Auburn, Georgia Among Last Chance Successes at Bulldog Day 1

2018 Bulldog Last Chance Meet

• February 24th-25th, 2018
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, Athens, Georgia
• Live results

A handful of likely NCAA qualifying times were posted on day 1 of the 2018 Bulldog Last Chance Meet in Athens, Georgia.

The Auburn Tigers made the biggest move of the meet’s participants. Senior Luis Martinez, who put in a 45.91 in the 100 fly, which is a new personal-best for him and .01 seconds better than he was at last year’s NCAA Championship meet (he finished 17th and just-out of the points).

More importantly, that improves his season-best of 46.00 from an SEC Championship time trial and jumps him from being ranked 26th in the country to tied-for-23rd in the country (with ACC and Big Ten Championship times included, but other last chance and Pac-12 times not). With 28-or-29 swimmers usually invited in each event, that leaves him with an NCAA invite within view. There are a handful of Pac-12 swimmers within striking distance, though, of his time, so he’ll sit firmly on the bubble until those results roll in.

His teammate Tommy Brewer is in slightly-better position, ranking 21st after swimming a 52.71 in the 100 breaststroke. He previously ranked 36th with a 53.07 from the SEC Championship meet.

In the women’s 500 free, Georgia senior Stephanie Peters put a much-more-certain NCAA qualifying time in with a 4:40.24 in prelims. That improves her season-best by 2 seconds and jumps her up to 34th place in the country. With women’s conference meets wrapping up this weekend (and Pac-12 times included already in that ranking), there aren’t many opportunities left for her to be knocked out of qualifying position.

Hawaii earned another likely NCAA qualifier when Metin Aydin swam a 1:40.84 in the 200 back. He was already ranked 22nd in the country with his 1:44.14 200 IM from lasst weekend’s MPSF Championships, which was probably safe, but he’s now tied for 15th in the 200 backstroke and is effectively a lock for qualifying. The time also broke his old school record set at last year’s NCAA Championship meet.