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(11/21/14 9:00pm)
There are freshman athletes that have trouble adapting to the college game, and then there are freshman athletes that adapt quickly like Alexa Filley.
The freshman won the starting position as Auburn's setter before the season started in August, and has played at a high level ever since.
Filley broke former Tiger Sara Shanks single-season assist record Sunday, Nov. 16 when she added 52 against South Carolina. Shanks had 995 in 2008.
The Louisville, Kentucky native's 1,013 assists rank as the most by an Auburn setter in a single-season since 25-point rally scoring took effect prior to the 2008 season.
"I don't really think about the record or awards," Filley said. "I just play, and play to win. I want our whole team to be successful."
She is one of eight players at Auburn to ever record over 1,000 assists in a single season since 2006 and the second freshman in program's history. Filley is currently averaging 10.03 assists per set. If she keeps doing that, it would be the best average in a single-season for a player since 2008.
Sophomore Stephanie Campbell said Filley's confidence as a setter has been a confidence boost for the hitters on the team.
"She is very focused on controlling the court and balancing the sets to put the team in the best situations she can," Campbell said.
Filley also recorded her 15th double-double against the Gamecocks.
The setter leads Auburn and SEC freshman with 15 double-doubles this season, including five in her last six matches. Her nine double-doubles in conference play lead the league.
Head coach Rick Nold said Filley's assist record is something she will be very proud of, but shouldn't stop her from trying to get better.
Getting her hitters one-on-one and studying other teams are areas Filley said she wants to improve.
Nold said the setter is a big role to step into as a freshman because everything goes through that position, but there has never been a time where he thought Filley was backing off from the challenge.
The team expects a lot from Filley since her position is the focal point, Nold said.
Filley said she expects the same of herself and the team as her first season winds down.
(11/21/14 4:00pm)
A tough freshman year almost made former Auburn swimmer TJ Leon quit his calling, according to Brett Hawke, Auburn swimming and diving head coach.
The senior in biomedical sciences, who finished his final season of eligibility in 2014, said he was worried swimming was getting in the way of school and his personal life, but Hawke told Leon not to quit because he had talent.
The Mobile native took his coach's words to heart. Leon said he didn't write off swimming his first year on the Plains because he cared about the team.
Hawke said Leon's decision to keep swimming shaped the next three years of his life.
The swimmer was recently selected as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship for a chance to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, something that may not have happened if he quit swimming.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity to be considered as a finalist," Leon said. "I haven't had a cross-cultural experience in that way. If I were awarded the scholarship it would be invaluable."
The 2013-14 team captain said he sets his goals to benefit the sake of others.
Leon woke up at 4 a.m. to swim every morning for his team. Hawke said his will to do well in school came from his treatment of others.
"TJ's always just picking people up when they're down," Hawke said. "He's always just thinking about other people before himself. He'll go to great lengths to make sure that everybody else is taken care of before himself."
Leon is a recipient of the Cliff Hare Award and was named 2014 SEC Men's Swimming and Diving Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
"The four years I was on the team, I think that (Leon) was definitely one of the best team captains we ever had," said former teammate James Disney-May. "A real leadership figure for the whole team. He was somebody everyone respected."
If Leon receives the scholarship, he said he plans to pursue a research master's of science in primary health care to become a physician.
"I really believe that the program that I'm willing to study at Oxford will enhance my ability and enable me to understand medicine and health care better," Leon said. "Who knows where it will lead me."
Rhodes Scholars are chosen for their outstanding scholarly achievements and their character, commitment to others and to the common good and for their potential for leadership in whatever domains their careers may lead, according to the official website of American Rhodes Scholarships.
Hawke said staying on the swim team helped Leon develop characteristics to stand out as a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship.
"I think TJ has a great chance to win just because of who he is," Hawke said. "He's one of the best student athletes to ever come through this program."
Leon said he analyzed his coach's words that day before he made a final decision.
