ATLANTA, Ga. – Auburn Swim and Dive battled through a busy day of events on day one of THE Dual Meet Tournament inside historic McAuley Aquatic Center. The Tigers knocked off Minnesota, 358-351, in round one before falling to SEC foe Georgia, 400-382.
Head coach Wochomurka and Co. will face Florida State for third place on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10:30 a.m. CT.
VERSUS MINNESOTA
Final Score
Auburn – 358
Minnesota – 351
Wochomurka couldn’t have asked for a better start to Friday morning. Elizaveta Klevanovich clocked a lifetime best 21.92 to lead off the 200 free relay. Lora Komoroczy, Abigail Heizer and Bella Ekk followed suit to pick up Auburn’s first of 13 wins of the morning. Klevanovich’s opening leg jumped the Russian national to sixth place on the program’s all-time performer list.
Kalle Makinen, Sohib Khaled, River Paulk and Warner Russ tag-teamed the men’s 200 free relay for a 1:18.15 to keep the momentum rolling.
Junior Maggie McGuire won the first of her three marathon races during the morning session with a 1:56.17 in the 200 back, giving the Tigers their third-straight win over the Gophers. McGuire would go on to compete in the 500 free and 200 IM all inside an hour and a half.
Komoroczy was quickly back on the blocks in the 100 fly. The Hungarian hit the wall first at 52.70 with teammate Carissa Rinard right behind at 53.26. In the men’s race, Khaled wrapped up second with a 46.59, and Abdalla Nasr solidified third at an even 47.00.
Freshman Kiia Metsakonkola dominated the 100 breast with a 1:01.51. Zoey Zeller wasn’t too far behind, sliding in at 1:02.55.
Back in his old stomping grounds, Uros Zivanovic made it a clean sweep in the breaststroke events for the Orange and Blue, taking the win at 52.95.
Julia Strojnowska and Daniel Krichevsky did the same in the 200 free. Strojnowska, along with fellow Tiger Bella Ekk, went 1-2 with a 1:47.59 and a 1:47.81, respectively. Krichevsky left everyone in the dust with a 1:35.33 on the men’s side, with Warner Russ in second at 1:36.16.
Klevanovich was back on the blocks to keep her reign supreme in the sprints. A 22.07 in the 50 free made sure Auburn had a slim advantage over Minnesota. Kalle Makinen and River Paulk equaled the effort on the men’s side. Makinen took the win at 19.59 with Paulk in second at 20.08.
In the diving well, Ethan Swart delivered massive points at the right time for the Tigers. With only three dives to work with, Swart dialed up a 187.10 in the 1-meter to take the win.
Under Wochomurka, Auburn has always been stout in the relays. Needing a pair of victories, both the men and women rose to the task in the 400 medley edition. Komoroczy, Metsakonkola, Rinard and Klevanovich combined for a 3:35.48 for the victory. Ivan Tarasov, Zivanovic, Khaled and Krichevsky went 3:08.79 to capture the event win for men.
When the dust settled, a thrilling and fast-paced dual went the way of the Tigers, 358-351.
VERSUS GEORGIA
Final Score
Georgia – 400
Auburn – 382
Auburn kicked off the afternoon session right where they left off in the relays. Klevanovich, Izzy Iwasyk, Heizer and Ekk dialed up a 1:29.28 to take the first win of the dual. On the men’s side, Makinen, Khaled, Paulk and Russ took second at 1:17.68.
Komoroczy was dominant in the backstroke all day long. Her 52.52 was more than good enough to solidify a win in the 100 back.
Freshman Maston Ballew made the most of his performance in the 200 breast. A 1:54.98 not only gave him the win but moved him to No. 9 in program history on the all-time performers list.
No one had a better meet than Klevanovich, though. With a 48.39 in the 100 free and dropping time in the 50 free (22.88), the Russian piled up two more victories on Friday.
In the men’s 100 free, Krichevsky nearly ran down Luca Urlando, dialing up a 42.67 for second place.
In the diving well, Emily Hallifax and Juliette Landi each split the 3-meter and 1-meter, respectively. Talan Blackmon conjured up the win on the 1-meter.
Makinen swam a solid 19.67 to win the men’s 50 free. Freshman Luke Bedsole wasn’t too far behind at 19.94.
Even though the Bulldogs would emerge on top, the women steamrolled UGA in the 400 medley relay to finish off the session. Komoroczy, Olivia Dinehart, Morgan Carteaux and Wyllo Hanson combined for a 3:35.05 to win.