COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M senior Sydney Pickrem won the 200-yard IM in dominant fashion and punched her ticket to the 2019 NCAA Championships with an automatic qualifying time of 1:53.88 to highlight the Aggies' first day of the Art Adamson Invitational on Wednesday at the Student Recreation Natatorium.
In addition to Pickrem's individual victory, the Aggies opened and closed the evening session with relay victories and tallied nearly a dozen NCAA "B" qualifying cuts. Texas A&M leads the women's team race with 436 points, followed by LSU (210.5), Hawaii (184.5) and Boise State (182).
Head coach Steve Bultman said:
"We had some good swims. This is a meet we rest a little for, let them shave, and we definitely had some girls step up and compete. We had some good swims, good wins, and we feel like we got a good number of NCAA cuts. As the meet goes on, they should feel more and more rested, so we're excited to see what's coming up."
200 Freestyle Relay
The Aggies opened the day one finals with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of junior Raena Eldridge, senior Claire Rasmus, junior Katie Portz and senior Sydney Pickrem touched first with a time of 1:30.25.
500 Freestyle
Texas A&M grabbed three of the top four spots in the Championship final with Rasmus placing second in 4:39.91, sophomore Haley Yelle taking third in 4:40.82 and Portz grabbing fourth in 4:43.29. All three times by the Aggie were NCAA "B" cuts.
200 IM
Texas A&M was dominant in the 200 IM with Aggies taking the top seven places in the Championship final. Leading the way was school and pool record holder Sydney Pickrem, who guaranteed her spot at the 2019 NCAA Championships with an "A" cut time of 1:53.88. Other Aggies tallying NCAA "B" cuts were Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (2nd, 1:57.31), junior Anna Belousova (3rd, 1:58.31), sophomore Jing Quah (4th, 1:58.83), freshman Caroline Theil (5th, 1:58.95) and sophomore Camryn Toney (6th, 1:59.41).
50 Freestyle
Eldridge was the Aggies' top finisher in the 50 freestyle with a runner-up effort in a time of 22.79. Earlier in the evening session, Eldridge led off the 200 free relay with a time of 22.76, which was an NCAA "B" cut.
400 Medley Relay
The Aggie foursome of Pickrem, Belousova, sophomore Taylor Pike and Rasmus closed out the night with an impressive victory in the 400 medley relay with a "B" cut time of 3:33.64.
In addition to Pickrem's individual victory, the Aggies opened and closed the evening session with relay victories and tallied nearly a dozen NCAA "B" qualifying cuts. Texas A&M leads the women's team race with 436 points, followed by LSU (210.5), Hawaii (184.5) and Boise State (182).
Head coach Steve Bultman said:
"We had some good swims. This is a meet we rest a little for, let them shave, and we definitely had some girls step up and compete. We had some good swims, good wins, and we feel like we got a good number of NCAA cuts. As the meet goes on, they should feel more and more rested, so we're excited to see what's coming up."
200 Freestyle Relay
The Aggies opened the day one finals with a victory in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of junior Raena Eldridge, senior Claire Rasmus, junior Katie Portz and senior Sydney Pickrem touched first with a time of 1:30.25.
500 Freestyle
Texas A&M grabbed three of the top four spots in the Championship final with Rasmus placing second in 4:39.91, sophomore Haley Yelle taking third in 4:40.82 and Portz grabbing fourth in 4:43.29. All three times by the Aggie were NCAA "B" cuts.
200 IM
Texas A&M was dominant in the 200 IM with Aggies taking the top seven places in the Championship final. Leading the way was school and pool record holder Sydney Pickrem, who guaranteed her spot at the 2019 NCAA Championships with an "A" cut time of 1:53.88. Other Aggies tallying NCAA "B" cuts were Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (2nd, 1:57.31), junior Anna Belousova (3rd, 1:58.31), sophomore Jing Quah (4th, 1:58.83), freshman Caroline Theil (5th, 1:58.95) and sophomore Camryn Toney (6th, 1:59.41).
50 Freestyle
Eldridge was the Aggies' top finisher in the 50 freestyle with a runner-up effort in a time of 22.79. Earlier in the evening session, Eldridge led off the 200 free relay with a time of 22.76, which was an NCAA "B" cut.
400 Medley Relay
The Aggie foursome of Pickrem, Belousova, sophomore Taylor Pike and Rasmus closed out the night with an impressive victory in the 400 medley relay with a "B" cut time of 3:33.64.