Alabama
Women's NCAA Championships
Freshman Kensey McMahon Leads Alabama with Top-Eight Finish at NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
3/23/2019 10:03:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The rookie took seventh in the mile at the national championships, bettering her own school record in the process
AUSTIN, Texas – Freshman Kensey McMahon posted Alabama's highest finish of the Women's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday, bettering her own school record on the way to a top-eight finish in the mile.
"We're real proud of Kensey, she swam it like a veteran," UA head coach Dennis Pursley said. "She stuck to her race plan from start to finish. She let the others get out in front, but then gradually reeled them in. You don't always see that from a freshman. That was a good way to finish out, closing on a high note like that."
McMahon finished seventh in the 1,650 freestyle with a school-record 15:53.18, bettering the mark she set in November when she became the first UA woman under 16 minutes in the mile, by six seconds. She was the only freshman in the top 14 at the NCAA Championships.
She also bettered her school record in the 1,000 freestyle on the way out in the mile, going 9:37.62, shaving seven seconds off her previous mark.
Earlier in the day, freshman Kalia Antoniou led of the Tide's 400 freestyle relay with a career-best time of 48.86, which moves her up to third all-time at Alabama in that event. Overall, Antoniou, junior Allie Surrency, senior Caroline Beene and sophomore Flora Molnar combined to post a 3:17.40 in the relay, taking 26th place.
Justine Macfarlane closed out her Crimson Tide career with a 2:10.98 in the 200 breaststroke, good for 35th place. On Friday, the senior scored in the 100 breaststroke, taking 14th place to get the Tide on the scoreboard.
In other prelims action, freshman Rhyan White was 30th in the 200 backstroke on Saturday after swimming a 1:54.48, while Molnar was 43rd in the 100 freestyle after touching the wall at 50.12.
As a team, boosted by McMahon's and Macfarlane's individual finishes, the Tide was 34th with 14 points.
"Overall, we fell short of our performance goals as a team this year," Pursley said. "We are training our women like men and that just doesn't work and it is something that needs to change. I feel strongly that these changes will get us to where we want to be down the road."
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