Alabama Swimmers Shine at USA National Championships
8/5/2019 2:47:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
Rising sophomore Kensey McMahon and 2019 senior Robert Howard closed the championships with individual silver-medal performances in the 1,500-meter and 50-meter freestyles, respectively
STANFORD, Calif. – The University of Alabama enjoyed a big week at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships held at the Avery Aquatic Center in Stanford, Calif.
Rising sophomore Kensey McMahon closed a strong showing in the distance events with a silver-medal performance in the 1,500-meter freestyle, knocking 20 seconds off her previous career-best time with a 16:09.80. She also took fourth in the 400-meter freestyle with a lifetime best of 8:28.68 and eighth in the 400-meter freestyle with a career-best 4:10.62.
On the other end of the distance spectrum, 2019 senior Robert Howard, the Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Year, took silver in the 50-meter freestyle with a career-best 22.00. He was also seventh in the 100-meter freestyle after posting a personal-best 48.37 in prelims. Earlier in the summer Howard took gold at the World University Games as part of Team USA's 400-meter freestyle relay.
The Maas brothers - incoming freshman Derek and rising senior Kyle – also earned silver as part of Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics' runner-up 400-meter medley relay, with Kyle swimming leadoff and Derek anchoring the quartet to a 3:38.13 finish.
In addition to its championship final appearances during the week, the Crimson Tide broke eight long course meters (LCM) school records, including five on the women's side and three on the men's:
- McMahon completely rewrote the school distance records, dropping more than a minute combined off the 400-meter (4:10.62), 800-meter (8:26.68) and 1,500-meter (16:09.80) freestyle marks
- Howard bettered his own 100-meter freestyle mark, posting a 48.37 in prelims
- Rising sophomore Nicholas Perera broke the longest-standing record on the board, taking down Peter Berndt's 400 individual medley mark of 4:21.76, set at the 1988 Olympic Games, with a time of 4:20.51 in prelims
- Rising senior Alexis Preski broke the school 200 individual medley mark, going 2:15.34, shaving more than a second off the old mark
- Junior to be Tyler Sesvold broke the school 100-meter butterfly in back-to-back swims, lowering it to 52.62 in prelims and then going 52.02 in finals
- 2020 senior Allie Surrency broke the school 50-meter freestyle record twice, posting a 25.65 in prelims and a 25.62 in finals
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