AUBURN, Ala. – After two weeks off from competition, head coach Ryan Wochomurka and the Auburn Tigers head to North Carolina for a dual with the Tar Heels on Friday, October 25 inside the Koury Natatorium.
Diving events will begin at 11 a.m. CT while the swimming is slated for Noon CT. Live results will be available on Meet Mobile.
The last time fans of the Orange and Blue saw the Tigers in action, the squad was busy putting up stellar performances at the SMU Classic and UNC-Wilmington Invite. As a result, both the men’s and women’s teams hold strong positions in the CSCAA Top 25 Coaches Poll. The men enter Friday at No. 13, while the women are ranked No. 19.
UNC’s women carry a No. 21 ranking into the matchup. The Tar Heel men are unranked.
Wochomurka and Co. have made a living out of developing strong relay groups. The beginning of 2024 has been no different. The Auburn men boast four relays inside the top eight in the country entering Friday. The Tigers’ 200 free relay ranks third (1:17.98), both the 800 free (6:27.36) and 200 medley relays rank fourth (1:24.45) and the 400 medley relay sits seventh (3:09.91).
Individually, Kalle Makinen is off to a hot start in the sprints. His 19.46 in the 50 free sits sixth in the nation at the moment and the Finnish international ranks 15th in the 100 (43.24).
Veteran Nate Stoffle is also making waves in the backstroke. His 100 back time of 45.76 ranks seventh in the country and his 1:43.60 in the 200 back is 13th.
German native Danny Schmidt also holds a top 10 time in the 400 IM. His 3.49.53 has earned the junior eighth in the nation.
Much like the men, the Auburn women have an arguably more impressive resume when it comes to the relays. With a 3:33.41 in the 400 medley, the Orange and Blue own the top time in the country entering Friday. Both the 200 free (1:29.50) and 200 medley (1:37.25) rank third and the 800 free (7:19.72) sits fifth.
Auburn’s freshmen have shown brightly in the early parts of the season. Audrey Crawford and Lora Komoroczy each displayed some impressive speed two weeks ago. Crawford has three top 15 times in the country to her name with a 2:11.01 in the 200 breast (6th), a 4:17.30 in the 400 IM (9th) and a 1:59.55 in the 200 IM (13th).
Komoroczy, on the other hand, owns the ninth-fastest time in the country in the 100 back (52.45) and is 14th in the 50 free (22.47).
Lexie Mulvihill kicked off her season with a 22.31 in the 50 free, good enough for the sixth-best time in the nation. Fellow seniors Polina Nevmovenko and Ellie Waldrep also feature in the top 10 in their respective disciplines. Nevmovenko’s 48.71 in 100 free and Waldrep’s 52.26 in the 100 back each sit eighth. Waldrep also owns the 16th-best time in the 200 back at 1:55.58.
Anastasia Makarova opened her campaign with an impressive 1:00.58 in the 100 breast, the 10th-fastest time in the country. Abby Gibbons also secured the 11th-best time in the 100 fly at 52.94.
John Fox’s diving crew wasn’t left out of the accolades. Every diver who competed two weeks ago earned a cut to the NCAA Zones Championships later next spring. Auburn will host the 2024-25 Zones Championships at James E. Martin Aquatic Center.
Both Ethan Swart and Kyleigh Kidd earned top-three finishes in an impressive field at the SMU Classic.