STANFORD, Calif. — Auburn Swim opened the 2026-27 season at College Swimming League's Match Three, scoring 371.5 points to finish third behind Stanford (550) and California (543.5), but ahead of Ohio State (255). The Tigers finished at the top step of the podium four times throughout the night, three times in individual men's events, and once in a men's relay.
The Auburn freshmen made a huge impact on the night with Brazilians Gabriel Machuco and Kaua Carvalho each making a name for themselves. Machuco won each of his individual events: the 100 medley (47.39) and 200 medley (1:43.32). Cavalho finished third in the 100 breaststroke (53.24), but stood out in the Skins event, placing second in the opening round (23.90), before consecutive third-place finishes in rounds two (24.32) and three (24.69).
The most successful individual event for the Tigers was the men's 50 freestyle, where Warner Russ (19.21) and Mike Rice (19.47) finished first and second, plus jackpotting the last-place finisher for a total of 17 points.
Auburn men also took home the victory in the 4x50 freestyle, finishing in 1:16.72.
Auburn earned two points in the overall CSL standings for its third-place finish. The top three schools after six matches will automatically qualify for the Championship Match. Schools ranked fourth through seventh will compete for the final Championship Match spot at the Wild Card Match. The Tigers currently rank ninth in the CSL rankings, but will face Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee in the final regular-season CSL match in Athens, Ga., on Oct. 23 at 4:30 p.m. CT. Alabama and Georgia both currently rank below Auburn in the CSL rankings.
MEN'S NOTABLES
- Freshman Machuco made his collegiate debut with a pair of medley victories. Machuco won the 100 medley with a 47.39 and the 200 medley at 1:43.32. Machuco's 200 medley time ties him with Joe Patching for the 25th-best performance in Auburn Men's Swimming history in the event.
- Auburn's best finish of the night was a one-two in the men's 50 freestyle. Russ took home the gold in the event with a 19.21. Rice finished second in the event at 19.47. Russ's 19.21 was 1.11 seconds faster than the eighth-place swimmer, eclipsing the 1.08 jackpot threshold and netting an additional point for Auburn in the event. The Tigers took home 17 points in the men's 50 freestyle.
- The Tiger men won the 4x50 freestyle relay, topping the field with a 1:16.72 finish.
- Bradford Johnson took home second in the men's 100 butterfly with a 46.28.
- Carvalho made his collegiate debut with a third-place finish in the men's 100 breaststroke at 53.24.
- Carvalho grabbed 19 points for Auburn in the Skins event, placing second in round one (23.90), and third in rounds two (24.32) and three (24.69).
- Uros Zivanovic earned 18 points for the Tigers in the 50 Breaststroke Skins. Zivanovic won the opening heat (23.87), then placed fourth in rounds two (24.47) and three (25.10).
- Rice (42.95) and Daniel Krichevsky (43.11) finished second and third, respectively, in the men's 100 freestyle.
- Alexey Glivinsky joined Machuco on the podium for the men's 100 medley, finishing third with a 48.80.
WOMEN'S NOTABLES
- Sammie Hamilton earned the first podium of the year for Auburn with a 4:43.64 in the women's 500 freestyle to place third.
- Lora Komoroczy opened her night with a 52.09 in the women's 100 backstroke, finishing third.
- Komoroczy turned around quickly to compete in the women's skins event, earning 17 points for Auburn with a fourth-place finish in round one (24.72), then back-to-back third-place finishes in rounds two (25.43) and three (26.06).
- Zetta Grace Bartee ended her collegiate debut on the podium with a third-place finish in the women's 100 butterfly, swimming a 52.68.
The Tigers are back in action in two weeks at the GT Dual Meet Tournament, hosted by Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The event is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 16, and Saturday, Oct. 17.
—War Eagle—