Alabama
SEC Championships
Alabama Swimming and Diving Opens SEC Championships Competition Tuesday
2/18/2019 2:42:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The Crimson Tide contingent consists of 22 men and 22 women, with 19 swimmers and three divers on each side
ATHENS, Ga. – The Alabama swimming and diving teams open the postseason this week with the Southeastern Conference Championships in Athens, Ga., following a regular season that started in September and ran through last weekend.
"It is the championship time of the year," UA head coach Dennis Pursley said. "From day one, what we've focused on all season is the postseason. This is what it's all about, what we get excited about. We're looking forward to it."
The SEC Championships will be held Tuesday-Saturday in the Bump Gabrielsen Natatorium at the University of Georgia's Ramsey Center.
"SECs is the loudest meet you'll ever go to, louder than NCAAs," junior Zane Waddell said. "All the Southeastern conference schools are really competitive with each other, so the fans really show up. It's electrifying."
Both the men's and women's rosters consist of 19 swimmers and three divers for a total of 22 student-athletes each. The men's side of the slate runs a little toward the young side, with 14 freshmen and sophomores. The women are a little more balanced with 12 freshmen and sophomores.
"The SEC is the toughest conference in the nation," Pursley said. "That's what makes it fun, though. We're going up against the best of the best and hopefully we'll get the best out of ourselves. It'll be a lot of fun in a high-energy competition."
The Crimson Tide men are led by seniors Laurent Bams and Robert Howard as well as Waddell. Howard and Waddell are ranked 1-2 in the SEC in the 50 freestyle, while Howard is No. 1 and Waddell is No. 6 in the 100 freestyle. Waddell is No. 2 in the SEC in the 100 backstroke and No. 5 in the 100 butterfly, while Howard checks in at No. 6 in the 200 freestyle. Bams, also ranked in the top-25 in the sprint freestyle events, is fourth in the 100 breaststroke.
The Alabama women are led by senior Justine Macfarlane and freshmen Kensey McMahon and Rhyan White. McMahon is ranked No. 1 in the SEC in the 1,650 freestyle with a school-record 15:59.46 that she posted in November. White is ranked in the top six in the 100 and 200 backstrokes heading into the championships. Macfarlane is ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes.
"We've been talking about our freshmen all season," senior Emma Murray said. "They're going to make a real difference for us. I'm so excited because I think the whole team will be able to make an impact in their own way. We've been focusing this year on team identity on the women's side and I think we have a good opportunity to showcase that at SECs."
The championships open Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET with the men's 1-meter diving preliminaries, which will be followed by the women's 3-meter diving. Finals for diving start at 4:20 p.m. ET, while the men's and women's 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relays will swim at night starting at 5 p.m. ET.
"We've got to not only take it one day at a time, but one race at a time," Pursley said. "We're in a conference where any given race can make the difference in your team rankings. It's not only focusing on your own race but doing what you can to support your teammates."
Prelims for the final four days of the championships get underway at 10 a.m. ET, while finals start at 6 p.m. ET.
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Players Mentioned
