By Dan D’Addona.
The Auburn women got off to a fast start at the Georgia Tech Invitational.
After one night the No. 11-ranked Auburn women hold a 100-point lead over second-place No. 16 Florida, 346-246. Alabama is third (228), followed by Arkansas in fourth (224), South Carolina and Florida Gulf Coast tied for fifth (186) and Georgia Tech seventh (134) in the 11-team event.
In the men’s meet, Florida (376) leads, followed by Alabama (362), Georgia Tech (265), South Carolina (345) and East Carolina (112).
In the women’s meet, Auburn posted the nation’s top time in the 200 freestyle relay (1:29.71) behind Aly Tetzloff, Julie Meynen, Ashton Ellzey and Robyn Clevenger.
When Auburn wasn’t touching first, many times it was touching second. Zoe Thatcher blazed to a 4:43.39 to finish second in the 500 free, Ellzey and Meynen tied for second in the 50 free in 22.56 and the 400 medley relay team of Tetzloff, Kristen Murslack, Haley Black and Meynen combined for a runner-up time of 3:36.69.
Bailey Nero took home Auburn’s lone individual win of the night, clocking a 1:59.46 in the 200 IM to win by .04 seconds.
Arkansas freshman Ayumi Macias won the 500 freestyle (4:32.39). Alabama’s Bailey Scott won the 50 freestyle (22.5). Scott, Katie Kelso, Bridget Blood and Hannah Musser won the 400 medley relay (3:36.5). South Carolina’s Julia Vincent won 3-meter diving (359.4).
In the men’s meet, Florida’s Caeleb Dressel won the 200 IM (1:42.77) and the 50 freestyle (19.28). Mitch D’Arrigo won the 500 freestyle (4:16.87)
South Carolina’s Jordan Gotro won 1-meter diving (371.7).
Alabama’s Zane Waddell, Robert Howard, Luke Kaliszak and Laurent Bams won the 200 freestyle relay (1:17.20), edging Florida by nine hundredths. Alabama’s Connor Oslin, Pavel Romanov, Kaliszak and Bams won the 400 medley relay (3:07.74).
Check out the first-day results here.
