KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On the third day of the SEC S&D Championships, Auburn swimming and diving was led by a pair of Louisiana natives, Michael Bonson and Jacques Rathle. Both swimmers made A Finals on Thursday, and both added their names among the Auburn greats.
The duo helped the men's team stay put in sixth place with 414.5 points. The Auburn women currently have 258 points, good for 10th place, with two days remaining.
WOMEN
On the women's side, Auburn had five swimmers advance to finals Thursday. Sophomores Hannah Ownbey and Colby Hurt both made the B Final in the 400 IM and finished as team's top two point-getters of the night. Ownbey placed 12th overall after a fourth-place finish in the B Final while Hurt was 16th with a season-best time, 4:15.73, in the final.
Ellie Waldrep was Auburn's lone representative in the 100 butterfly finals. The freshman, known more for the backstroke, finished 23rd overall. Her prelims time of 53.40 was a personal best.
In the 200 freestyle, Rebekah Hamilton and Mykenzie Leehy both qualified for the C Final where they finished fifth and seventh respectively. Hamilton, swimming in her first individual SEC final, recorded a season-best time of 1:47.12.
MEN
The Auburn men had eight total swims in the night session – two in the A Final and three each in both the B and C Finals for the 400 IM, 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle.
Rathle led the way in the 400 IM. The freshman set a new personal best in prelims to make the A Final and then beat his own time in the night cap to finish sixth. His finals time of 3:45.92 moved him up into seventh place in Auburn history. Sophomore Evan McInerny also set a new PR to take fifth in the C Final and finish 21st overall.
All three Tigers swam personal bests in the 100 butterfly finals. Aidan Stoffle and Matthew Yish finished second and fifth respectively in the B Final with times of 46.29 and 46.62 while Logan Tirheimer touched the wall second in the C Final at 47.03.
In the 200 freestyle, it was Bonson who once again had the swim of the day for Auburn in prelims. The sophomore qualified for his second A Final, and he jumped to fifth-fastest in school history with a time of 1:33.97. He's now on Auburn's Top 10 performers list in the 200 free, 500 free and 1650 free. He still has the 1650 free to swim Saturday.
It was teammate Christian Sztolcman who came back and had the fastest time in the 200 free finals as he took second in the C Final at 1:34.54. Bonson and Ryan Husband both finished seventh in their races – Bonson in the A Final and Husband in the B Final.
DIVING
Juniors Ashlynn Sullivan and Gretchen Wensuc both scored points for Auburn, finishing 14th and 22nd respectively in the 3-meter prelims. With 289.05 points, Sullivan earned an NCAA Zone qualifying score – her ninth of the season on 3-meter.
UP NEXT
As both teams look to move up the standings, they will try to do so in the 200 butterfly, 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke in Friday's action. They will also close out the night session with the 400 medley relay. Prelims begin at 8:30 a.m. CT with finals at 4:30 p.m. CT.
On the boards, the men will finish their week on platform with prelims at 11 a.m. CT.
Watch: Prelims | Finals
Auburn duo sets the pace on Day 3 of SEC Championships
