Auburn Sweeps LSU
The Auburn swimming and diving team tallied five NCAA
“B” cut times on Friday as the Tigers defeated SEC rival LSU at the
LSU Natatorium. The men topped LSU, 167-133, and the women came away
with the 177-122 win.
“It was great getting the win with this being the first meet of the
season,” Brett Hawke, head swimming and diving coach, said. “The
team started out strong and battled through to the end. We still have a
lot of work to do if we want to reach our goals at the end of the
season.
Auburn’s women won nine individual events, led by seniors Melissa
Marik and Ava Ohlgren and freshman Katie Gardocki with two wins each.
Marik won the 100 back with a B cut time of 54.48 and took the win in
the 100 free with a time of 50.34. Ohlgren picked up wins in the 100 fly
(54.92) and 200 IM (2:02.03) and recorded a B cut time of 2:00.02 with a
second-place finish in the 200 fly.
Gardocki picked up the first victories of her collegiate career during
the meet, finishing the day with wins in the 1000 free (10:01.17) and
500 free (4:53.71).
“Katie really stepped up and swam very well,” Hawke said. “She
had a strong first meet for a freshman and that is very exciting.”
Also picking up individual wins were sophomores Micah Lawrence and Anna
Aguero. Lawrence captured the 100 breast with a B cut time of 1:02.59.
Aguero swept the diving events with NCAA Zone standard scores on both
springboards. She won the 1-meter with a score of 265.50 and the 3-meter
with 282.31 points.
The quartet of Marik, Caitlin Geary, Becca Jones and Stephanie Horner
closed out the meet with a win in the 400 free relay in a time of
3:25.57.
On the men’s side, juniors Kohlton Norys and Adam Klein picked up two
wins each to lead the Tigers. Klein returned to his home state of
Louisiana and swam a B cut time of 55.50 to take the 100 breast, while
taking first in the 200 breast in 2:00.96. Norys captured victories in
the 200 free (1:41.08) and 200 back (1:48.07).
Diver Kelly Marx picked up a pair of wins on the 1-meter and 3-meter
springboards, recording two NCAA Zone standard scores. He won the
1-meter with a score of 350.54 and the 3-meter with a 366.07.
The team of Tyler McGill, Gideon Louw, Norys and Pascal Wollach swam a
B cut time in the 400 free relay to take first in 2:59.09.
Seniors McGill, Louw and Wollach each recorded individual wins during
the meet. McGill clocked a 20.40 in the 50 free to pick up the win for
Auburn. Louw took first in the 100 free (44.65) and Wollach won the 100
back (49.33).
Auburn returns to competition on Nov. 12, hosting in-state rival
Alabama at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center. The meet is set for 5
p.m.
LSU’s freshman swimmers Amanda Kendall and Craig Hamilton each shined with two victories apiece against SEC rival Auburn, but it was not enough as the Plainsmen emerged victorious 167-133 in the men’s meet, while the Auburn women took won, 177-122.
“I’m really proud of our teams,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “We had some people out today, particularly on the women’s side, and we had some young athletes really step up. We had some great swims, and we’re going to continue to build on that. I think a lot of our athletes realized today that they can compete against anyone in the country.”
Kendall won both the 50- and 200-yard freestyle for the Lady Tigers (0-2, 0-2 SEC) and claimed runner-up honors in the 100 butterfly. The Fairfax, Va., native swam to a personal best of 1 minute, 49.48 seconds in the 200 free and a season best of 23.33 in the 50 free.
Hamilton gave the Tigers (0-2, 0-2 SEC) a pair of victories in the 500 and 1000 free for the second-consecutive meet. The Scottish product improved his season best in the 1000 free with a time of 9:22.42 and touched the wall in 4:34.79 in the 500 free.
The LSU squads opened both meets on a strong note, sweeping the men’s and women’s 200 medley relays. The women’s foursome of Morgan McGee, Jane Trepp, Kendall and Samantha Goates delivered a winning mark of 1:43.23, while the men’s team of James Meyers, Andrei Tuomola, Hannes Heyl and Sean LeNeave came away with a mark of 1:30.46.
Freshman Sara Haley recorded her second win of the season in the 200 fly, beating out last year’s conference runner-up in the event, Auburn All-American Ava Ohlgren, with a 1:59.47 clocking. In addition, fellow freshman Jana Ruimerman and junior Kannon Betzen claimed victories.
Ruimerman continued her impressive start with a personal best and NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 1:59.07 in the 200 back. That mark ranks fourth all-time in program annals. Betzen swam to victory in the 200 breaststroke (2:20.91).
On the men’s side, Heyl, LeNeave and junior Clint Hallum collected wins in individual competition. Heyl registered the victory in the 100 fly (49.66), LeNeave won the 200 fly (1:51.52) and Hallum finished on top in the 200 individual medley (1:53.83).
Junior Luis Gonzalez contributed with runner-up honors in the 500 and 1000 free to help the Tigers secure 1-2 finishes in both events.
In diving, sophomore Brian Gemberling qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Regional with his career-high score of 314.77, which earned him second-place. Freshman Rebecca St. Germain and Matt Vieke also tallied runner-up scores in the three-meter with marks of 280.13 and 305.78, respectively.
