Aggie swimmers are looking to set more season-best times in their final opportunity to qualify for the 2023 NCAA Championships at the Last Chance Meet, Feb. 23-25 at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium.
The No. 18 women’s swimming team is hosting after finishing ninth at the 2023 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships. The NCAA championship is scheduled for March 15-18 in Knoxville, Tenn.
A few women topped their NCAA “B”-cut times in their individual heats at the SEC championships to secure a place at the NCAA meet.
Sophomore Aviv Barzelay clocked in a career-best time of 1:52.91 in the 200-meter backstroke.
Junior Abby Grottle recorded a personal best of 4:42.74 in the 500-meter freestyle. Grottle also earned a new career best in the 1,650-meter freestyle with a time of 16:12.04, the sixth fastest time time in school history.
The maroon and white also topped their NCAA “B”-cut, season-best times in relays throughout the championships.
Senior Jordan Buechler, and juniors Bobbi Kennett, Olivia Theall and Chloe Stepanek recorded a 3:31.89 in the 400-meter medley relay on Day 4 of the SEC championships.
Coach Steve Bultman said in a postmeet press conference the fourth place relay was an impressive qualifier.
“It’s our best time of the year by over a second, so that’s exciting to see and I really think we can go faster than that at the NCAAs,” Bultman said.
Buechler, Kennett, Theall and Stepanek also finished out the meet with a new season-best in the 400-meter freestyle relay, recording a 3:14.88.
Bultman said he was proud of the team’s efforts over the five-day SEC competition and that they qualified more Aggies for the NCAA Championships.
“You know nobody quit and they kept fighting,” Bultman said. “We had some good swims and picked up a few more people for NC’s, and just need to sit down and figure out exactly what that looks like.”
More information and updates can be found at 12thMan.com. Follow the team @AggieSwimDive on Instagram and Twitter.
Madison Fay is a tourism management senior and contributed this article from course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.