ATLANTA, Ga. – A pair of top 10 relay performances highlighted a busy day of action for the Auburn Tigers inside McCauley Aquatic Center on Saturday. Through two full days of competition, the Auburn men sit third with 790 points while the women remain second with 808 points.
The women had already jumped into the top 10 of the 200 medley relay earlier in the fall. However, Lora Komoroczy, Anastasia Makarova, Abigail Gibbons and Lexie Mulvihill weren’t satisfied. Kicking off the evening, the quartet combined for an even 1:36.00, earning second place and moving up to fifth all-time in school history.
Not to be outdone, Nate Stoffle, Henry Bethel, Kalle Makinen and Logan Tirheimer swam the seventh-fastest 200 medley relay in school history with a 1:23.06.
Freshman Audrey Crawford continued her solid midseason meet in the 400 IM. Her 4:13.22 was good enough for second place. Meanwhile, fellow Tiger Katie Russell earned fifth with a 4:20.62.
Danny Schmidt thrives in the 400 IM and it was noticeable in Saturday’s A final. He touched in at 3:44.28, the second-fastest swim of the day. Jacques Rathle also made the A final, finishing ninth with a 3:51.19.
Sophomore Morgan Carteaux led the group in the 100 fly during finals. Carteaux hit the wall at 52.66 to grab fifth. Gibbons wasn’t far behind in seventh with a 53.03 and Lexie Mulvihill rounded out the heat in 10th at 53.34.
After a solid 45.04 in the 100 back on Friday, Nate Stoffle followed up on Saturday with a 46.10 in the 100 fly. Sohib Khaled also impressed with a 46.38 in the A final.
Both Polina Nevmovenko and Julia Strojnowska made waves in the 200 free. Nevmovenko powered a 1:46.57 for sixth overall and Strojnowska was right behind in seventh at 1:46.74.
Four of the 10 swimmers in the men’s 200 free A final were wearing an Auburn. It was Ryan Husband who led the way during finals with a 1:33.67. Freshman Rokas Jazdauskas earned sixth at 1:34.63, Mason Mathias took seventh at 1:34.83 and Jon VanZandt was eighth with a 1:34.86.
Anastasia Makarova missed out on a win in the 100 breast by .01 seconds. Her 59.40 was good enough for second place. Olivia Dinehart (1:00.69), Zoe Zeller (1:01.47), Annika Finzen (1:02.20) and Oliva Stewart (1:02.45) all dropped time in the A final.
Captain Henry Bethel positioned himself well in the men’s 100 breast. In finals, the Georgia native managed a 53.25 to earn seventh.
The Tigers’ lone victory on the women’s side came from freshman Lora Komoroczy in the 100 back. A 52.17 wasn’t her fastest time of the season but it gave the Hungarian a win by more than a second. Ellie Waldrep also made the A final, swimming a 52.72 to grab fourth.
In the men’s 100 back, it was Tate Cutler stepping up to finish fifth at 46.80. Andrew Simmons also made the A final and swam a 48.68 to finish ninth.
Over in the diving well, John Fox’s crew had another solid day. Kyleigh Kidd, Chloe Brothers and Abigail Farrar all made finals on the 3-meter. Kidd paced the group to finish third with a 303.20, Brothers was right behind in fourth with a 302.85 and Farrar finished ninth at 280.10.
It was the men’s turn to hit the 1-meter and Whit Andrus stepped up huge for the Tigers. His 349.15 earned the senior third place overall. Fresh off a personal best on the 3-meter, Talan Blackmon kept the good vibes going, managing a 324.05 to secure sixth place. Freshman David Hatt also made finals, grabbing 10th with a 312.40.