AUBURN, Ala. – Head coach Ryan Wochomurka and the Auburn Tigers picked up plenty of momentum during the Auburn Invitational, stacking up several top-10 swims inside the James E. Martin Aquatics Center over the weekend.
Elizaveta Klevanovich, Lora Komoroczy, Izzy Iwasyk and Kate Murray kicked off the meeting with a strong 1:27.81 in the 200 free relay.
In the 500 free, Sammie Hamilton continued with her steady performances, delivering a 4:47.05. It was Lilly Gault Abdella, though, who conjured a season-best 4:49.73.
Orange and Blue season-bests kept rolling in the 50 free. Iwasyk (22.45) and Bell Ekk (22.74) each came through with stellar efforts.
On the men’s side, both Luke Bedsole (19.63) and Jon VanZandt (19.87) found their way into the 19s for the first time in 2025-26.
In Friday’s evening session, Komoroczy, Kiia Metsakonkola, Iwasyk and Klevanovich combined for a 1:35.30 and the fifth-fastest 200 medley relay in program history.
Daniel Krichevsky took a crack at the 100 fly, hitting the wall in a season-best 46.06, ahead of Sohib Khaled (46.09) and Bradford Johnson (46.48).
Senior Danny Schmidt and Bedsole showed that the duo are rounding into form in the 200 free. Schmidt touched in at 1:34.29 and Bedsole followed behind at 1:34.52.
Annika Finzen found herself in the 59s in the 100 breast for the first time in her career. Her 59.98 led the group of Tigers by almost 1.5 seconds.
Not to be outdone, Uros Zivanovic dialed up a 51.98, jumping to the No. 5 spot on the all-time performers list.
Three Tigers made it below 49.30 in the 100 free time trial. Wyllo Hanson (49.12) led the group with a season-best time. Iwasyk (49.19) and Kate Murray (49.25) weren’t too far behind.
Zoey Zeller provided one last big splash to round out the evening. Her 2:09.85 in the 200 breast solidified Zeller as the 10th-fastest performer in school history.
To begin the Saturday morning session, Kyla Maloney came up with a season-best 1:56.48 in the 200 back.
Both Daniel Krichevsky (42.80) and Kalle Makinen (42.81) ducked under 43 seconds in the 100 free. Senior Jon VanZandt also conjured a season-best 43.12.
Saturday’s big news came in the form of the women’s 400 free relay. Klevanovich, Komoroczy, Iwasyk and Ekk powered to a 3:13.13 to earn the NCAA qualifying time.
Over in the diving well, John Fox’s crew collected plenty of solid lists as well.
Emily Hallifax led the charge in the Platform with a 298.43 on Friday. Meanwhile, Juliette Landi put together a very solid 341.55 to take the top spot on the 3-meter, ahead of Kyleigh Kidd (329.10) and Chloe Borthers (320.48). Kidd would find the win in the 1-meter with a 309.30.
Freshman Tsvetomir Ereminov paced the Tigers on the men’s side with a 367.73 on Platform to secure his Zones score. Talan Blackmon was close behind with a 361.95. Ereminov would continue his steady diving on Saturday with a 303.15 on the 3-meter.
Auburn will be back in competition, Feb. 16-21, at the 2026 SEC Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Alan Jones Aquatics Center.