"He came back and looked at it as if it's not so much about him, but how much of an impact he can make for the team," Hawke said. "He continued swimming, and that really shaped the next three years of his life, and so I think that decision alone wasn't an individual decision, it was definitely a team decision."
(11/20/14 4:00pm)
The confident, but nervous 6-year-old quietly observed from the side of the pool as girls swam butterfly at her first summer league swim practice.
Aubrey Peacock didn't know any swimming techniques or breathing pattern, so when shehopped in the pool and beat everyone in a butterfly race, her mother didn't know what to think.
"Aubrey had never been taught to do butterfly, she watched somebody do it," said her mother, Susan Peacock.
Her strong kicks and quick strokes made it look like she had been swimming for a long time.
Aubrey half jokes with her mom about having a sixth sense that allows her to have an unusually close connection with her body that most people don't.
"I'm very visual," Aubrey said. "If I watch someone do something, I'm able to digest it and do it."
It's an ability you cannot teach, according to Susan.
"She had a very good mind and body connection from a very young age because she could literally just watch something and recreate it in the water," Susan said. "With her, she can just watch it and do it."
Aubrey and her mother believe her body awareness came from swimming and her medical problems.
An autonomic nervous system disorder that caused her to lose consciousness taught her how to read her body the most when she was young, Peacock said.
A broken pinky, torn quad and fractured spine taught Aubrey how to push herself to an edge she knows will not hurt her.
"I think I know my body so well, I kind of know exactly where the line is that you can push it, and there is a time where you can cross the line," Aubrey said. "I think I am really good at determining when I get to that line. I know when I'm pushing myself too hard, and I know when I'm not pushing myself hard enough."
The 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier was also born with a heart defect that required doctors to open up her pulmonary valve when she was an infant.
After heart surgery, Peacock had to have regular checkups every five years. Doctors discovered an electrical problem in her heart called Wolf-Parkinson syndrome on a checkup when she was 13.
The bleach blonde with a chip on her shoulder started swimming because she did not like sports that made her sweat.
The Georgia native's passion for the sport grew when she moved to Jacksonville, Florida. There, she started swimming for the Bolles School swimming and diving team, a program that has won more state championships and more consecutive championships than any other team in the history of Florida swimming.
After four years at Bolles, she spent her first two years of eligibility at the University of Arizona. Because of a coaching change, she transferred to Auburn in 2012.
"The new coach that we got (at Arizona), our values just didn't align," Aubrey said.
Auburn head coach Brett Hawke said she came in with a really positive attitude, and wanted to be a role model and leader right away.
"She came in a little hesitant, but she came in with the idea that she was going to set a great example from the get go and prove herself as a leader," Hawke said.
Peacock did not let the bad times at Arizona frustrate her, and made All-American six times in college.
She loved competing for Auburn with her teammates, but her most cherished time in the water was the years she competed in the United States Olympic Trials, and qualified in 2012.
"That was something I can never duplicate," Peacock said. "That was just amazing. If I could swim on Team USA every year, and make the team every year, I would. That is probably what kept me going."
Peacock considered the idea of swimming after graduation, but figured it was time to find a job.
Memories of when she swam in a warm-up lane with Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, and chatted by the pool with Ryan Lochte, 11-time Olympic medalist, made it a difficult decision to hang up the torch.
She said she would miss the competitive spirit that came with swimming the most.
"When you're on a college team or Team USA, it just adds a different component to it," Aubrey said. "It just adds so much to the sport."
Aubrey said she will also miss proving people wrong, such as the doctors who told her she would need several months to heal from her spinal fracture. She cut the time in half.
"I'm one of those people that when you tell me I can't do something, I'm like 'Watch me,'" Aubrey said.
Aubrey said she still gets in the pool once a week, and still hangs around the Auburn swimming and diving team. She works 20 hours a week for the Auburn athletics department to keep her fifth-year scholarship.
"I work with the captains," Aubrey said. "I was captain last year, so whatever they need, I kind of understand it. I help out with that and recruiting. I still hang out with all the teammates. You become family."
