Auburn Swim and Dive powered through a competitive first day at the Dual Meet Tournament in McAuley Aquatic Center in Georgia. The Tigers secured a narrow 358-351 victory over Minnesota in round one, before falling to Georgia, 400-382.
The Tigers opened the meet strong with the 200 free relay. Senior Elizaveta Klevanovich led off with a lifetime best of 21.92, and then teammates Lora Komoroczy, Abigail Heizer and Bella Ekk closed it out for the victory.
This momentum carried into the men's relay, as Kalle Makinen, Sohib Khaled, River Paulk, and Warner Russ tag teamed the men’s 200 free relay for a 1:18:15.
Junior Maggie McGuire added to the run, taking the 200 back in 1:56.17, the first of her three marathon races she swam within 90 minutes. This gave the Tigers their third consecutive event win over the Gophers. Komoroczy and Rinard then went 1-2 in the 100 fly, while Khaled and Abdalla Nasr took second and third in the men’s race.
Freshman Kiia Metsakonkola dominated the women’s 100 breast (1:01.51) with Zoey Zeller following in second. On the men’s side, Uros Zivanovic claimed the breaststroke sweep, winning in 52.95.
Auburn controlled the 200 free as Julia Strojnowska (1:47.59) and Ekk (1:47.81) finished 1-2, while Krichevsky (1:35.33) led the men’s field with Russ (1:36.16) behind him.
Klevanovich returned for the 50 free, hitting 22.07 to keep Auburn in front. Makinen (19.59) and Paulk (20.08) matched the momentum with a 1-2 finish in the men’s sprint. On the boards, Ethan Swart posted a clutch win on the 1-meter with 187.10.
Auburn’s relay depth sealed the meet. The women’s 400 medley squad of Komoroczy, Metsakonkola, Rinard and Klevanovich touched first in 3:35.48, while the men’s quartet of Ivan Tarasov, Zivanovic, Khaled and Krichevsky powered to a 3:08.79 finish. The Tigers closed out the session with a 358-351 victory over the Gophers.
The Tigers carried their relay spark into the afternoon as Klevanovich, Izzy Iwasyk, Heizer and Ekk won the women’s 200 free relay in 1:29.28. The men’s squad placed second in 1:17.68.
Komoroczy remained determined, and pushed to a win in the 100 back (52,52). Freshman Maston Ballew stood out in the 200 breast with a time of 1:54:98, which not only won, but also is the ninth fastest time in program history
Klevanovich capped off her day with two more sprint victories, going 48.39 in the 100 free and 22.88 in the 50 free. On the men’s side, Krichevsky finished on Georgia’s Luca Urlando’s heels in the 100 free, placing second in 42.67. Makinen later won the 50 free (19.67), with freshman Luke Bedsole just behind at 19.94.
Auburn divers added key points, as Emily Hallifax and Juliette Landi split the 3 meter and 1 meter titles while Talan Blackmon also claimed a 1 meter win. The Tigers ended the day on a high note with a dominating victory in the 400 medley relay. Komoroczy, Olivia Dinehart, Morgan Carteaux, and Wyllo Hanson touched in 3:35:05 to close the relay strong. Despite the win in the final relay, Georgia was able to secure the overall team victory 400-382.
Auburn will face Florida State for third place on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10:30 a.m. CDT.
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