ATLANTA – The second night of the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational proved to be historic for Reid Mikuta and the Auburn swimming and diving team.
Mikuta won the men's 100 breaststroke Friday night, and his time of 51.33 broke the all-time Auburn record in the event, passing Michael Duderstadt (51.50, 2017). It also hit the A-cut mark, earning the sophomore an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Championships.
Mikuta had already punched his ticket to NCAAs earlier in the night swimming on the men's 200 medley relay team that finished fourth and earned an automatic qualifying time (1:24.20). The squad included Mikuta, Aidan Stoffle, Matthew Yish and Logan Tirheimer.
As a team, the Tigers held steady on the second day. The women remained in third with 683 points, and the men stayed put in second but distanced themselves from Florida State, Georgia and Georgia Tech with one day remaining. With 772.5 points, they trail only Florida.
WOMEN
Mikuta wasn't the only winner for Auburn on Friday. Freshman Ellie Waldrep touched the wall first in the women's 100 backstroke final with a B-cut time of 52.64. Waldrep was one of three Tigers in the A Final. Kensley Merritt took fourth, and Hannah Mattson finished eighth.
Sophomore Hannah Ownbey picked up a second-place finish in the 400 IM with a time of 4:09.44. Ownbey, Meghan Lee and Devan Sweeney all qualified for the A Final.
Freshman Avery Bargeron set a new lifetime best (53.17) in the 100 butterfly to finish in a tie for third in the A Final. Claudia Thamm placed fifth in the same race while fellow freshman Lexie Mulvihill won the B Final for the Tigers.
In the 200 freestyle, seniors Emily Hetzer and Mykenzie Leehy went 1-2 in prelims. The duo finished fourth and fifth respectively in the A Final, each with B-cuts times.
Senior Carly Cummings tied for fifth overall in the 100 breaststroke.
MEN
Following the 200 medley relay, freshman Jacques Rathle took third in the 400 IM. His prelims time of 3:47.19 was fastest among all swimmers in the morning session and was a new personal best. Seth Maschmeier won the B Final, finishing in 3:48.37.
Tirheimer, who anchored the 200 medley relay, set a lifetime best (47.23) in the men's 100 butterfly and finished seventh in the A Final. Yish won the B Final.
Christian Sztolcman led a group of four Tigers in the A Final of the 200 freestyle. The senior placed fourth, finishing in 1:34.15. Sztolcman, Ryan Husband (8th), Michael Bonson (9th) and Mikkel Gadgaard (10th) all swam B-cuts in the final.
Mikuta highlighted the 100 breaststroke, but he was joined in the A Final by Henry Bethel, Alejandro Flores and Adriel Sanes. Bethel finished fourth with a new PR (52.58) that puts him at No. 8 on Auburn's all-time Top 10 performers for the 100 breast.
In the 100 backstroke, Lleyton Smith touched the wall second with a lifetime best (46.39).
DIVING
Senior Conner Pruitt continued his strong week with a win in the men's 1-meter event. Pruitt was tops in prelims with a score of 378.05 and then posted 366.20 points in the final to snag first place. Hunter Kebler and Whit Andrus both advanced to the final as well.
For the women, freshman Abigail Farrar earned a second list on 3-meter and finished ninth with 276.15 points – her best 3-meter score at Auburn so far.
UP NEXT
Events scheduled for the third and final day of the GT Fall Invite include the 1650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay, and the men's and women's platform. Prelims begin at 9 a.m. CT.
Reid Mikuta leads Tigers on Day 2 with record performance
