INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A grueling five days of swimming in Indiana concluded on Saturday. Multiple top-10 finishes and a program record highlighted a successful trip for head coach Ryan Wochomurka and his group of Tigers.
More long course events await Auburn as they look to round out the summer season and grab momentum for the 2023-24 collegiate campaign.
DAY 1
Casey Cullen and Avery Bargeron led the week off in the 200 fly. Cullen paced the duo of Tigers with a 2:16.81 while Bargeron hit the wall at 2:17.76.
While Mason Mathias' 1:59.90 in the 200 fly didn't qualify for the finals that evening, it did earn the junior-to-be a place in the 2024 US Olympic Trials next summer.
Evan McInerny wasn't too far behind Mathias, clocking a 2:01.94.
Grant Davis was the lone Tiger competing in Tuesday's distance events. A 15:49.03 in the 1500 earned him 33rd overall.
DAY 2
Twelve swimmers hit the blocks on day two of the championships and they did not disappoint. Auburn Alum and volunteer assistant Zane Grothe hit the wall at 1:46.94 in the 200 free to earn a spot in the A final that evening. Mathias also gave himself a second swim, grabbing a spot in the C final with a 1:49.10. Ryan Husband finished 34th and Michael Bonson 35th, respectively.
A 1:47.07 in finals allowed Grothe to move up a spot and finish seventh overall.
Both Brynn Curtis and Hannah Ownbey did well to make the C final in the 200 breast. Curtis nearly pulled off a win in the evening with a 2:30.31, finishing just .01 seconds behind the heat winner. Ownbey also dropped time to grab fifth in the heat at 2:33.27.
Nate Stoffle barely missed a spot in the A final of the 200 back but his 1:58.04 qualified Stoffle 10th overall and a middle lane in the B final. Nate backed up his performance with a 1:58.18 in finals to grab second in the heat.
Captain Aidan Stoffle made waves in the 50 fly. His 23.80 gave the Tigers another A final on Wednesday. Stoffle managed to shave time in finals (23.79) and earned eighth overall.
Ellie Waldrep finished 35th in the women's 200 back while Andrew Simmons placed 50th on the men's side. Avery Bargeron hit the wall 47th in the 50 fly.
DAY 3
For the second straight day, it was Hannah Ownbey who shined first for the Tigers, qualifying for a C final in the 400 IM. Ownbey would shave off over two seconds in the evening, clocking in at 4:49.25.
Aidan Stoffle was fast enough to grab a C final in both the 100 fly and 50 back. Nate Stoffle would've swam the B final in the 100 fly but chose to focus on the 100 back a night later.
In the women's 50 back, Ellie Waldrep managed to make her way into a C final. She'd continue to drop time in finals, moving up to 18th overall.
Thursday night belonged to Henry Bethel, though. The Georgia native's hard work in the 50 breast paid off to earn him a spot in the primetime A final. A 27.72 later that evening earned him sixth overall in the event.
Jacques Rathle placed 35th in the men's 400 IM and Avery Bargeon took 59th in the 100 fly.
DAY 4
Mason Mathias continued his progression in the 400 free, earning a spot in the C final. He'd drop another second off his time to finish 20th overall.
Brothers Nate and Aidan Stoffle each gained a second swim in the 100 back. Nate made the B final and managed a top-10 finish in the evening. Aidan, on the other hand, made the C final but exploded for a 53.62 in finals, a new program record for Auburn.
Michael Bonson narrowly missed a spot in the C final of the 400 free. Grant Davis snuck in sub-4-minutes in the same race. Meanwhile, Ellie Waldrep took 33rd in the women's 100 back.
DAY 5
Wochomurka's distance group rounded out a gritty week for the Tigers. Mathias led the way in the 800 free with an 8:08:57. Michael Bonson was close behind at 8:13.20 and Davis clocked an 8:14.97. The trio would finish 26th, 36th and 39th, respectively.
Ownbey and Rathle finished up their weeks in the 200 IM, Lexie Mulvihill arrived in Indy to swim the 50 free and Nate Stoffle clocked a 23.28 in the men's 50 free to conclude his week.
