Auburn is playing host to Georgia, Florida State and Alabama this weekend for their Fall Invitational. Tonight was the finals of the first day of competition.
Event tonight included: 200 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle, 200IM, 50 freestyle and 400 medley relay
200yd Freestyle Relay
Women
Auburn and Georgia both swam under the A standard to kick off a fast evening in Auburn. Auburn had the win in 1:28.64 with a team of Allyx Purcell (22.44), Emily Bos (21.85), Megan Fonteno (22.17) and Aubrey Peacock (22.18).
Georgia was right behind for second in 1:28.70. The relay was made up with Olivia Smoliga (22.19), Maddie Locus (22.67), Lauren Harrington (22.34), and Chantal Van Landeghem (21.50).
Georgia’s and Auburn’s B relays took the next two spots, before Florida State in fifth.
Men
1:17.22 – if that didn’t just shock you, take a look again. Auburn’s A team of Marcelo Chierighini, James Disney-May, TJ Leon and Kyle Darmody teamed up to take the win in 1:17.22. Their splits included 19.33, 19.05, 19.53 and 19.31.
And Auburn wasn’t done there, the B relay was second with two 19 splits there too. Arthur Mendes led off in 19.93 and Alex Press split 19.59 on the relay.
Georgia was third in 1:19.95. Michael trice led off in 19.99 and Chris Powell was 19.91 on a relay pick up, plus Dough Reynolds was 19.99 on the anchor leg. Nick Fink was 20.06 on the third leg.
500yd Freestyle
Women
Three women were sub 4:40’s here tonight, oh, and they were all from Georgia (shocker). Amber McDermott had the win and the A cut with a time of 4:35.72. The new top time in the country.
Her teammate Shannon Vreeland was second in 4:38.54 and Brittany MacLean in third at 4:38.93.
Florida State had a great swim from Madison Jacobi in fourth, finishing in 4:40.17.
The remainder of the heat was three Bulldogs (5-6-7) and a Seminole (8).
Men
Georgia’s Matias Koski found himself in a tight battle with Australian Ned McKendry in the men’s 500 free final.
McKendry, training with the postgrad group at Auburn, led the race for 400 yards just barely ahead of Koski before falling to second in the final stretch. Koski won with a 4:17.82 to McKendry’s 4:17.90.
Georgia had two other sub 4:20 swims from Will Freeman in second at 4:18.36 and Andrew Gemmell in fifth at 4:19.94.
Zane Grothe from Auburn was fourth at 4:19.15
200yd IM
Women
In a lifetime best, Melanie Margalis notched another A standard for the Bulldogs in a time of 1:54.08. Between her, DiRado, and Biesel, March should be fun in this event.
Hali Flickinger was second at 1:57.82, and Annie Zhu in third at 1:57.92 for the Bulldogs.
In fourth was the last sub 2:00 swimmer of the night with McKayla Lightbourn from Florida State in 1:59.45.
Men
Georgia finished 1-2-3 in the 200 IM, led by Chase Kalisz won the race in 1:43.32 – A standard. Tynan Stewart cut time off his personal best to finish second at 1:43.90. This sets himself up well to make it back this March after finishing 18th last year.
Nic Fink was third at 1:46.33.
50yd Freestyle
Women
After her anchor leg in the 200 free relay, Van Landeghem won the 50 free with a 22.17. She just beat teammate Smoliga’s 22.33, who was 22.24 in the prelims session.
Those swims put the Georgia sprinters in the top five nationally so far this season.
Auburn’s Bos rounded out the top three with a 22.41.
Florida State had two in the top eight with Kaitlyn Dressel in fourth at 22.64 and Tiffany Oliver in sixth at 22.82.
Men
Adam Brown, back at Auburn to train with the postgrad group, won the 50 free tonight with a 19.02. That’s about a tenth faster than he swam last weekend at the Arena Grand Prix that landed him second.
Auburn’s Chierighini was second with 19.25. This is the new top time in the nation, dropping UNLV’s Dillon Virva’s 19.34 posted 24 hours ago.
Finishing third in the 50 free at Auburn was Florida State’s Paul Murray with a 19.68.
Finishing also below the :20 barrier was James Disney-May, Auburn (19.71), Kyle Darmody, Auburn (19.99), and TJ Leon, Auburn (19.95).
400yd Medley Relay
Women
Georgia had a dominating 400 medley relay to end the night. Smoliga led off in 52.18, Margalis (58.38), Lauren Harrington (53.31) and Van Landeghem (48.17) rounded out the foursome that posted an NCAA qualifying time of 3:32.04.
Auburn was a distant second with a 3:37.91. From their relay, Megan Donteno split 52.90 on the butterfly, and Purcell anchored them home in 48.93, notably.
Men
Auburn ended the night with an automatic qualifying time in the men’s 400 medley relay with 3:09.21. Florida State hung on for second with a 3:09.93, also automatically qualifying them for NCAAs.
Georgia was just behind them at 3:10.34, just off the 3:10.26 A standard time.
Auburn’s four splits included: Joe Patching (46.92), Michael Duderstadt (53.34), Mendes (46.70), Chierighini (42.25)
Florida State’s four splits included: Pavel Sankovich (47.50), Jared Pike (52.97), Connor Knight (46.69), Murray (42.77)
Georgia’s four splits included: Stewart (47.44), Fink (52.76), Reynolds (46.43), Michael Trice (43.71)
Is this the same Matias Koski that swam in WI as an age grouper?
Z.S. – it sure is the same Matias Koski.
While Dirado, Beisel and Margalis are definitely contenders, I think you are forgetting one major monster in the 200 IM. And her name in Elizabeth Pelton. She has been nothing but fantastic ever since arriving at Cal.
Totally agree with you. I think it will be a Pelton/DiRado battle for the win with Beisel and Margalis just a little behind. Be careful to Tosky as well. I don’t forget she was in 1.54.80 in 2011. If she wakes up she can be dangerous.
But if I had to choose a winner now, I would say Pelton in 1.52.
I have a feeling that Beisel is swimming the 500 free this year in place of the 200 IM.