SOUTHERN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (SAA) – MEN AND WOMEN
- Dates: Wednesday, February 12-Saturday, February 15, 2020
- Location: Crossplex Aquatic Center – Birmingham, AL
- Host: Rhodes
- Defending Champion: Birmingham Southern women (3x); Birmingham Southern men (5x)
- Results
Courtesy: Southern Athletic Association
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Feb. 14, 2020) – After leading the first two days, Birmingham-Southern extended its advantage in both the men and women’s 2020 Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Swimming and Diving Championships.
In the women’s competition, the Panthers pushed their lead to 580 points. Centre remained in second with 472 points while Rhodes is third at 442.5. Berry remains in fourth place with a 415 total while after two wins on Friday, Sewanee is fifth with 314 points. Hendrix is sixth with a 188.5 total, while a newcomer to the championships, Millsaps is seventh with 60 points.
On the men’s side, BSC has 610 points after its depth showed again, Friday. Centre is second with 475 points while Berry is just behind the Colonels in third with a 417 total. Rhodes is fourth at 325 while Sewanee is fifth with a 287 total. Hendrix (251) and Millsaps (89) closed out the scores, respectively.
BSC earned the first victory of the day when James Hughes broke the league record in the men’s three-meter dive with 526.55 points.
Panther Mary Miller Goldberg then won the women’s 400 IM in 4:31.71. Her classmate, fellow freshman Charlie Fountain, won the men’s 400 IM in 4:02.98.
In the women’s 100 Butterfly, Centre senior Annie Holmes earned an NCAA “B” Cut time, and set a new SAA record, by edging out Mia Harris of Rhodes (57.62 NCAA “B” Cut) for the win. BSC sophomore Chase Bolding, competing in his first SAA Championship, won the men’s 100 Fly in 49.81.
BSC senior Becca Erwin continued her strong meet by winning the women’s 200 Free with an NCAA Invit time of 1:48.25, which also set a new league record. That edged Madi Griffin of Rhodes, who also earned an NCAA Invit time in 1:50.92.
Rhodes sophomore Evan Ziolkowski won the men’s 200 Free in 1:40.64 while Gabby Acker of Sewanee repeated as champion in the women’s 100 Breastroke in 1:04.82.
In the men’s 100 Breastroke, Hayden Henderson of BSC won in 56.16. In the event, BSC finished in first, second, and sixth place.
Sewanee then took both the women’s and men’s 100 Backstroke. On the women’s side, Kate Mabry won in 58.22 while Carl Failing set a new SAA record in 50.27.
Finally, the BSC team of Mary Kate Stewart, Birch Ely, Goldberg, and Erwin won the women’s 400 Medley Relay while the Panther squad of Sheridan Harder, Henderson, Bolding, and Ryan Emili won the men’s 400 Medley Relay.
The final day of the SAA Swimming and Diving Championships is scheduled to begin with prelims Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. (CST).
