After a two-week hiatus, the Texas A&M swimming and diving teams take to the pools and boards for the SEC championships, which will be held at 6 p.m. each day from Tuesday to Saturday.
The women’s team remains undefeated in dual meet action (9-0), with three victories over ranked opponents.
Possibly A&M’s biggest win came on Nov. 7 when it rolled into Austin, Texas, and defeated the then-No. 2 Texas Longhorns 169-131.
Just a couple weeks later, the Aggies hosted the Art Adamson Invitational and swept the competition, which included LSU, Boise State, Arizona State, SMU, Grand Canyon and TCU.
A&M’s dominance over four SEC opponents – Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and LSU – already in individual dual meets makes it a possible favorite for the tournament. However, the Aggies have to deal with Florida, who ranks above them, and Georgia, the defending champions.
The men have made it their job to climb through the rankings after suffering a 153-115 defeat to Texas on Oct. 17. The Aggies stand at No. 16 in the CSCAA rankings and won their past two dual meets.
In A&M’s first tournament of the year, the Art Adamson Invitational, it finished fourth behind Stanford, LSU and Grand Canyon.
When the Aggies had another shot against LSU in a dual meet Jan. 24, they swam with vengeance, battling them out 166-121. However, when it faced two other SEC foes, Tennessee and Alabama, A&M lost.
Freshman sensation Tyler Henschel will be a diver to watch, claiming 17-out-of-24 diving competitions, including his last couple, which came in the Aggies’ last tournament, the AFA Diving Invitational.
The SEC tournament will certainly bring more competitors within qualifying for the NCAA meet, but whether they be from A&M remains uncertain. Their next chance will come at the Speedo Sectionals, which the Aggies will host from Feb. 26 through March 1.