Texas A&M women post program-best third place finish at NCAA Championship

Wednesday, March 15

Indianapolis, Ind.

All Day

Texas A&M

NCAA Championships

Photo by: Brad Marquardt

Mar 18, 2017 | Women's Swimming and Diving

Day 4 Finals results Day 4 Prelims results Complete Results Team Scores

By: Brad Marquardt

INDIANAPOLIS – The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team posted its highest finish in program history with a third-place performance at the 2017 NCAA Championship that concluded after four days of competition on Saturday at the IU Natatorium.

With inspired swimming throughout their lineup, the Aggies got over the hump and snapped a string of four-straight fourth-place national finishes. The Aggies also extended its streak of top 10 finishes to 11 consecutive seasons.

"One of our goals after finishing fourth so was to move up a spot or even higher," Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. "To do that is really rewarding and it means a lot to the team and to the program. It's a goal that this team had from day one. Third in the country is pretty darn good. There are a lot of very, very good teams that we beat here. It wasn't easy, but we're the third-best team in the country in 2017 so that's pretty neat."

The Aggies finished with 292.5 points to finish behind Stanford (526.5 points) and California (366). Looking up at the Cardinal, Golden Bears and Aggies among the top 10 teams were: Georgia (252.5), Texas (252), Louisville (194.5), NC State (176), Indiana (185), USC (176) and Minnesota (168). Other Southeastern Conference teams in the top 25 were Missouri, Auburn and Tennessee.

"We talk about it – there are seven sessions (at the national meet) and each one is so important," Bultman said. "This team did a great job of positioning themselves in the morning prelims and then taking care of business in the evening finals. They understand what they need to do and they go out and try to do it."

The Aggies put third place out of reach to the Longhorns and Bulldogs with a 36-point scoring outburst in the 200-yard breaststroke with three Texas A&M entries finishing in the top nine. Leading the way was the Aggies' Canadian connection of sophomore Sydney Pickrem and senior Ashley McGregor, who finished fourth and seventh respectively. Pickrem posted a lifetime best in the prelims and finals and took fourth with a time of 2:05.23 that ranks as the ninth-fastest time ever in short course yards, while McGregor turned in a time of 2:06.99. Sophomore Bethany Galat was dominant in the consolation final, winning in a lifetime-best time of 2:06.68 that moved her ahead of 2010 NCAA Champion Alia Atkinson on A&M's all-time list.

Texas A&M closed out the meet with an eight-place finish in the 400 free relay with the foursome of junior Beryl Gastaldello, junior Kristin Malone, sophomore Claire Rasmus and senior Sarah Gibson touching the wall in a time of 3:13.32.

Also contributing individual points on Saturday were Gastaldello with a sixth-place finish in the 100 free (47.54), Gibson with a seventh-place effort in the 200 butterfly (1:54.68), and junior Lisa Bratton with a 16^th-place finish in the 200 backstroke (1:52.66).

Texas A&M's 1^st-team All-Americans
Sydney Pickrem – 200/400 IM, 200 breast
Bethany Galat -- 200/400 IM
Beryl Gastaldello – 100 free
Sarah Gibson – 100/200 fly
Claire Rasmus – 200 free
Ashley McGregor – 200 breast
400 free relay
200 medley relay
400 medley relay

Texas A&M honorable mention All-Americans
Lisa Bratton – 200 IM, 200 back
Bethany Galat – 200 breast
Beryl Gastaldello – 50 free
Kristin Malone – 200 IM
Jorie Caneta – 100 breast
Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo – 400 IM
200 free relay
800 free relay