Katie Russell, Grant Davis Double as Auburn Dominates UNC-Wilmington
The Auburn Tigers traveled to Wilmington, N.C., Saturday for a dual meet against the Seahawks, and the strong SEC squad easily came out on top, winning by margins of 242-58 on the women’s side and 180-120 among the men.
Katie Russell posted a strong performance as she won the 1000 free (10:18.91 and 400 IM (4:23.16) while Grant Davis had a freestyle double in the 1000 (9:20.94) and 500 (4:29.50).
Auburn also captured three out of four relays. The women’s team of Kyla Maloney, Olivia Stewart, Lawson Ficken and Elizaveta Klevanovich topped the 200 medley relay (1:40.69) while Klevanovich, Kate Murray, Bella Ekk and Wyllo Hanson won the 400 free relay (3:22.91).
For the men, James Allison, Ryan Husband, Benjamin Chateigner and River Paulk won the 400 free relay (2:58.27), but Wilmington’s Jack Vanhowe, Dylan Citta, Dave Fitch and Mac Russell took first in the 200 medley relay (1:26.97). Citta won the 100 breaststroke (54.23) while Joseph Busic (200 fly, 1:48.83), Aidan Duffy (200 breast, 2:00.28) and William Carrico (400 IM, 3:54.26) also had wins for UNCW in the meet.
Read the full recap from Auburn below:
While a portion of the team was busy taking care of business at the SMU Classic in Dallas, the rest of the Auburn Tigers Swim and Dive squad spent Saturday dominating a dual with the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks.
The Auburn women cruised to victory, 242-58, while the men solidified the sweep, 180-120.
It didn’t take long for the Orange and Blue to put points on the board. Right away, Kyla Maloney, Olivia Stewart, Lawson Ficken and Elizaveta Klevanovich combined for a 1:40.69 to win the 200 medley relay.
Sophomore Katie Russell made it 2-2 on the women’s side in the 1000 free. Her 10:18.91 was good enough for the win while Aislyn Barnett and Ashlynn Morr took second and fourth, respectively.
Russell returned to action in the 400 IM. Her 4:23.16 was more than enough for a second individual win. Maggie McGuire wasn’t too far behind at 4:24.80.
Grant Davis earned the men’s first victory of the day with a 9:20.94 in the 1000 free. Aidan Siers and Isaac Lee took third and fourth in their Auburn debuts. Davis returned in the 500 to snag his second win of the day, coming home in 4:29.50.
The Tiger women kept all the momentum rolling in the 200 free. Wyllo Hanson secured the win with a 1:49.94, and Bella Ekk and Kate Murray made it an Orange and Blue sweep.
When the men took the blocks in the 200 free, Ryan Husband made sure to notch his first victory of the season with a 1:37.92. Freshman Rokas Jazdauskas wasn’t too far behind in second place.
Husband would later take the win in the 100 free, sliding in with a 45.11. James Allison nearly ran his teammate down, touching in at 45.20.
Historically, Auburn has always been strong in the backstroke events. Kyla Maloney and Tate Cutler each made sure to secure victories in the 100 back.
When it came time for the 200 back, McGuire outraced everyone with a 1:59.32. Jade Castro and Maloney took second and third, respectively. On the men’s side, it was Andrew Simmons (1:46.59), Josh Noll and Tate Cutler who put together the sweep.
Olivia Dinehart, Annika Finzen and Zoey Zeller brought the brooms out once again in the 100 breast. Dinehart clocked in at 1:02.88 and the other two were close on her heels. Zeller earned her win later in the afternoon with a 2:16.45 in the 200 breast.
Speaking of sweeps, Taylor Grimley led another all-Auburn performance in the 200 fly. The freshman’s 2:00.36 paced the field with veterans Casey Cullen and Avery Bargeron right behind. Grimley went 2-2 in the fly when the Philadelphia native clocked a 54.03 in the 100.
Klevanovich and Logan Tirheimer were both quick in the 50 free. Klevanovich led the women with a 23.14 while Tirheimer hit the wall at 20.60 to take the win on the men’s side. Lawson Ficken, Kara West and Audrey Olen all went sub-24 seconds as well.
After the break, Klevanovich continued her big day, winning the 100 free with a 49.90. Kate Murray, Hanson and Ekk followed in second through fourth.
On a day when Auburn freshmen shined, Ekk was one of those who shone brightest. Her 5:02.10 in the 500 free led yet another sweep for the Tiger women. Morr, Cullen and Murrary rounded out the order.
Bradford Johnson also jumped in on the freshmen bonanza. His 47.90 in the 100 fly was good enough for the win by almost a full second.
Dealing out the final nail in the coffin, Klevanovich, Murray, Ekk and Hanson combined for a 3:22.91 in the 400 free relay to finish on a high note. Similarly, Allison, Husband, Benjamin Chateigner and River Paulk out-touched UNCW on the men’s side, earning the victory with a 2:58.27.
It was an equally impressive day for John Fox’s divers. Emily Hallifax delivered a 318.98 on the 1-meter and claimed her first career win. Abigail Farrar also eclipsed 300, earning a 310.28 for second place. Farrar got her victory on the 3-meter with a 273.83. Kayla Walsh slid into second with a 259.95.
On the men’s side, it was Talan Blackmon’s 323.25 that earned the win on the 1-meter. Travis Keith and Whit Andrus followed suit to grab the sweep. Keith snagged the win on the 3-meter with a 334.65 with Blackmon and David Hatt taking the next two spots.
Congratulations to Auburn! 🦅🦅
and to Senior, Grant Davis!!