After she graduates in December with a business marketing degree, she said she wants to do marketing for television.
"I would love to work for SEC Network, ESPN, Time Warner, Fox, pretty much anything that has to do with television I am really passionate about," Aubrey said. "The way you can use a program to market to the consumer and attract them to your program. I think that's really cool."
Aubrey went to her first summer league practice where she swam butterfly for the first time because a friend invited her.
Her friend ended up quitting, but Aubrey stayed with it, and found out something about herself, something rare. Swimming taught her a constant awareness of how she feels, both physically and mentally.
"I think the deal is your looking at this certain level of swimmer, and to get to that level most of them have had to have a great amount of body awareness," Susan said. "Obviously there are ones that have more than others. I think they just learn to know what their body needs, and they get better if they know how to do that."
(11/19/14 12:20am)
Following a 34-7 loss to Georgia on the road Saturday, Auburn has dropped to 14th in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, a five spot drop from last week when the Tigers were in the top ten at No. 9. After being ranked at 16, the Bulldogs jumped up to No. 10 following the upset in Athens.
The Tigers have wins over No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 12 Kansas State, both on the road, as well as a victory over No. 17 LSU at home. Auburn is looking to rebound from its recent losses to Texas A&M and Georgia in their last two regular-season games against Samford and No. 1 Alabama.
(11/18/14 10:11pm)
The Auburn football team wants to finish the season strong, while former Tiger baseball star Tim Hudson approaches his final season as a Major League baseball player.
The defending SEC champion No. 16 Auburn (7-3, 4-3 SEC) lost its chances to repeat after a 34-7 loss to Georgia, but head coach Gus Malzahn has no doubt his team will finish these next two weeks strong.
"We're still a good football team," Malzahn said. "We're capable of being a very good football team. That's the goal. To finish this thing like we can, which I know we can, which I expect us to."
The Tigers host Samford, coached by Auburn's first Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday, and travel to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 30 to face off with the Crimson Tide.
Hudson won his first World Series after 16 seasons in the Major League's in October.
"There definitely feels like there is some solid closure to it," Hudson said Tuesday at the Tigers' weekly press conference. "You wait so long in your career to try and experience something like that."
Even after reaching the pinnacle with the San Francisco Giants last season, the right-handed pitcher is focused on ending the last season of his career on a positive note like the Tigers.
Auburn's matchup against the Bulldogs will be the final home game for 27 players.
"This is a very good group of seniors," Malzahn said. "They've done a lot of great things for Auburn. I'm hoping our fans will show up, be loud and send these guys off on the right track."
Center Reese Dismukes said it is going to be "one good last ride."
As a senior, Dismukes is concerned how the negative noise surrounding the teams' recent losses is effecting younger teammates.
"You just have to keep these young guys locked in that we still have a lot to play for, and there's a lot still on the line," Dismukes said. "None of that outside stuff really matters."
Hudson said he sees his opportunities gradually closing as he gets older. Something the Tigers can relate to as their season is coming to an end.
"The older you get, your skills diminish a little bit," Hudson said. "It seems like all the younger guys that come up in the big leagues these days are really good at a young age. The game will let you know when you need to retire."
As those opportunities have gotten smaller, Hudson and the Tigers do not plan on going without a fight.
"There was times in the season where I thought we were the worst team in baseball, and there were times when I thought we were the best team in baseball," Hudson said. "But come October these guys expect to win."
(11/19/14 4:00pm)
Cam Newton's 1,473 rushing yards were a big factor in the success of Auburn's 2010 national championship season.
Like Newton, quarterback Nick Marshall has shown his mobility to rush for big time yards. The senior currently holds the school record with eight 100-yard games rushing as a quarterback.
While head coach Gus Malzahn has built his hurry-up, no-huddle offenses around mobile quarterbacks, a good passing game also helps.
Passing is an area Marshall has made huge strides to be effective in since last season, and the senior's league-leading 156.6 pass efficiency rating in 2014 SEC games proves it.
