COLUMBIA, Mo. – Solid swims up and down the roster highlighted an impressive day for the No. 10/18 Tigers against No. 5/9 Indiana and No. 20/RV Missouri.
The Orange and Blue won nearly every matchup with the host Tigers and competed well against the Hoosiers. Both the Auburn Men and Women beat the Tigers in their home pool and each fell against a formidable Indiana team.
FINAL SCORES
Men
Auburn 204, Missouri 95
Indiana 181, Auburn 117
Women
Auburn 227, Missouri 73
Indiana 177.5, Auburn 118.5
MEN
Auburn's 200 medley relay on the men's side got the team off to a solid start. Nate Stoffle, Henry Bethel, Aidan Stoffle and Kalle Makinen combined to finish third overall.
Grant Davis led a good charge in the 1000 free. His 9:19.75 was good enough for the second-fastest of the day. Drew Jordan was right behind Davis with a third-place finish.
In the 200 free, Michael Bonson put together a race in the mid-1:30's to make sure he hit the wall second. Freshman Benjamin Chateigner secured fifth with teammates Josh Noll and Ryan Husband right behind.
Bonson was back on the blocks for the 500 free. He and Mason Mathias tag-teamed for second and third. Meanwhile, Jordan and Davis weren't too far behind in fourth and fifth.
There are few better than Nate Stoffle in the backstroke. The junior from Lilburn, Georgia took second in the 100 and third in the 200. Andrew Simmons and Josh Noll each grabbed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 200.
When it came to the sprints, Kalle Makinen made sure to hit the wall third in the 50. He'd solidify fourth in the 100 free minutes later.
Freshman Liam Heary impressed in the 200 breast. His 2:01.92 was good enough for fourth on the afternoon.
Sohib Khaled turned a few heads in the 100 fly. His 48.54 was the second-fastest time of the afternoon. Nate Stoffle snagged fourth while Rusty Jerger slid in fifth.
Makinen, Bonson, Aidan Stoffle and Chateigner finished the day on a high note, clocking a 2:56.74 for second place in the 400 free relay.
WOMEN
Ellie Waldrep, Anastasia Makarova, Abigail Gibbons and Lexie Mulvihill kicked things off on the women's side in the 200 medley relay. The quartet managed a 1:41.61 to tie for second.
Avree Preble led the charge for the distance group. The graduate student went sub-10 minutes to finish 2nd overall. Preble was back in the 500 where she would hit the wall fourth, just ahead of teammates Payton Marvin and Maggie McGuire.
It was freshman Wyllo Hanson who pulled out the fastest swim for the Tigers in the 200 free. Her 1:49.55 was the fourth-fastest swim of the day. Fellow teammate Polina Nevmovenko was right behind in fifth.
Kyla Maloney and Kensley Merritt were the frontrunners for Auburn in the 100 back. Maloney turned in a 54.38 for third. Meanwhile, Merritt grabbed fourth, Ellie Waldrep grabbed sixth and Jade Castro took seventh. Merritt would return in the 200 back to snag third.
The 100 breast belongs to Anastasia Makarova. The Russian international secured a solid second-place finish. Brynn Curtis took fourth and Hannah Ownbey hit the wall fifth.
Meghan Lee paced her team in the 200 fly. Her 1:58.68 was the second fastest time of the day. Casey Cullen would also secure a top-five finish. Lee also did well in the 200 back, clocking a 1:58.04 for second.
Lee's impressive day continued in the 100 fly. Her 54.02 was good enough for second. Freshman Morgan Carteaux would come in fourth.
In the sprints, Lexie Mulvihill led the way for the Tigers. She finished third in the 50 free and sixth in the 100. Freshmen Lawson Ficken and Wyllo Hanson made waves in the 100, finishing third and fourth.
Brynn Curtis, Zoey Zeller and Hannah Ownbey were outstanding in the 200 breast. The trio took second through fourth on the afternoon.
No one loves the individual medleys more than Hannah Ownbey. The senior nearly ran down a Hoosier for first but finished in second at 2:01.21.
Finishing off the afternoon, Ficken, Nevmovenko, Hanson and Mulvihill capped off a solid 400 free relay for second overall.
DIVING
Over in the diving well, Whit Andrus put together a solid effort in both the 1-meter and 3-meter. He'd score a 311.80 in the 1-meter and a 366.00 in the 3-meter to take third overall in both disciplines.
Kyleigh Kidd grabbed the highest finish for the women, finishing fourth on the 3-meter with a 294.55.
