK TALK
Head coach, Ryan Wochomurka
"Some great racing this weekend here at USC. It is good to get out of our comfort zone and race different teams. I'm really encouraged by the things we saw and excited about some performances this early in the season. I'm most proud of our ability to go on the road and bring great energy for a heavy two days of racing. Thankful for our parents and alums in the stands, helping to raise the excitement level for us."
NEXT UP
Auburn will be back on the blocks on the road at LSU on Oct. 27. The dual in Baton Rouge is slated for Noon CT.