Marshall has always had an ability to make big plays with his legs, but wasn't confident to do the same with his arm until this season.
"He's trying to throw the ball first, and if he goes through his progressions and it's not there, he needs to feel confident to let his instincts take over and go make plays," said offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee.
The Tigers' signal-caller is tied for eighth in Auburn career touchdown passes thrown and is a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the nation's top player; and the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the top quarterback.
"My confidence level is really high right now," Marshall said after the close win at Kansas State. "Last year, I would've probably flushed out of the pocket on (a late fourth quarter completion to Duke Williams for the win against Kansas State). But, this year, I just trust my linemen with everything in me, and I know they trust me."
Now that Marshall is more versatile on the field, opponents cannot be sure what to expect from Auburn's offense.
"We can go deep, we can throw it short, we can run the ball on you," said junior wide receiver Sammie Coates. "It's just one of those things that coach Malzahn brings out. We can do either one with Nick throwing it the way he's throwing it, and the way we're running it."
Auburn's coaches are more confident to call the plays they need to call now that Marshall is more comfortable throwing the football, Lashlee said.
"He's not going to throw into bad situations," Lashlee said. "If he needs to scramble and ad lib like he did a few times (against LSU) he can. As a coach you trust him more and more to call things to give him chances to make plays knowing that if it's not there he's going to make it right. That's probably the biggest change from last year to now."
Lashlee said coaches felt Marshall had a really good grasp of the run aspect in the Tennessee game last year. That's when they started giving him more to add to his game.
"We have really trusted him fully since then," Lashlee said. "There were times when he didn't always make the right decision. Sometimes he makes it right when he's wrong if that makes any sense. But he has gotten better this year at not being greedy."
Marshall will need to make a few more plays in the passing game against a Samford team led by Auburn great Pat Sullivan and in-state rival Alabama to be remembered as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks to play at Auburn.
"He's proven that he's matured to the point that he's going to look to be a passer first," Lashlee said. "He's not going to be a guy that just drops back and tries to take off running."
(11/17/14 6:55pm)
Auburn's Cinmeon Bowers' was named SEC player of the Week after his dominating performance in the Tigers' season-opener.
The junior broke the rebound record in Auburn Arena as he pulled down 17 against UW-Milwaukee Friday night.
Ten of the 6-foot-7 power forward's rebounds were in the second half where Auburn outscored its opponents 54-41, and eventually won 83-73.
The big man also put up 18 points for his first double-double of the season. He shot 6-for-12 from the field and 6-for-11 from the foul line.
He is the first at Auburn to have as many as 17 rebounds since Korvotney Barber recorded 18 in 2009.
Bowers' size will be essential for a smaller Auburn team in its first season under head coach Bruce Pearl.
(02/24/15 5:07am)
South Carolina volleyball (15-12, 5-8 SEC) has now lost nine of its last 11 matches after Auburn (12-15, 4-10 SEC) won on the road in five sets.
(02/24/15 4:57am)
The Auburn soccer team shutout Florida Gulf Coast 1-0 to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament Saturday night.
(11/15/14 2:35am)
The Auburn swimming and diving team faced Tennessee and Louisville at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee Friday.
The women's team (6-0-1, 3-0-1 SEC) kept its winning streak alive as they opened the meet with a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay (1:40.35).
The men topped Tennessee 157-143, but fell to Louisville, 171-129, while the women tied Tennessee with 150 apiece and defeated Louisville, 185-114.
The women continued their run as sophomore Ashley Neidigh won the women's 1000 free with a personal-best time of 9:44.82. Freshman Valerie Hull earned a win in the 200 free, touching in at a season-best 1:49.58. Junior Jillian Vitarius posted a time of 54.54 to win the 100 back. Junior Alexandria Merritt finished second in the women's 200 fly (1:59.17), and sophomore Kristen Murslack took third (1:59.84) for the Tigers. Junior Carly Scheper had a strong showing on the 1-meter. She posted a score of 270.00. Senior Shanna Schuelein took third (265.40). Senior Megan Fonteno took second in the 100 fly (54.14) followed by Merritt, who placed third (54.34). Neidigh picked up her second win of the day with a time of 4:28.22 in the 500 free. Junior Annie Lazor finished third in the 200 IM with a time of 2:02.40, her best time of the season in the event. Auburn's women took second in the 200 FR (1:30.86).
