The Auburn men's swimming and diving team won its 15th consecutive Southeastern Conference title with the women's team placing third.
"It's hard to comprehend the 15 years, but it feels good to win one each year," said head coach Brett Hawke. "These guys work hard; these guys have a goal to win the championship, and it is fulfilling when you actually accomplish it."
The men have won 17 out of the last 18 championships. They beat Florida with the small margin of 19 points.
"To get that 15th title down in Florida against a really good Florida team is a really big achievement," said senior Adam Brown.
Brown is one of the fastest swimmers in the country. He won the SEC title in the 100-freestyle for the first time this year.
"It is really good to be one of the fastest swimmers in the country," Brown said. "I mean, I never really imagined being up there with one of the top swimmers in the world--Nathan Adrian, who swims at California. Hopefully I will be able to beat him come March."
Training and perfecting details is what both teams will be continuing to do before the NCAA championship in March.
"We are pretty pumped. I mean, the SECs was just a stepping stone toward the NCAA's next month," Brown said.
The women are working out details for the NCAAs as well.
"We are going to work a lot on details, starts, turns, finishes; especially for sprinters that is the biggest thing to change to go faster," said junior Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace.
Vanderpool-Wallace was named SEC Female Swimmer of the Year and received the SEC Commissioner's trophy for earning the most points for Auburn.
"It was an awesome feeling to be able to go into that pool, Florida, huge rivals, and just swim as fast as I did," Vanderpool-Wallace said. "To be able to come back this year and have a great meet was a good feeling."
Vanderpool-Wallace broke the NCAA record that stood for eight years with a time of 46.81 seconds in the 100-free.
Hawke said when Vanderpool-Wallace broke the record it was one of the best memories from the weekend.
"It was just an outstanding swim and something that kind of took us by surprise," Hawke said. "But she has been working toward it, and it has been her goal to accomplish it at the NCAA championships, and it just came a little early."
Hawke, Brown and Vanderpool-Wallace said they will be getting more rest before the NCAA meet, and they will be working to get a few more athletes qualified this weekend in the Bulldog Last Chance meet.
The Bulldog Last Chance meet will be held at the University of Georgia as a way to get qualified for the NCAA championship at the last minute.
Auburn will have approximately 20 swimmers attending the meet, and Hawke said there will be a few more swimmers who qualify for the NCAA championship.
"It is a tough environment, but we will definitely get a couple qualified," Hawke said.
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