Women's Swimming Wins First SEC Championship

Feb 20, 2016 | Women's Swimming and Diving

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team won its first conference championship since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2012 with a team victory at the 2016 SEC Championships on Saturday at the Mizzou Aquatics Cetnter.

The Aggies' team victory snapped the six-year reign by the Georgia Bulldogs, and was the school's first conference title since winning the Big 12 Championship, also at the Mizzou Aquatics Center, in 2012. The Aggies finished the five-day meet with 1,166.5 points to hold off Tennessee (1,139.5) and Georgia (1,099.5).

The Aggies logged a pair of SEC individual championships on the meet's final day. Sophomore Lisa Bratton won her second SEC crown of the meet with a win in the 200-yard backstroke, while sophomore Bethany Galat grabbed the gold in the 200 breaststroke.

Bratton, from Richland, Wash., lowered her own school record by nearly two seconds in the 200 back with a winning time of 1:50.64. Seeded third going into the final, Bratton had to rally past Kentucky's Danielle Galyer in the final 50 yards to get to the wall first. Also contributing points was senior Claire Brandt (12^th, 1:54.47).

Galat, from Mishawake, Ind., led the 200 breaststroke wire-to-wire but had to hold off a talented field, including her freshman teammate Sydney Pickrem to earn the victory. Galat won in a lifetime best time of 2:07.83, just ahead of Pickrem who touched in 2:07.96.

Galat and Pickrem's 1-2 finish in the Championship final led to a 96-point explosion by the Aggies in the 200 breaststroke that gave them a 50-point advantage with two events to go. Also chipping in valuable points were sophomore Esther Gonzalez (10^th, 211.31), junior Sycerika McMahon (12^th, 2:12.59) and sophomore Jorie Caneta (21^st, 2:13.56).

The Aggies scored big points in the 100 free with five swimmers contributing 67 points. Sophomore Béryl Gastaldello made another trip to the SEC award podium with a third place finish in 47.89, and sophomore Kristin Malone (14^th, 49.24), senior Meredith Oliver (12^th, 49.34), freshman Claire Rasmus (16^th, 49.42) and freshman Lexie Lupton (21^st, 49.66) scored points.

Freshman diver Alais Kalonji put the icing on the Aggies' team victory with a runner-up finish in the platform dive, the second-to-last event of the night, with a season-best 289.56 point total.

Earlier in the day in the 1,650 freestyle, sophomore Caitlyn Moon placed ninth in a lifetime best 16:16.35 and senior Colleen Konetzke was 17^th in 16:28.97.

The Aggies closed out the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay with the foursome of Gastaldello, junior Sarah Gibson, Oliver and Malone touching in 3:14.82.