For the men's (3-2, 3-0 SEC), they took second in the 200 MR with a 1:28.72. Sophomore Joe Patching won the 200 free with a time of 1:37.16, the 200 IM with a time of 1:46.60 and second in the 200 back (1:44.02). Senior Alex Hancock claimed second in the men's 200 fly (1:48.30), just edging junior Arthur Mendes (1:48.31) who finished third. Sophomore Kyle Darmody took second in the men's 50 free with a time of 20.25.
In diving, McKean placed second in the men's 1-meter competition with a 344.55, while junior Justin Youtsey finished third with a score of 339.55. Women's senior Cinzia Calabretta won the 3-meter springboard vs. Tennessee and Louisville with a score of 296.90. McKean earned the win in the 3-meter competition, taking first with a score of 413.40.
Auburn will compete next at the Georgia Invitational in Athens, Georgia on Dec. 5-7. The Tigers' divers will compete next at the Georgia Tech Diving Invite on Nov. 20-22 in Atlanta, Georgia.
(02/24/15 5:08am)
The Auburn volleyball team fell 3-0 (14-25, 21-25, 10-25) to No. 7 Florida at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida Wednesday.
(11/11/14 8:49pm)
The Auburn Tigers have done everything they can to put last week's loss behind them and prepare for a tough matchup against Georgia, head coach Gus Malzahn said in Tuesday's press conference.
The Tigers aren't concerned with last year's miraculous win over the Bulldogs, but focused on getting off to a better start defensively in Sanford Stadium than they did last week against Texas A&M.
The Aggies offense stunned the Tigers' defense that allowed 35 first-half points in a sold-out Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"We're going to get better at (tackling and communication)," Malzahn said. "A lot of it, the tackling, is being in the right position in the first place. We got some veteran guys, and I feel like we will finish strong in that area."
As the game last Saturday rolled on, the Tigers' defense got more comfortable and held the Aggies to two field goals in the second half.
"Once we get into the game, especially the second half, our guys are playing better and settling down," Malzahn said. "We got to get off to a better start defensively."
Auburn's defense has to step up this weekend if they don't want another upset. The scheduled return of the Bulldog's star running back Todd Gurley and freshman Nick Chubb and Sony Michel make one of the nation's deepest backfields.
"First of all, they got two freshman running backs that are extremely talented, and you can definitely see that," Malzahn said. "They've been effective, and of course when you add Gurley in he is one of the better individual players at any position."
Auburn's pass defense suffered against A&M's freshman Kyle Allen as he threw for four first-half touchdowns against the Tigers. Since sophomore Carl Lawson was injured in the offseason, the Tigers have not had anyone step and consistently put pressure on the quarterback.
"That's a big factor in our defense is being able to put pressure on a quarterback with just four guys, and at times we've not gotten that done," Malzahn said. "What we got to do is figure out ways to disrupt things and put pressure on the quarterback."
The offensively minded Malzahn said it is his job to get the most out the team, including the defense.
"I'm confident in the leadership guys we have, but at the same time as a head coach you try to give your team the best chance at being successful," Malzahn said.
In other Auburn football news, junior wide receiver D'haquille Williams, who suffered a right knee injury early in the second quarter last week, is unlikely to play Saturday against the Bulldogs, according to Malzahn.
"He's week to week right now," Malzahn said. "We'll see how he progresses."
Senior wide receiver Quan Bray said when Williams went down it was a big loss for the team, but junior Melvin Ray and senior C.J. Uzomah stepped up for him at times. The Tigers have to do the same thing moving forward.
