KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team won three races on Friday and will take a 118-point lead into the final day at the 2017 Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at the Jones Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee campus.
The Aggies, who are seeking to repeat as SEC Champions, finished day four with 961 points and a 118-point lead over second-place Georgia (843 points). Rounding out the field were Tennessee (673), Kentucky (659), Auburn (648), Missouri (631), Florida (493), LSU (448), South Carolina (391), Alabama (342), Arkansas (215) and Vanderbilt (74).
"It was another great night," Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. "We won three races in the pool and were third on the platform, so the day was definitely a success. The prelims on the last day are so important. Everyone is tired and you have to find a way to get yourself ready and get qualified where you need to get qualified. The prelims set up the finals so that will be the key to the last day."
Senior Sarah Gibson threw her hat into the ring for Swimmer of the Meet with her third individual victory of the meet with a victory in the 200-yard butterfly. Gibson, a runner-up in the race in 2016, got her hand to the wall in a lifetime best time of 1:52.64, which ranks as the second fastest 200 fly time in school history behind only two-time U.S. Olympian and two-time NCAA 200 fly champ Cammile Adams. In the first four days of the 2017 Championships, Gibson has won the 100 and 200 fly and 500 free and swam legs on the Aggies' winning 800 free relay and 400 medley relay.
Like the 100 fly, the 200 fly was a battle between Gibson and Georgia's Chelsea Britt. Also like the 100 fly, Britt grabbed the early lead and held the advantage at the 50-, 100- and 150-yard marks, but Gibson covered the final 50 in 29.19 to make up the deficit and out-touch Britt by .08.
"I was concerned going into the race because I know that Georgia has some very talented girls," Gibson said. "I was a little bit worried, but Steve (Bultman) just told me 'I think they are going to bring the best out of you' and he tends to be right. I put my faith in him and the training and tried to push it on that last 25 to get it in there. I think we were both on the 'struggle bus' in that last 50 and I'm glad I was able to get my hand to the wall first."
Add Bultman, "Great, great race with Sarah. She and (Britt) were just battling and it wasn't real pretty at the end but she just wanted it, fought through it and got her hand to the wall."
Junior Jorie Caneta earned her first-ever SEC crown with a win in the 100-yard breaststroke. Caneta, who transferred to Texas A&M from Arizona State last year, led from start to finish and won with a time of 59.49. Caneta led a 95-point scoring outburst in the race for the Aggies with senior Ashley McGregor placing fourth in 1:00.13 and senior Franko Jonker taking sixth in 1:00.28. Senior Sycerika McMahon chipped in a 14th place finish in 1:01.93 in the B final.
"It's been a long journey, especially after transferring and getting adjusted to a new program," Caneta said. "It's great to get stability under Steve (Bultman) and T (Tanica Jamison). Buying into the program and trusting their training has really helped and it's paying off this year. I knew I had to trust my race plan. This morning was really a rough swim. I jammed every single wall so I was just hoping to fix my walls and I knew doing that would give me a shot."
The Aggies also got significant points from diver Alaïs Kalonji, who made the SEC award podium in the platform for a second straight year with a third-place finish. Kalonji grabbed the bronze medal with a score of 291.25 after producing her career-best of 297.90 in the morning prelims.
Also contributing individual points was junior Laura Norman, who placed 13th in the 100 backstroke in a time of 53.27 after posting a season-best of 53.05 in the morning prelims.
The Aggies closed out the fourth day of the Championships by defending their 2016 crown in the 400-yard medley relay with the foursome of junior Lisa Bratton, Caneta, Gibson and junior Beryl Gastaldello producing a season-best time of 3:29.81, which makes them the No. 3 400 medley relay in school history.
The Aggies, who are seeking to repeat as SEC Champions, finished day four with 961 points and a 118-point lead over second-place Georgia (843 points). Rounding out the field were Tennessee (673), Kentucky (659), Auburn (648), Missouri (631), Florida (493), LSU (448), South Carolina (391), Alabama (342), Arkansas (215) and Vanderbilt (74).
"It was another great night," Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. "We won three races in the pool and were third on the platform, so the day was definitely a success. The prelims on the last day are so important. Everyone is tired and you have to find a way to get yourself ready and get qualified where you need to get qualified. The prelims set up the finals so that will be the key to the last day."
Senior Sarah Gibson threw her hat into the ring for Swimmer of the Meet with her third individual victory of the meet with a victory in the 200-yard butterfly. Gibson, a runner-up in the race in 2016, got her hand to the wall in a lifetime best time of 1:52.64, which ranks as the second fastest 200 fly time in school history behind only two-time U.S. Olympian and two-time NCAA 200 fly champ Cammile Adams. In the first four days of the 2017 Championships, Gibson has won the 100 and 200 fly and 500 free and swam legs on the Aggies' winning 800 free relay and 400 medley relay.
Like the 100 fly, the 200 fly was a battle between Gibson and Georgia's Chelsea Britt. Also like the 100 fly, Britt grabbed the early lead and held the advantage at the 50-, 100- and 150-yard marks, but Gibson covered the final 50 in 29.19 to make up the deficit and out-touch Britt by .08.
"I was concerned going into the race because I know that Georgia has some very talented girls," Gibson said. "I was a little bit worried, but Steve (Bultman) just told me 'I think they are going to bring the best out of you' and he tends to be right. I put my faith in him and the training and tried to push it on that last 25 to get it in there. I think we were both on the 'struggle bus' in that last 50 and I'm glad I was able to get my hand to the wall first."
Add Bultman, "Great, great race with Sarah. She and (Britt) were just battling and it wasn't real pretty at the end but she just wanted it, fought through it and got her hand to the wall."
Junior Jorie Caneta earned her first-ever SEC crown with a win in the 100-yard breaststroke. Caneta, who transferred to Texas A&M from Arizona State last year, led from start to finish and won with a time of 59.49. Caneta led a 95-point scoring outburst in the race for the Aggies with senior Ashley McGregor placing fourth in 1:00.13 and senior Franko Jonker taking sixth in 1:00.28. Senior Sycerika McMahon chipped in a 14th place finish in 1:01.93 in the B final.
"It's been a long journey, especially after transferring and getting adjusted to a new program," Caneta said. "It's great to get stability under Steve (Bultman) and T (Tanica Jamison). Buying into the program and trusting their training has really helped and it's paying off this year. I knew I had to trust my race plan. This morning was really a rough swim. I jammed every single wall so I was just hoping to fix my walls and I knew doing that would give me a shot."
The Aggies also got significant points from diver Alaïs Kalonji, who made the SEC award podium in the platform for a second straight year with a third-place finish. Kalonji grabbed the bronze medal with a score of 291.25 after producing her career-best of 297.90 in the morning prelims.
Also contributing individual points was junior Laura Norman, who placed 13th in the 100 backstroke in a time of 53.27 after posting a season-best of 53.05 in the morning prelims.
The Aggies closed out the fourth day of the Championships by defending their 2016 crown in the 400-yard medley relay with the foursome of junior Lisa Bratton, Caneta, Gibson and junior Beryl Gastaldello producing a season-best time of 3:29.81, which makes them the No. 3 400 medley relay in school history.