Alabama
Florida State
Alabama Swimming and Diving Notches Wins on Senior Day
1/12/2019 2:54:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The Crimson Tide men downed Florida State, while the women split their double dual meet, beating Miami and losing a close contest to FSU
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama swimming and diving teams picked up a pair of wins on Senior Day in the Alabama Aquatic Center Saturday, with the men downing Florida State, while the Crimson Tide women beat Miami and lost a close one to FSU.
"I was really pleased with the spirit and the intensity of the racing today," UA head coach Dennis Pursley said.
Prior to the meet, Alabama celebrated its 14-member senior class.
"Our seniors competed hard and put up some great performances today," Pursley said. "More than that though, they showed great leadership, which they've done all season."
The No. 11-ranked Alabama men, led by the senior duo of Laurent Bams and Robert Howard, beat the No. 21 Seminoles, 183-117. Bams won the 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle, while Howard took the top spot in the 50 and 200 freestyles. The duo also swam legs on a pair of winning relays for good measure, giving them a clean sweep in their final home meet.
The Tide kicked the day off by getting a win from the 200 medley relay of junior Zane Waddell, Bams, senior Knox Auerbach and Howard.
In addition to taking the top spot in both relays, and getting four individual victories from Howard and Bams, Waddell (100 backstroke), junior Daniel Kober (500 freestyle) and freshmen Nico Hernandez-Tome (1,650 freestyle) and Nicholas Perera (400 individual medley), also picked up wins on the day.
Waddell, Bams, sophomore Sam DiSette and Howard closed the meet with a win in the 200 freestyle relay.
On the women's side of the slate, No. 25 Alabama defeated Miami, 225-7, and fell to No. 21 Florida State, 159-141.
"I'm pleased with the job the women did," Pursley said. "While we took a hit in the win-loss column, they were a lot more competitive with Florida State, and the score was closer than it was on paper coming into the weekend,."
The women were led by freshman Kensey McMahon, who was dominant in the distance events, winning the 400 individual medley as well as the 500 and 1,650 freestyles. Fellow rookie Rhyan White picked up a pair of wins on the day, touching the wall first in the 100 and 200 backstrokes.
Also picking up wins for the Tide women were sophomore Flora Molnar (100 butterfly) and freshmen Morgan Liberto (200 butterfly) and Kalia Antoniou (50 freestyle).
"It's been a month since we've competed and a lot has happened in that time with final exams, the holidays and a pair of training camps," Pursley said. "I think we're on track to finish the way that you want to finish the season."
The Alabama men and women resume action on Feb. 8 at the Auburn Invitational.
For all the latest information on the Alabama swimming and diving teams, follow AlabamaSwimDive on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found on @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
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