AUBURN, Ala. – Head coach Ryan Wochomurka and the Tigers had James E. Martin Aquatic Center rocking from start to finish on Friday. A record-breaking performance capped off the third top-25 dual win for the men while the women left it all in the pool against a top-10 opponent.
SCORES
Men
#9 Auburn 184, #15 Alabama, 116
Women
#8 Alabama 155, #13 Auburn 145
WOMEN
The Auburn women kicked off Friday afternoon with a solid effort in the 200 medley relay. Ellie Waldrep, Anastasia Makarova, Claudia Thamm and Lexie Mulvihill hit the wall second. Meanwhile, Meghan Lee, Hannah Ownbey, Abby Gibbons and Emma Steckiel were close behind in third to grab important points.
Auburn's distance group has been grinding it out all season. Emily Hetzer and Averee Preble kept it going in both the 1,000 and 500 free, solidifying second and third in both races.
Polina Nevmovenko put the hammer down in the 200 free. Her 1:46.21 was a personal best in the event. Rebekah Hamilton and Payton Marvin weren't too far behind, earning the first sweep of the day for the Tigers.
Auburn's backstroke group rose to the occasion once again on Friday. Ellie Waldrep, Daisy Platts and Kensley Merritt solidified second, third and fourth in 100 back. Later in the evening, it was Platts, Lee and Merritt taking the same spots in the 200.
The Orange and Blue record holder in the 100 breast in Anastasia Makarova didn't etch her name into history but her fourth win of the year in the event kept Alabama at arm's length for the time being.
Meghan Lee, however, did have her sights set on a piece of history. Her 1:56.48 in the 200 fly was not only a career-best but is now the tenth-best performance in Auburn history. Casey Cullen and Abby Gibbons grabbed second and third, and Avery Bargeron solidified fourth for good measure as the women locked in their second sweep of the day.
In the 100 fly, it was Claudia Thamm who led the Orange and Blue Charge. Thamm secured second with Avery Bargeron and Abby Gibbons taking third and fourth.
Lexie Mulvihill and Claudia Thamm did the heavy lifting in the springs. The duo went 2-3 in the 50 free. Mulvihill grabbed another second-place finish in the 100 with Nevmovenko and Emma Steckiel touching in at third and fourth.
Hannah Ownbey nearly ran down Alabama's challenger in the 200 IM. Ownbey and Lee carved out second and third, leaving it all down to the 400 free relay.
Mulvihill, Steckiel, Nevmovenko and Thamm raced until the bitter end. Nevmovenko in particular put up one hell of a leg to chase down the Crimson Tide. However, a second and a third in the event meant Auburn fell just six points short of knocking off Alabama.
MEN
Ryan Wochomurka's men couldn't have started any better. The noise from the Orange and Blue Faithfull almost took the house down as Aidan Stoffle, Reid Mikuta, Nate Stoffle and Kalle Makinen dialed up the win in the 200 medley relay.
Keeping the raucous fever going, Mason Mathias dialed up one of the most impressive performances inside James E. Martin Aquatic Center. An 8:51.45 gave the sophomore a school record in the 1,000 free, snatching it from Zane Grothe who was holding his lap counter while he did it.
In the 500, Mathias still paced Auburn, securing second. Teammates Grant Davis and Mikkel Gadgaard rounded out the Tiger's points with a third a fourth-place finish, respectively.
Brothers Nate Stoffle and Aidan Stoffle were not to be denied in the backstroke. Nate Claimed the 100 back with Aidon close behind in second, marking Nate's fourth win of the year in the event. In the 200, Andrew Simmons came up with a winning effort while Nate hit the wall second.
No one in the country has touched Reid Mikuta in the 100 breast. The junior still holds the fastest time in the country and the Auburn record. While neither was broken on Friday, his 51.55 was still good enough for the win as the Tiger men extended its lead over the Crimson Tide.
Mikuta put up a good fight in the 200, touching in second place with teammate Jacques Rathle right behind in third.
The meet's closest race of the evening came in the 200 fly. Evan McInerny came home in a blistering pace to snatch the win. Mason Mathias and Rusty Jerger hit the wall third and fourth, respectively.
Aidan Stoffle picked up his third win of the year in the 100 fl with a 46.75. Nate would finish third.
Freshman Kalle Makinen is starting to round into form with a month to go until the SEC Championships. Makinen captured a win in the 50 free with Logan Tirheimer and Mihalis Deliyiannis securing third and fourth.
Makinen would return in the 100 to snag a second-place finish. Christian Sztolcman would jump into third and Tirheimer in fourth.
Auburn's trio of Danny Schmidt, Jacques Rathle and Reid Mikuta did well in the 200 IM, notching second through fourth place.
Even though the men had clinched the victory nearly an hour beforehand, Makinen, Tirheimer, Aidan Stoffle and Sztolcman left it all in the pool in the 400 free relay. A solid 2:51.64 was just .08 seconds off Alabama's pace and sealed another impressive top-15 win for the Tigers.
DIVING
Ashlynn Sullivan and Abigail Farrar had it rolling on the 3-meter. Sullivan's 287.18 signaled her second win this season. Farrar was right behind in second with a 267.90.
Sullivan would return in the 1-meter with a second-place finish with Farrar grabbing fourth.
Conner Pruitt was back to his winning ways on the 1-meter. A 373.20 was just three points shy of his season-best but was a victory nonetheless. Whit Andrus' 357.23 was a season-high and a second-place effort for the sophomore.
Pruitt cannot be stopped on the 3-meter. A 387.68 is far from his personal best but does represent his third win of the season in the event. Walker Creedon and Hunter Keebler made sure to collect a massive haul of points, taking second and third.
DECK TALK
Head coach, Ryan Wochomurka
"We fought really well on both sides today. It's certainly a disappointing outcome on the women's side but it wasn't because of a lack of effort. It wasn't a lack of execution. We gave our best and that's all you can ask for. Excited for our men to pick up a win and I'm excited about where we're at right now, even a month out from the SEC Championships. We'll see them again in a month and at the NCAA Championships. I can't say enough about the incredible environment that was here today. With our fans and students packing the house, that was a great advantage for us."
On Mason's record-breaking swim…
"That was awesome. It was a record held by Zane Grothe our volunteer assistant and he was counting laps for him. Zane has done a great job with our distance group, helping them understand how to achieve and push yourself to a different level. Mason's done a great job of that. He's really continued to level up and that's encouraging from him right now."
Sophomore, Mason Mathias
"I think one of the best things about our team and our culture here is that just aim to have fun. This is what we love to do and we train to race. We're not here just to train but we're trying to race and when we get an opportunity to throw down and swim our best events maybe put on some suits, it's a really exciting time. I love our distance group and I love every time I get on those blocks, knowing I have three or four other guys in the same heat that I know can throw down with me."
On Zane lap counting for him
"It's incredible. He was an aerospace engineer major and I am a mechanical engineer. He's helped me with much more than just swimming. He's helped me be a true student-athlete. To have him count for me, I couldn't have asked for anything better. He's had such a great attitude about it as well because he wants us to break it."
Record falls as No. 9/13 Tigers split with Alabama
