The Auburn swim and dive team are looking for a strong season in 2015 after falling short the year before.
“We want to win an SEC championship again, we want to get back to hanging championship banners," head coach Brett Hawke said. "This year I feel like we have great leadership and added some depth on both sides, men and women.”
Last year, the Tigers finished 9th overall on the men’s side and 18th on the women’s at the NCAA National Championships.
Auburn returns a host of its top swimmers this year: sophomore Hugo Morris, juniors Joe Patching, Kyle Darmondy, and Michael Duderstadt will lead the men's team; junior Allyx Purcell and senior Annie Lazor will be tasked with setting the tone for the women.
The Tigers also have added depth to the team through a stellar recruiting haul.
Bailey Nero, the No. 26 swimmer in the country, according to CollegeSwimming.com, headlines the class of 2015. Sam Stewart, the No. 48 swimmer, and Aly Tetzloff, the No. 31 swimmer, round it out.
“Our freshman class is only like 7 girls, but each of them bring something to the table that we need or are going to bring our team to a whole other level," Lazor, who snagged a bronze medal at this year's Pan-Am Games, said. "This is the best team I’ve been on in my four years of swimming.”
One swimmer that Coach Hawke is looking for to return to form is sophomore Grant Schenk. Schenk missed part of last year from tonsillitis, but came back to finish 11th in the SEC Championships in the 1650 free with a time of 15:07:50, which set a personal best.
The Auburn Swim and Dive teams kick off their season Friday, Oct. 9th in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 2 p.m.
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