The No. 20 Texas A&M women’s swimming and diving team faced off against Houston on Thursday afternoon at the Rec Center Natatorium. The Aggies dominated the Cougars, doubling their score at 200-100 in A&M’s last nonconference match before SEC play. The Aggies also came in first place in 13 of 16 events.
The Aggies began the event with two of the top-three spots in the women’s 400-yard medley relay with the team of senior Kaitlyn Owens and the graduate trio of Bobbi Kennett, Olivia Theall and Chloe Stepanek winning first place in three minutes and 32.96 seconds. The squad of freshman Lizzie Watson, junior Giulia Goerigk, sophomore Katie Walker and freshman Ella McQuinn secured third with a time of 3:41.30.
In the 1,000-yard freestyle, the Aggies secured first in the event, with junior Hayden Miller setting a time of 9:40.57. Junior Lydia Palmer trailed Miller with a third-place finish in 10:08.49. Meanwhile, in the 200-yard freestyle, Stepanek, graduate Jordan Buechler and Miller all finished in the top three, with Stepanek winning first in a time of 1:44.90. Buechler finished second in 1:49.42 and Miller finished third, clocking in at 1:49.84.
At the 100-yard backstroke, Owens fell short of first place by 0.71 seconds, finishing second at 53. Senior Aviv Barzelay placed third at 54.12. In the 100-yard breaststroke, graduate Charlotte Longbottom finished third, notching a time of 1:01.17.
There were more top-three finishes in the 200-yard butterfly with Walker in first place at a time of 1:57.51 and senior Sarah Holt in third at 2:00.12. In the 50-yard freestyle, the Aggies had four of their best times yet as all finished in the top four. Owens continued her dominance, finishing first at 22.83, followed by Theall at second in 22.91, McQueen at third in 23.37 and Buechler in fourth at 23.42.
The Aggies continued to secure a multitude of top-three performances. McQuinn secured first at 49.78 and Buechler finished third in 51.10 in the 100-yard freestyle. Stepanek and Barzelay finished one and two in the 200-yard backstroke at times of 1:55.86 and 1:56.91. Graduate Desirae Mangaoang finished second at a time of 2:15.47 and Goerigk in third at 2:15.79 in the 200-yard breaststroke. Miller secured first in the 500-yard freestyle, clocking in at 4:46.31.
In the 100-yard butterfly, Theall, Walker and junior Corbyn Cormack finished in first, second and third, respectively. Theall finished in 52.56, while Walker and Cormack trailed with times of 54.35 and 54.83, respectively. Goerigk finished first in 2:00.74 and Cormack trailed in third at 2:05.22 in the 200-yard individual medley.
Rounding out the swim competition, the group of Theall, Owens, Buechler and Stepanek secured first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay, with a time of 3:20.09.
In the diving competition, the graduate duo of Else Praasterink and Mayson Richards secured a top-two performance in 3-meter diving, as Praasterink placed first at 328.20 and Richards finished second at 317.85. The duo continued its dominance in the 1-meter diving competition, securing another top-two performance. This time, Richards came out on top at 289.28 and Praasterink finished second at 277.28.
The Aggies will travel to Columbia, Missouri on Friday, Nov. 1 to compete against the Missouri Tigers at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.