"Other people just got to step up, and I'm sure we got athletes and players to step up and get the job done, and I think we will do that," Bray said.
(02/24/15 4:30am)
Auburn wrapped up the home weekend with a 3-1 (26-28, 25-14, 25-22, 25-15) win over Tennessee Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Auburn Arena for its third conference win of the season.
(02/24/15 5:07am)
The Auburn volleyball team returned home Friday night to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in a volleyball/men's basketball doubleheader at Auburn Arena.
(11/06/14 10:00pm)
Shortly after Auburn's loss to Florida State in the national championship game, Brandon Fulse told tight ends coach Scott Fountain he wanted to take on a bigger role for the Tigers in 2014.
The senior said he wants to fill Jay Prosch's shoes at H-back.
"It was really good to hear that," Fountain said. "What's even better is he took it into the weight room, he took it into spring. I feel like in camp, he's a different guy. He's playing with a different pad level and different energy. He's becoming a good leader for us."
Arguably the best fullback in college football last season, Prosch left the Plains for an NFL career with the Texans.
According to Fulse, the H-back position is one of the key positions besides quarterback.
"This is a big role," Fulse said. "We open up holes for everybody, and we hit our perimeter blocks for running backs, receivers. We mostly do it all; we go out, catch passes, we do it all, protect for the quarterback. We just do it all for this offense."
The Fort Meade, Florida, native tries to mimic Prosch by watching his film.
"I've been watching some last-year film with Jay Prosch, just trying to get the blocking down on what he does because he's a physical guy," Fulse said. "I'm trying to be as physical as Jay Prosch."
Fulse said Prosch gave him some advice before he left Auburn.
"The opposition is fresh in the beginning, but they wear off, so just maintain your physicality and play fast all game," Prosch said to Fulse.
Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said there are things Fulse has done well, and there are other things he's still working on to get better.
"Brandon has been good at the point of attack," Lashlee said. "We've just got to continue to rep him on some things that he just needs to keep accumulating more reps on so he can execute the block better."
The senior's first catch this season was a 3-yard touchdown against South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 25.
"I was like, 'No one's ripping it out; I'm not dropping it,'" Fulse said. "Either way, however I had to catch it, I was going to catch it."
Lashlee said Fulse and senior C.J. Uzomah give Auburn the best chances playing the H-back position.
"We might look at doing some things to help those guys out and try to focus on what they do better, but those are two senior guys we're counting on," Lashlee said.
As an older player on the team, Fulse competes with his teammates for the starting job and said he doesn't have any friends on the field during practices.
"Off the field all the guys are my friends," Fulse said. "They're my brothers."
(11/05/14 6:35am)
The Auburn Ticket Office sold all of the remaining tickets for the Tigers' away football game against Georgia Saturday, Nov. 15 at Sanford Stadium Wednesday morning.
Some Auburn students received an email from the ticket office Tuesday evening stating they can come by the main Ticket Office located on the Southeast corner of Auburn Arena between 7:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday to purchase tickets for $95.
"The email was sent to students who purchased season tickets, but did not purchase the Georgia ticket," Auburn Ticket Office employee said Wednesday morning.
All of the remaining tickets were sold by 8 a.m. due to their first-come, first-serve availability, and were available to all students.
(11/05/14 3:58am)
People working for Uber are "criminals," according to an Auburn taxi company owner.
Jeff Steiger, owner of KGM Auburn Trax, spoke at the Auburn City Council meeting Tuesday, Nov. 4, saying the popular ride-for-hire service is still operating in Auburn without abiding by the same regulations as other taxis.
"They are out there, and they are growing," Steiger said. "It is a big concern for me as a business owner being able to stay valuable."
When Steiger addressed the council in September about the issues taxi companies had with Uber, City Manager Charles Duggan said Uber would have to follow the same regulations as a traditional taxi company regarding insurance and licenses.
