BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Auburn Swim and Dive roared to an impressive finish over the weekend at the USC Invite and the Southeastern Conference took notice. Reid Mikuta, Kalle Makinen and Casey Cullen have been awarded Men's Swimmer of the Week, Men's Freshman of the Week and Women's Freshman of the week, respectively, the SEC announced Tuesday.
Mikuta, the Tiger's breaststroke specialist, was up to his old habits on Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles. The Junior was part of two different winning relay teams, including the 200 medley relay that ranks as the fastest time in the nation. But Mikuta saved his best swim for the 100 breast. His 51.41 was not only good enough for a first-place finish but is also just .01 seconds off an NCAA A Cut and is currently the quickest time in the country.
Freshman sprinter Kalle Makinen was equally impressive in his Auburn debut. The Espoo, Finland native anchored both the 400 and 200 medley relay squads during a meet in which the Tiger men never lost a relay. For Makinen, his only second-place finish came in the 50 free where he still posted an impressive 19.71, just .01 seconds behind the winner. He saved his strongest effort for the 100 free when he hit the wall at 43.48.
Fellow youngster Casey Cullen also turned heads in Southern California. Cullen, the freshman from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania dialed up a pair of solid swims in both the 500 free and 400 IM. However, her best showcase of the weekend came in the 200 fly when Cullen went sub-two minutes with a 1:58.89 and a second-place finish.
The three awards mark the first for Auburn in the 2022-23 campaign and the first for all three student-athletes.
Head coach Ryan Wochomurka and the Tigers are back in action next week on Oct. 27 when both the Women's and Men's teams travel to Baton Rouge for a dual with LSU.
