KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 15 Auburn women were back in the pool for the first day of individual races at the 2023 NCAA Championships. While there were no second swims on Thursday, the team combined for several top 50 finishes.
Auburn's distance group led off the individual events in the 500 free. Both Averee Preble and Emily Hetzer earned a spot in Thursday morning's prelims. Preble finished with a 4:48.33 for 64th place while Hetzer snagged 35th with a 4:42.77.
Hannah Ownbey took her turn at the 200 IM for her first individual event of the week. A 1:58.26 earned the junior 45th place, her best finish in the event since 2021.
Lexie Mulvihill, Emma Steckiel, Rebekah Hamilton and Polina Nevmovenko had the fastest time of the season in the 200 free relay at 1:27.98. However, after video review, the team was disqualified from the race for an early takeoff.
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Friday's action in Knoxville includes the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast and 100 back. Prelims are scheduled for 9 a.m. CT while finals are slated for 5 p.m. CT. Complete coverage of the championships can be found on ESPN+.
No. 15 Women round out Day 2 at NCAA Championships
