Texas A&M women top Tigers in final tune-up before SEC Championships

Saturday, January 21

College Station

11:00 AM

Texas A&M

193

103

LSU

Photo by: Russell James/Texas A&M Athletics

Jan 21, 2017 | Women's Swimming and Diving

Full results

By: Peyton James

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 7-ranked Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team will head into the 2017 Southeastern Conference Championships with a 7-1 record in dual meet action and undefeated in SEC competition after defeating LSU, 193-103, on Senior Day Saturday at the Student Recreation Natatorium.

Prior to the dual meet, Texas A&M's eight seniors were honored – Zoe Alaniz (Corpus Christi, Texas), Julia Cook (Boerne, Texas), Sarah Gibson (San Antonio, Texas), Courtney Hattie (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada), Madison Hudkins (Murrieta, Calif.), Frankie Jonker (Pretoria, South Africa), Ashley McGregor (Pointe-Claire, Québec, Canada) and Sycerika McMahon (Belfast, Northern Ireland).

"We saw some good racing, especially after coming back from yesterday. A number of the swims were better than yesterday, so that was good. There were good, solid races," head coach Steve Bultman said following the meet. "It goes by so quick and it doesn't seem like they are seniors. It seems like just yesterday that we were recruiting them. They have definitely contributed to our success."

The Aggies swept all 14 races in the pool, while claiming at least the top two spots in seven and posting 13 NCAA "B" qualifying times.

Among the seniors taking swimming victories on Senior Day were Gibson with two individual wins in the 200-yard butterfly (1:58.37) and 100 fly (54.15) and McMahon in the 500 free (4:50.77). In the diving well, Hudkins topped the leaderboard in the one-meter dive (303.98) and placed second in the three-meter (317.33).

Texas A&M opened the meet with a 200 medley relay victory from the foursome of Gibson and juniors Béryl Gastaldello, Jorie Caneta and Kristin Malone with a time of 1:39.82 to give the Aggies a strong start.

Also contributing multiple individual victories for the Aggies were junior Lisa Bratton in the 100 back (54.40) and 200 back (1:56.61), Gastaldello in the 50 free (22.44) and 100 free (49.31), and sophomore Sydney Pickrem in the 200 breast (2:11.21) and 200 IM (1:58.82).

Earning single wins for the Aggies were sophomore Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo in the 1,000 free (10:01.87), sophomore Claire Rasmus in the 200 free (1:48.47), and Caneta in the 100 breast (1:00.43).

Texas A&M closed out their final home meet with a victory in the 200 free relay with the group of redshirt freshman Raena Eldridge, freshman Sara Metzsch, junior Laura Norman and Gastaldello touching in 1:32.45.

Texas A&M will return to action in four weeks as they travel to the SEC Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Jones Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee campus. The meet will begin Tuesday, Feb. 14 until Saturday, Feb. 18.