AUBURN, Ala. – There was no stopping the No. 14 Auburn Tigers as the Orange and Blue won every race en route to a 208-89 victory over Arkansas on Tuesday.
Fans who packed themselves into James E. Martin Aquatic Center were treated to a roaring start with the 200 medley relay. Meghan Lee, Anastasia Makarova, Abby Gibbons and Lexie Mulvihill narrowly beat out their teammates to hit the wall first at 1:39.53 to secure the first of 14 wins on the day.
Distance queen Averee Preble kept things rolling in the 1000. Her 10:03.50 was nearly 30 seconds faster than second place. Preble returned to the blocks in the 500 to capture her second title of the meet with a 4:57.18.
Freshman Wyllo Hanson turned heads in the 200 free, clocking a 1:49.03 to edge out fellow Tiger Polina Nevmovenko.
Speaking of rookies, Lawson Ficken snagged a win in the 100 free at 50.39. Hanson and Nevmovenko followed in second and third, respectively. Ficken would pick up her second win of the day with some outside smoke in the 100 fly, clocking in at 53.98.
Auburn's backstroke group wasn't going to let anyone on the podium. Ellie Waldrep led the pack at 54.68 in the 100 back, followed by Kensley Merritt and Kyla Maloney.
Anastasia Makarova grabbed a spot in the winner's circle with a 1:02.39 in the 100 breast. Hannah Ownbey hit the wall third at 1:02.77.
Keeping her winning streak alive, Meghan Lee captured both the 200 fly and 200 IM. Lee has now won six straight races dating back to Auburn's dual with Georgia on Jan. 6.
The Tigers pulled off another sweep just before the first diving break. Lexie Mulvihill, Emma Steckiel and Elizaveta Klevanovich stole first through third in the 50 free, respectively.
After earning second in the 100 back, Kensley Merritt returned in the 200 back to outrace everyone. Her 2:00.35 was fastest of the day with Maggie McGuire and Kyla Maloney rounding out yet another sweep.
In the 200 breast, it was Brynn Curtis who edged out the rest of her teammates. Ownbey slammed home in second and freshman Zoey Zeller came in third.
The Tigers capped off a busy week of competition with a dominant performance in the 400 free relay. Ficken, Nevmovenko, Hanson and Steckiel all combined for a 3:21.62 to finish the meet with a victory.
Auburn's divers have been even more busy throughout the last week and a half. In their third competition in five days, the Tigers rallied to put vital points on the scoreboard. Ashlynn Sullivan led the Orange and Blue on the 1-meter, compiling a 267.53 for second place. Abigail Farrar would snag third, Kyleigh Kidd fourth and Kayla Walsh eighth.
When it came to the 3-meter, sophomore Kyleigh Kidd paced Auburn with a 290.70 for second. Farrar, Sullivan and Walsh rounded out the Tigers in third through fifth, respectively.
UP NEXT
Both teams will be back in action for the final dual meet of the season at Alabama on Jan. 19 at 4 p.m. CT in Tuscaloosa.
Tigers cruise to dual win over Razorbacks
