Alabama
SEC Championships
Alabama Closes SEC Championships with Podium Finish in 400 Freestyle Relay
2/24/2024 10:44:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The men’s 400 freestyle relay team of Kaique Alves, Charlie Hawke, Tim Korstanje and Zarek Wilson earned a bronze medal to close the meet
AUBURN, Ala. – The Alabama swimming and diving team closed the Southeastern Conference Championships on Saturday with a bronze medal in the men's 400 freestyle relay. Kaique Alves, Charlie Hawke, Tim Korstanje and Zarek Wilson used a time of 2:48.61 to reach the podium as Alves' leadoff 100 freestyle split (42.28) placed him fifth in program history.
The 200 breaststroke highlighted the women's competition on the final day of events as Avery Wiseman and Jocelyn Fisher both reached the A final. Wiseman recorded a time of 2:08.45 to earn a fifth-place finish as Fisher finished immediately after for sixth place with a time of 2:10.89.
Liberty Williams dropped over 20 seconds off her entry time in the 1,650 freestyle to capture a season-best 16:06.49. Her performance in the event earned her a fifth-place finish and ranked her third all-time in program history. Mackenzie Brandt followed with an eighth-place finish in the mile with a time of 16:16.97 for a season-best performance.
Tommy Hagar highlighted a strong men's 200 backstroke group as he recorded a seventh-place finish with his time of 1:41.20. He captured a career-best time in the morning session that launched him to fifth in program history with a 1:40.20.
With a time of 48.84, Diana Petkova earned a seventh-place finish in the finals of the 100 freestyle. She recorded a season-best swim of 48.84 during the preliminary session.
The women's 400 freestyle relay team of Petkova, Kailyn Winter, Gaby Van Brunt and Cadence Vincent combined for a 3:14.61 to finish in sixth place to round out the night.
The women's team concluded the competition in sixth place with a score of 686 as the men finished in seventh place with 473.5 points. Overall, Alabama had 77 performances score points in the competition with 23 of those performances placing in the top eight.
From Head Coach Margo Geer
"I'm really proud of the way our swimmers and divers competed this week. They've put in an incredible amount of work all season, and it is fun to get to this point and see it all come together. There were a ton of highlights this week, both in the water and on the boards. We will continue to build on what we've accomplished here and look forward to NCAAs."
The Meet
- Ella Menear again captured a career-best swim in an event, this time bettering her time in the 200 backstroke
- Menear clocked a 1:54.84 to move to fourth all-time in program history and secure a 14th-place finish in the event
- In addition to Hagar, the Tide added three more swimmers to the 200 backstroke finals as Jake Marcum and Eric Stelmar advanced to the B final and Brendan Conners advanced to the C final
- Marcum lowered his career-best time in the finals, swimming a 1:40.10 to finish ninth overall and further secure his all-time program ranking of fourth
- Stelmar swam a season best in the 200 backstroke to reach the wall with a time of 1:41.44 for 12th place as Brendan Conners captured a career-best time of 1:42.06 to place 18th
- Conners' time moved him to seventh all-time in program history
- Cadence Vincent and Kailyn Winter finished back-to-back in the 100 freestyle as Vincent recorded a time of 49.00 for 19th place and Winter recorded a time of 49.01 for 20th place
- Charlie Hawke's time of 42.42 earned him a 10th-place finish in the 100 freestyle as Zarek Wilson finished with a 42.65 (19th place) and Tim Korstanje finished with a 43.54 (24th place)
- Leonardo Alcantara's time of 15:09.37 in the mile placed him 17th overall in the event
- Grace Hurley paced the trio of UA divers on the platform as all three performers scored points in the event
- Hurley recorded a score of 212.75 for 17th place, while Julia Herring scored 191.10 for 21st and Courtney Russo scored 190.25 for 22nd
- Sydney Sanders secured a time of 2:13.09 in the 200 breaststroke to earn a 22nd-place finish in the event
- Michael Deans and Trey Sheils placed 19th and 20th, respectively, in the 200 breaststroke
- Deans clocked a time of 1:56.62, while Sheils recorded a time of 1:57.05 in the finals
Next
- The Crimson Tide divers will head to NCAA Zones in Athens, Ga., as the UA diving contingent looks to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships
- The four-day event begins March 10 and will conclude on March 13
For all the latest information on the Alabama swimming and diving teams, follow AlabamaSwimDive on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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