AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn went toe-to-toe with its SEC rival Georgia on Saturday. However, the Tigers weren't able to find the right swims at the right moments, falling to the Bulldogs on both the men's and women's sides.
FINAL SCORES
Men
#7 Georgia – 186
#10 Auburn – 114
Women
#12 Georgia – 157.5
#14 Auburn – 142.5
HOW IT HAPPENED
MEN
Under head coach Ryan Wochomurka, the Tigers have been dynamite in relays and that didn't change against No. 7 Georgia. Aidan Stoffle, Henry Bethel, Nate Stoffle and Kalle Makinen began Saturday with a resounding win in the 200 medley relay at 1:26.30.
In the 500 free, it was Grant Davis leading the charge with a third-place finish. Mason Mathias and Drew Jord would follow behind in fourth and fifth.
The Stoffle's were back racing hard in the 100 back. Nate hit the wall second in the 100 with Aidan right behind in third. Later in the meet, Nate would grab third in the 200 back with Andrew Simmons following in fourth.
Henry Bethel earned Auburn's first win of the day in the 100 breast. His 54.90 paced the field. He would go on to finish fourth in the 200 breast later in the afternoon.
German international Danny Schmidt led the way in the 200 fly, snagging third place. Evan McInerny, Harrison Ranier and Rusty Jerger took fourth through sixth. Schmidt was back at it during the 200 IM, slamming home in third.
Kalle Makinen wasn't messing around in the sprints. His 19.94 was far and away good enough to earn the win in the 50 free. He turned around quickly to take third in the 100 in front of teammate Ryan Husband.
When it came to the 100 fly, Sohib Khaled was primed and ready to go, dropping a 48.23 to hit the wall second. Nate and Aidan Stoffle cleaned up points, solidifying third and fourth, respectively.
Auburn capped off the afternoon with yet another relay win. This time, Aidan Stoffle, Kalle Makinen, Ryan Husband and Benjamin Chateigner rallied for a 2:57.03 in the 400 free relay.
In the diving well, Whit Andrus added to his already impressive season. Andrus grabbed the win in the 3-meter with a season-best 384.75. He'd snag second in the 1-meter with a 348.83. Hunter Kebler would place third on the 3-meter and fourth on the 1-meter.
WOMEN
The Auburn Women kicked things off with a bang in the 200 medley relay. Meghan Lee, Anastasia Makarova, Abby Gibbons and Lexie Mulvihill combined for a 1:39.04 and the win. Meanwhile, Ellie Waldrep, Hannah Ownbey, Morgan Carteaux and Emma Steckiel were right on their heels, coming in at 1:39.45 and hitting the wall second.
Ellie Waldrep and the rest of the Auburn backstroke unit began to turn the tide as the Tigers were held off from podium finishes for a pair of races. Waldrep dropped a 53.99 in the 100 back to steal second with senior Kensley Merritt touching in at fourth.
Celebrating her senior successes, Hannha Ownbey hit the wall second in the 100 breast at 1:02.66 with fellow Tigers Anastasia Makarova and Zoey Zeller right behind to take third and fourth, respectively. Ownbey would be back on the blocks in the 200 breast, snagging second once again ahead of teammate Brynn Curtis. She'd earn one more silver in her bread and butter, the 200 IM.
Nobody had a better day than Meghan Lee, though. The Maryland product earned wins in the 200 fly, 200 back and 100 fly. Combined with her 200 medley relay win, the senior was a perfect 4-4 on Saturday.
Casey Cullen snuck up to second in the 200 fly to earn vital points as well.
In the sprints, it was no surprise to see Lexie Mulvihill in the top three. Mulvihill hit second in the 50. Meanwhile, freshman Lawson Ficken managed a third-place swim in the 100 free at 49.90.
With Lee leading the charge, the Orange and Blue earned its first and only sweep of the day in the 100 fly with Lee, Carteaux, Gibbons and Mulvihill claiming each of the top four places.
Ficken, Nevmovenko, Mulvihill and Steckiel capped off the meet with a second-place effort in the 400 free relay. Wyllo Hanson, Lis Klevanovich, Carteaux and Merritt snagged third in the B relay.
Kyleigh Kidd continued her incredible form on the springboards. The sophomore won both the 1-meter (281.48) and 3-meter (323.25). Ashlynn Sullivan snagged third on the 1-meter and fourth on the 3-meter. Meanwhile, Abigail Farrar came in fourth on the 1-meter and third on the 3-meter.
UP NEXT
The Auburn women will have a quick turnaround, welcoming SEC foe Arkansas to the Plains on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at Noon CT. 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 battle tough against SEC foe Georgia, fall in dual
