ATLANTA, Ga. – The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team stands in fifth place after two days of action at the 2016 NCAA Championships on Thursday at Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatic Center.
Texas A&M improved its point total to 110.5 points after scoring points in all six events of the day, and trail Georgia (174.0 points), California (144.5), USC (121.5) and Virginia (110.5). Rounding out the top 10 in the standings were Stanford (110), Louisville (94), Arizona (71), Indiana (66) and NC State (66).
The Aggies opened the evening finals with a fifth-place finish in the consolation final (13th overall) in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of sophomore Béryl Gastaldello, senior Claire Brandt, freshman Lexie Lupton and sophomore Kristin Malone touched in a time of 1:29.28.
Junior Sarah Gibson chipped in seven points with a runner-up finish (10th overall) in the consolation final of the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:39.63.
Texas A&M scored big points in the 200 IM with a total of three swimmers earning evening swims. The trio of sophomore Lisa Bratton, freshman Sydney Pickrem and sophomore Bethany Galat combined to score 34.5 points for the Aggies' cause. Bratton tied for fifth in 1:55.89 and Pickrem placed seventh in 1:56.13 in the Championship final, while Galat won the consolation final in a time of 1:55.26.
Gastaldello flirted with her own school record in the 50 free as she placed fifth in a season-best time of 21.82.
Earning honorable mention All-America honors for the first time in her A&M career was junior diver Madison Hudkins, who placed 16th in the one-meter dive with a score of 265.50.
The Aggies closed out the night with a win in the consolation final of the 400 medley as the foursome of Bratton, Galat, Gibson and Gastaldello out-dueled California for the victory in a time of 3:29.61, which was a more than half second faster than their winning time at the SEC Championships.
Texas A&M improved its point total to 110.5 points after scoring points in all six events of the day, and trail Georgia (174.0 points), California (144.5), USC (121.5) and Virginia (110.5). Rounding out the top 10 in the standings were Stanford (110), Louisville (94), Arizona (71), Indiana (66) and NC State (66).
The Aggies opened the evening finals with a fifth-place finish in the consolation final (13th overall) in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of sophomore Béryl Gastaldello, senior Claire Brandt, freshman Lexie Lupton and sophomore Kristin Malone touched in a time of 1:29.28.
Junior Sarah Gibson chipped in seven points with a runner-up finish (10th overall) in the consolation final of the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:39.63.
Texas A&M scored big points in the 200 IM with a total of three swimmers earning evening swims. The trio of sophomore Lisa Bratton, freshman Sydney Pickrem and sophomore Bethany Galat combined to score 34.5 points for the Aggies' cause. Bratton tied for fifth in 1:55.89 and Pickrem placed seventh in 1:56.13 in the Championship final, while Galat won the consolation final in a time of 1:55.26.
Gastaldello flirted with her own school record in the 50 free as she placed fifth in a season-best time of 21.82.
Earning honorable mention All-America honors for the first time in her A&M career was junior diver Madison Hudkins, who placed 16th in the one-meter dive with a score of 265.50.
The Aggies closed out the night with a win in the consolation final of the 400 medley as the foursome of Bratton, Galat, Gibson and Gastaldello out-dueled California for the victory in a time of 3:29.61, which was a more than half second faster than their winning time at the SEC Championships.