No. 5 Aggie women drop decision to No. 2 Bulldogs

Friday, January 8

College Station

12:00 PM

Texas A&M

136.5

163.5

Georgia

Jorie Caneta

Jan 08, 2016 | Women's Swimming and Diving

COLLEGE STATION – The No. 5 Texas A&M women's swimming and diving dropped a 163.5-136.5 decision to the No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in a showdown of Southeastern Conference heavyweights on Friday at the Student Recreation Natatorium.

The Aggies will seek to get back on the winning track when they to action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. dual meet against SMU. Prior to the showdown with the Mustangs, the Aggies will honor the six-member Senior Class of 2016 – Tera Bradham (Round Rock, Texas), Claire Brandt (Dallas, Texas), Katherine Huff (Augusta, Ga.), Colleen Konetzke (San Antonio, Texas), Meredith Oliver (Tyler, Texas) and Victoria Salinas (Brownsville, Texas).

Texas A&M won the 200-yard medley relay and tallied six individual victories against the six-time defending SEC Champion Bulldogs with junior Madison Hudkins and sophomore Beryl Gastaldello leading the way with a pair of wins.

Hudkins, from Murrieta, Calif., continued her junior season dominance by sweeping the one- and three-meter dives. Hudkins, already a three-time SEC Diver of the Week honoree, won the one-meter dive with a score of 307.80 and the three-meter dive with 356.48.

Gastaldello, from Miramas, France, won the 50 free and the 100 fly and was second in the 100 free on the day. Gastaldello won the 50 free in a time of 22.46 and took the 100 fly in 53.98. She was second in the 100 free in a time of 49.71.

The Aggies got off to a strong start with a heart-pumping victory in the first race of the day, the 200-yard medley relay. The Texas A&M foursome of Gastaldello, junior Sycerika McMahon, sophomore Bethany Galat and freshman Lexie Lupton took win by just .05, 1:40.32-1:40.37.

Also tallying wins for the Aggies were sophomore transfer Jorie Caneta in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.42), McMahon in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.31).

Grabbing runner-up finishes were junior Sarah Gibson in the 1,000 free (9:53.47) and the 200 butterfly (1:58.78, senior Meredith Oliver in 200 free (1:49.34), sophomore Lisa Bratton in the 100 back (53.47) and the 200 back (1:55.16), McMahon in the 100 breast (1:01.70) and Galat in the 200 IM (2:00.20).