Since then, Steiger said police will give Uber driver's warnings for not abiding by the regulations, but not a ticket because authorities do not have proof Uber is acting as a taxi company.
"They sneak around," Steiger said. "There's no taxi sign, no nothing. No stickers, there's nothing there. They have no taxi licenses."
The small taxi companies are at a disadvantage when Uber does not have to follow the same regulations, Steiger said.
"As a business owner, I don't feel that our elected officials or city should work with people that are criminals, and they truly are," Steiger said. "They don't have their licenses. They really should know that you need to have a business license to work in any community."
In other city council news:
- Kevin Cowper, assistant city manager, gave a presentation on the Renew Opelika Road Project and other future enhancements coming to the area during Committee of the Whole. Cowper said the mission is to revitalize Opelika Road economically and aesthetically.
- Mayor Bill Ham, Jr. said declaring a moratorium for multi-family buildings so the city can conduct a study to see the effect they are having.
"As we continue to expand a number of student dwellings, our vacancies continue to rise," Ham said. "I think we are headed for a lot of vacancies in the future. How we answer those problems, and how we fix it, I think needs to be a community involvement scenario."
(11/01/14 10:08pm)
The Auburn swimming and diving team defeated two of its SEC rivals at the Alabama Aquatic Center in Tuscaloosa Saturday.
The Auburn women's team (5-0, 3-0 SEC) defeated Alabama 174-126, and LSU 176-124, while the men's team (2-1, 2-0 SEC) defeated Alabama, 167-133 and LSU, 225-75.
Sophomore Joe Patching of the men's team had three individual wins in the 200 free (1:37.91), 200 back (1:45.32) and 400 IM (3:53.04).
Sophomore Michael Duderstadt had two wins in the 100 and 200 breast with times of 54.24 and 1:59.31.
The men's team continued their sweep into the butterfly events as junior Arthur Mendes and senior Alexander Hancock posted 'B' cut times of 47.56 in the 100 fly and 1:47.81 in the 200 fly.
Junior Jillian Vitarius' 54.09 in the 100 back, sophomore Ashley Neidigh's 4:53 in the 500 free and 9:53 in the 100 free, junior Annie Lazor's 2:13.21 in the breast and sophmore Allyx Purcell's 50.23 in the 100 free were all first place finishes that helped the Tigers top their opponents.
Auburn dominated the Crimson Tide and LSU in the men's and women's relays.
For the women's, Vitarius, sophomore Natasha Lloyd, Fonteno and Purcell won the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:38.98 at the beginning of the meet.
The men began the competition with a win also. Duderstadt, Mendes and sophomore Kyle Darmody posted a season-best time of 3:13.97 in the 400 medley relay. Dudestadt, Darmondy, freshman Jacob Molacek and Allen Browing took the 400 free relay for a win and another season-best time (2:56.92) for the Tigers.
Senior Fraser McKean captured the men's 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events to give the Tigers first-place finishes in diving with scores of 364.10 and 362.20.
Auburn's next matchup is Friday, Nov. 14 in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Tigers will take on Tennessee and Louisville in its final tri-meet of the fall season.
(02/24/15 3:53am)
The Auburn volleyball team defeated Mississippi State 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 18-25, 25-23) on the road Friday night.
(10/31/14 4:06pm)
A former Auburn swimmer has been selected for an opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Senior biomedical sciences major TJ Leon joined Auburn graduate Azeem Ahmed as the second Auburn student finalist for the Rhodes scholarship this year, the university announced Thursday.
As the 2013-14 team captain, Leon was named 2014 SEC Men's Swimming and Diving Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. He also helped the Tigers win the NCAA title in 2013 by swimming on the 200 freestyle relay team. The five-time All-American was an Olympic Trials Qualifier in 2012.
If selected for the scholarship, the Mobile native wants to pursue a research master's of science in primary health care.
Auburn University has had four Rhodes Scholars. This is the fifth consecutive year that Auburn University students have been named as finalists.
Leon and Ahmed will interview in Birmingham, Alabama in late November.