Alabama Swimming and Diving Summer Wrap-Up
8/14/2018 10:19:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Several past, present and future Crimson Tide swimmers had big performance across the country and around the globe this summer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Past, present and future members of the Alabama swimming and diving program made a big splash this summer with some outstanding swims across the country and around the world.
Zane Waddell showed impressive speed at the 2018 South African Short Course National Championships in Durban, South Africa last week, grabbing two gold and two silver medals over the 25-meter course. Waddell won both the 50 and 100-meter backstrokes with times of 23.55 and 51.63, respectively. He also took second in the 50 and 100-meter freestyles, after stopping the clock at 21.65 and 47.54. The rising junior finished second in the prelims of the 100-meter butterfly with a 53.25 before scratching out of the final. His prelims time would have placed him second overall in the event.
With his summer swims, Waddell qualified in the 50 and 100-meter freestyle and the 50-meter backstroke for the 2018 FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships, which will be held Dec. 11-16 in Hangzhou, China.
Crimson Tide alum Kristian Gkolomeev also enjoyed some quick times last week. The three-time NCAA champion earned one of Greece's two medals at the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, after earning silver in the 50-meter freestyle with a 21.44. He also took fourth in the 50-meter butterfly, turning in a 23.19.
Earlier in the summer, several Alabama swimmers had a big week at the United States National Championships in Irvine, Calif., led by rising senior Robert Howard. The Alexander City, Ala., native made the championship final of the 50-meter freestyle, taking sixth place with a career-best 22.17. He also posted a career-best 48.67 in prelims before going on to take 11th in the 100-meter freestyle.
Crimson Tide graduate and 2018 senior Luke Kaliszak also made a championship final at U.S. Nationals, finishing seventh in the prelims of the 50-meter backstroke with a 25.22, before deciding to forgo the final. He also finished 15th in prelims of the 100-meter backstroke with a 54.96, before taking 16th in finals.
Incoming freshman Kensey McMahon made quite a bit of noise at the USA Junior National Championships, also held in Irvine. She won both the 800-meter (8:37.45) and 1,500-meter freestyles, finishing more than five seconds ahead of the field in the 800 and seven seconds in the 1,500. She was also second in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 4:10.46, less than a half second out of first and nearly three seconds ahead of the rest of the competition. She took sixth in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:02.14.
McMahon and fellow Crimson Tide rookie Rhyan White earned places on Team USA. McMahon will compete in the FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Eilat, Israel in September while White will swim at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games that will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October.
With summer competition ending, collegiate competition is about to get rolling again. Alabama starts school on August 22 and has its first meet of the 2018-19 season at home on Friday, Sept. 14 at 4:30 p.m. against Delta State.
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