Senior swimmer Sarah Gibson and sophomore diver Sam Thornton of Texas A&M earned Southeastern Conference weekly honors on Tuesday for their strong performances last weekend.
Gibson, from San Antonio, Texas, earned SEC Female Swimmer of the Week honors, while Thornton, from Baildon, United Kingdom, earned SEC Male Diver of the Week honors.
Gibson led the Aggies to victories over SMU and LSU last week in the team’s final tune-ups before the upcoming SEC Championships. The defending SEC Champion in the 100-yard butterfly was undefeated in four individual races against the Mustangs and Tigers as she swept the 100 and 200 butterfly in both dual meets. Gibson also swam the fly leg on the Aggies’ winning medley relays in both victories.
In just his second meet of the season, Thornton swept both springboard events in the Aggies’ win over SEC rival LSU on Saturday. The defending SEC Champion in the three-meter dive surpassed the 400-point plateau with a 401.90 score on the one-meter board and turned in a 372.98 effort in the three-meter, which were both easily season bests.
Complete SEC weekly honors
Male Swimmer of the Week
Caeleb Dressel • Florida
Junior • Green Cove Springs, Florida
Dressel placed first in each of his four events (including his three signature events of 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly) at No. 6 Auburn, totaling 38 of Florida’s 163 points. His 50 free time of 19.21 was just .48 seconds off his season-best and nation-leading 18.73, which he set back in November, but it was still quick enough for him to win the event and rank fifth-fastest in the country. Additionally, Dressel’s anchoring 18.76 freestyle split in the first-place 200 medley relay was just .03 off his season-best 18.73.
Male Diver of the Week
Sam Thornton • Texas A&M
Sophomore • Baildon, United Kingdom
Thornton, the defending SEC three-meter dive champion, swept both boards against the Tigers while posting season bests in both events. Thornton edged LSU’s Matthew McClennan by just over two points on the three-meter board and fended off his All-America teammate Tyler Henschel for the win on the one-meter board.
Male Freshman of the Week
Maxime Rooney • Florida
Livermore, Calif.
Rooney collected 17 points for Florida in the Gators’ win over Auburn, with his personal highlight being a win in the 200 free by nearly 1.6 seconds over Auburn upperclassman Hugo Morris. Additionally, his second-place finish in the 200 back was .69 seconds off his career-best 1:44.05, which was set back in November.
Female Swimmer of the Week
Sarah Gibson • Texas A&M
Senior • San Antonio, Texas
Gibson was undefeated in individual races against SMU and SEC rival LSU last weekend with sweeps of the 100 and 200 butterfly. Against the Tigers, she tallied head-to-head wins over three-time NCAA qualifier Kara Kopcso in both races. Gibson also shined as the butterflyer on a pair of Aggie medley relay wins against the Ponies and Tigers.
Female Diver of the Week
Olivia Ball • Georgia
Junior • Powell, Ohio
In Georgia’s victory at Tennessee, Ball won the 1-meter springboard. Competing on the 1-meter board for the first time this season, she rolled up 286.80 points. Ball placed second on 3-meter with a season-best 304.50 points. Her efforts on each board reached the Zone qualifying standards. Ball helped Georgia finish 4-0 against SEC competition this season and extend its undefeated streak against league foes to 20-0-1 dating back to 2013.
Female Freshman of the Week
Asia Seidt • Kentucky
Louisville, Ky.
Seidt led the team with three individual wins, posting a top finish in every individual event she competed in on the day. She swam a season-best time of 54.49 in the 100 butterfly to edge out Louisville’s Grace Oglesby who finished second with a time of 54.92. It was also Seidt’s first B-cut time in the event this season. The current Kentucky record-holder in the event, Seidt continued her dominance in the 200 IM by posting a first-place time of 2:00.26. Seidt currently holds the eighth-fastest time in the nation in the event and the fastest time in the SEC. She led the Wildcats in a 1-2-3 sweep in the 100 back with a B-cut time of 53.79. Seidt currently holds down the No. 8 time in the event nationally and the third-fastest time in the SEC.
News courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics.
