Unlike other teams donning the maroon and white, Texas A&M women’s swimming and diving capped off its season at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta. The tournament spanned over four days, from Wednesday, March 16 to Saturday, March 19, and concluded with a 39th-place finish for the Aggies, the worst for the Aggies in more than two decades.
On Day 1 of the tournament, A&M athletes participated in a pair of relay events.
In the 200-yard medley relay, freshman Kaitlyn Owens, sophomore Bobbi Kennett, sophomore Olivia Theall and sophomore Chloe Stepanek finished 21st with a season-best time of 1:36.70.
A&M’s final competition on Day 1 was the 800-yard freestyle relay. Stepanek, Kennett, sophomore Jordan Buechler and freshman Aviv Barzelay clocked in at 7:08.13 but were disqualified for an early start.
Continuing into Day 2, A&M had three participants in the 200-yard free relay. Kennett, Owens, Theall and Stepanek placed 19th with another season-best time of 1:28.73.
On the diving front, three Aggies competed in the 1-meter. Senior Chloe Ceyanes finished 23rd with a score of 279.15, and senior Aimee Wilson and junior Alyssa Clairmont each received top-40 finishes of their own.
Stepanek receiving Honorable Mention All-America honors was the Day 3 highlight for A&M. She earned the honors after placing 16th in the 200-yard free.
In the 400-yard medley relay, Owens, Kennett, Theall and Stepanek missed top-16 qualification by one position despite a season-best time of 3:30.58.
Theall posted a lifetime-record 52.17, finishing 26th, in the 100-yard butterfly. Kennett received an alternate spot in the 100-yard breaststroke for finishing 17th.
Owens concluded her impressive day with yet another top-20 finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a 52.37. Barzelay, in the same event, finished 51st with a 53.36.
In diving, Clairmont finished 23rd in the 3-meter with a score of 303.40. A&M’s final participant, Wilson, closed out her college career with a top-50 finish.
On the final day of the competition, Kennett, Buechler, Owens and Stepanek completed their participation in the relay portion of the championships with an 18th place finish in the 400-yard free relay.
Stepanek secured an alternate spot in the 100-yard free with a 17th place finish, and Kennett finished 58th.
In the 200-yard back, Barzelay finished 37th. Theall closed out A&M’s participation in the swimming events with a 43rd place finish in the 200 fly.
In diving, Clairmont placed 43rd in platform with a score of 217.85.
Together, the Aggies only mustered up a singular point, coming from Stepanek’s 200 free performance placing A&M in 39th.