GREENSBORO, N.C. — Head coach Ryan Wochomurka and the Auburn Tigers couldn’t have asked for a better showing at the NC State Invite. After three days of racing, the Orange and Blue finished second on both the men’s and women’s sides with 1,367 and 1,579.5 points, respectively.
Auburn’s success began early in the 200 IM. Zoey Zeller (2:00.21), Audrey Crawford (2:01.38) and Olivia Dinehart (2:02.41) all utilized stellar swims to make the A final. It was Zeller, though, leading the way in the evening with a stout 1:58.70 to finish second overall.
Maston Ballew’s strong meet finished on a high note as well. His 1:46.42 in the morning gave him the opportunity to go even lower in the A final. Mack Schummann (1:49.38) and Luke Waldrep (1:48.27) each earned spots in the B final as well. Ballew saved up his energy for one last push, hitting the wall fourth overall in the evening with a 1:45.50.
Few had a stronger midseason than Elizaveta Klevanovich. Her 47.96 was a personal best in the 100 free before she got a second swim later in the day. Izzy Iwasyk (49.39), Wyllo Hanson (49.37) and Bella Ekk (49.55) all secured spots in the B final.
In finals, Klevanovich’s 47.82 was not only a career low, but also moved her to No. 7 on the all-time performers list in school history.
Daniel Krichevsky slid into the top 10 in the men’s 100 free in prelims with an impressive 42.12. Warner Russ (42.80) and Kalle Makinen (42.64) also locked up spots in the A final. Krichevsky would lead the pack in finals, finishing sixth overall with a 42.30.
The women’s 200 fly was almost renamed the Tiger Invitational. Taylor Bacher (2:00.83), Carissa Rinard (1:57.29), Casey Cullen (1:58.24), Coco Croxford (1:57.90) and Morgan Carteaxu (2:00.28) stacked the A final.
Bacher brought her brilliance in finals, though, checking in at 1:56.13 to land at No. 10 on the program’s all-time performer list.
Equaling Bacher’s effort, Abdalla Nasr rose to the occasion in the men’s 200 fly. Nasr, Luke Bedsole (1:44.06) and Danny Schmidt (1:46.01) flashed a bevy of Orange and Blue in the A final. Nasr would secure his first collegiate victory, though, clocking a 1:41.66, and moving up to No. 5 all-time.
Both Ivan Tarasov and Sam Empey earned places in the A final of the 200 back with a 1:41.55 and 1:44.02, respectively. Tarasov would finish fifth overall in the evening with a 1:43.06, Empey hit the wall seventh.
Auburn distance would not be forgotten about either. Sammie Hamilton led the women’s effort in the mile, swimming a 16:38.24 to finish seventh overall. Mack Schumann matched Hamilton’s seventh-place finish with a 15:15.88 of his own.
Rounding out the meet, Klevanovich, Lora Komoroczy, Iwasyk and Hanson put together a 3:15.36 to finish third in the 400 free relay. On the men’s side, it was Krichevsky, Makinen, Sohib Khaled and Russ combining for a 2:49.24 and second place.