AUBURN, Ala. – March is championship season and the No. 15 Auburn Women's Swim and Dive squad is looking to make a little madness of their own this week. Eight individuals have qualified for the NCAA Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee March 15-18.
Emily Hetzer, Meghan Lee, Anastasia Makarova, Polina Nevmovenko, Hannah Ownbey, Daisy Platts, Averee Preble and Ellie Waldrep have each earned a spot to compete for a national championship. Head coach Ryan Wochomurka is also bringing Lexie Mulvihill, Claudia Thamm, Rebekah Hamilton and Emma Steckiel as relay alternates.
The Tigers arrive in Tennessee after a solid performance at the SEC Championships last month in College Station, Texas. Auburn dialed up a second straight seventh-place finish at SECs. However, Wochomurka's crew totaled 688 points, a full 104 more than a season ago.
For fans unable to make the trip to Knoxville, ESPN+ will have complete coverage of the championships.
NCAA QUALIFIER BREAKDOWN
Emily Hetzer | Gr. | Haymarket, Va.
Hetzer is making her fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships. The ever-consistent distance queen made it in the field by virtue of her mile time. Hetzer is seeded 16th in the 1650 and is also slated to compete in the 200 free and 500 free where the graduate is seeded 53rd and 41st, respectively. Hetzer's best finish at NCAAs came in the mile when she swam a 16:01.33 to finish 15th in 2019.
Meghan Lee | Jr. | Timonium, Md.
Lee had NCAA qualifying times in both the 100 fly and 100 back this season. The Maryland native won silver at SECs in the 100 fly with a 51.01 and is seeded ninth this week. Lee grabbed the 20th overall spot in the 100 back and is scheduled for a performance in the 200 fly where she is tabbed 43rd. Last year at her first NCAA Championships, Lee's best finish came in the 100 back when she hit the wall 19th.
Anastasia Makarova | So. | Pushkino, Russia
Another Tiger that's 2-2 in qualifying for the NCAA Championships, Makarova did so in record-breaking fashion. Her 58.91 at the UGA Invite broke the Auburn record in the 100 breast and has the sophomore seeded 15th. Makarova is also slated for a spot in the 200 breast where she is seeded 32nd. Her best finish at last year's NCAAs came in the 100 breast when she grabbed 20th.
Polina Nevmovenko | So. | Saint Petersburg, Russia
Last season, Nevmovenko was a relay alternate in Atlanta. This year, her hard work has paid dividends with the Russian international earning a place in the field with a 1:44.39 in the 200 free and is seeded 20th. The sophomore is also scheduled for appearances in the 100 back and 100 free where she is seeded 54th and 47th, respectively.
Hannah Ownbey | Jr. | Greer, S.C.
Ownbey has made it to the NCAA Championships every year since she's donned the Orange and Blue. Her 400 IM time gave the junior a ticket to this year's edition and is seeded 23rd in Knoxville. She'll also be seeded in both the 200 IM (40th) and 200 breast (48th) this week. The Greer, South Carolina native's best finish at NCAAs came in 2021 when she snagged 23rd in the 400 IM.
Daisy Platts | Gr. | Leicester, United Kingdom
For the second time in her career, Platts qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 100 and 200 back. A 1:51.63 last month in College State has Platts seeded 10th overall in the 200 back. The graduate is also seeded 30th in the 100 back. Her best finish at NCAAs came in 2021 when Platts grabbed 21st in the 100 back.
Averee Preble | Sr. | Clovis, Calif.
Another sturdy member of the Tiger distance group, Preble makes her third appearance in the NCAA Championships via a valiant effort in the mile (16:11.93) at SECs last month. The Clovis, California native is also seeded in the 500 free (67th). Preble's best finish at NCAAs came in 2021 when the senior hit the wall 24th in the mile.
Ellie Waldrep | So. | Chattanooga, Tenn.
It's a virtual home meet for the sophomore from Chattanooga. An integral part of Auburn's backstroke contingent, Waldrep conjured an NCAA Qualifying time in the 100 back for the second straight season. She's seeded 16th overall in the 100 back, 47th in the 200 back and is positioned 50th in the 100 fly. A year ago in Atlanta, Waldrep's best finish came in the 100 back when she snagged 27th.
NCAA TEAM HISTORY
Five times, the Auburn women have claimed the NCAA Championship, most recently in 2007 in Minneapolis.
Wochomurka and Co. are eyeing to score points at one of the fastest meets in the world. The Tigers haven't scored since 2019 when the team finished 12th overall with 146.
Individually, Auburn has produced 54 National Champions and more than 1,000 All-American honors.
The full schedule of events for the 2023 NCAA Women's Swim and Dive Championships is below:
Wednesday, March 15
5 p.m. CT | Finals - 200 Medley Relay, 800 free relay
Thursday, March 16
9 a.m. CT | Prelims – 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free
5 p.m. CT | Finals – 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 200 free relay
Friday, March 17
9 a.m. CT | Prelims – 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back
5 p.m. CT | Finals – 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 400 medley relay
Saturday, March 18
9 a.m. CT | Prelims – 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly
2:50 p.m. CT | Finals – 1650 free
5 p.m. CT | Finals – 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 400 free relay
No. 15 Women key in on NCAA Championships in Knoxville
