SEC Weekly Analysis: Auburn Makes Rivalry Statement

Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold

By Dan D’Addona.

There were plenty of great rivalries this week in pools across the country.

Auburn and Alabama is one of the best in the country, and that is no different in the pool.

After the first in-season rankings were released by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America, the Alabama men were ranked No. 5 and the Auburn men were ranked No. 10.

A week later they faced off and No. 10 Auburn completed a stunning rivalry upset, winning 166-134.

Yes, it is just a dual meet and both teams are focused on the SEC championships, but this was an important early statement by the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn has the stroke specialists to have a dominant team. It was a pretty intriguing meet from the standpoint that Alabama swept all of the freestyle events and Auburn won all of the stroke events.

The meet clearly showed the strength of both teams, and now they will have to focus on their weaknesses.

Here are some of the highlights:

Joe Patching won the 200 back for the fourth straight meet, touching in 1:43.53. He also won the 200 IM (1:47.34).

Michael Duderstadt won the 100 breaststroke in 53.86 and the 200 in 1:59.94.

Luis Martinez won the 100 butterfly in 47.35 and the 200 butterfly in 1:47.22.

Alabama’s Daniel Kober won the 1,000 freestyle in 9:17.40, holding off Auburn’s Grant Schenk by nine-hundredths of a second. Laurent Bams won the 200 freestyle (1:36.09) and the 100 freestyle with a 43.87. Connor Oslin won the 100 backstroke (47.37). Will Freeman won the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:29.02.

Alabama closed out the meet with a win the 400 freestyle relay when Zane Waddell, Robert Howard, Luke Kaliszak and Bams clocked a 2:55.12, the fastest time in the nation this season.

In the women’s meet, Auburn’s Julie Meynen won the 100 freestyle 49.44 and the 50 free (22.74) as the Tigers cruised to a big victory.

Alison Maillard, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week, won both the 1-meter (273.75) and 3-meter (311.93) diving events.

Ashley Neidigh, Natasha Lloyd and Aly Tetzloff each had multiple wins for the Tigers. Neidigh won the 500 (4:48.36) and 1,000 free (9:45.74) while Lloyd won the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.58 and the 200 breaststroke in 2:14.87. Tetzloff won the 100 fly (53.28) and the 100 back (54.61).

Alabama’s Mia Nonnenberg won the 200 individual medley (2:01.73).

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Dean

7 years ago

Patching is a pretender. I’m pretty sure after winning the dual meet last season both Alabama backstrokers finished easily ahead of him at NCAAs and have faster best times.