Alabama
Auburn
No. 16/14 Alabama Downs No. 15/17 Auburn in Thrilling Regular-Season Finale
1/30/2026 7:40:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
The Crimson Tide swept the Tigers, defeating the women’s team 180.5-119.5 and the men’s team 151-149
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In a thrilling back-and-forth competition, the Alabama men's and women's swimming and diving team swept Auburn in its regular-season finale on Friday.
The 14th-ranked Alabama women's team downed the 17th-ranked Auburn Tigers, 180.5-119.5. In the men's competition, the 16th-ranked Crimson Tide edged the 15th-ranked Tigers ,151-149, with the meet coming down to the final race.
Highlights
- Leonardo Alcantara bettered his 1000 freestyle school record by over a second to highlight the Crimson Tide during the day's events
- The record-setting performance in the 1000 was one of two events the UA junior won as Alcantara also captured the top time in the 500 free (4:15.65)
- The women's 200 medley relay team of Emily Jones, Jada Scott, Tessa Giele and Cadence Vincent opened up the meet with a season-best and Alabama Aquatic Center record of 1:34.34
- Mackenzie Brandt swept both distance events (500 free - 4:44.56 | 1000 free - 9:45.09), winning the 1000 free by over two seconds
- Gaby Van Brunt broke her personal best in the 200 fly with a time of 1:54.70, moving her to second all-time in school history
- The 400 free relay team of Cadence Vincent, Emily Jones, Tessa Giele and Gaby Van Brunt recorded a two-second gap in the event with their 3:13.22
- Additionally, Alabama swept the backstroke events as Emily Jones (100 back - 51.17 | 200 back - 1:53.58) and Tommy Hagar (100 back - 45.91 | 200 back - 1:39.29) secured the wins in both events
- Jones' 51.17 time in the 100 back topped her facility-record performance from the Georgia Tech meet
- Cadence Vincent (50 free - 21.92 | 100 - 47.70) won both sprint races for the Tide with the top time in the 50 and 100 free
From Head Coach Margo Geer
"What an exciting way to conclude the regular season. I'm so proud of how we performed tonight. There's a ton of excitement around competing against your rival, and we stayed focused on what we needed to do and took care of business.
"This was another great opportunity for us to see our hard work paying off. We are putting in the work and are focused on the next few weeks as we look towards SECs. We'll enjoy the win tonight then back to work for conference."
Next
- The Crimson Tide will turn its focus to the Southeastern Conference Championships
- The week-long event in Knoxville, Tenn., will begin on Feb. 16
Alabama First-Place Finishes
200 Medley Relay
- Women | Emily Jones, Jada Scott, Tessa Giele, Cadence Vincent – 1:34.34
1000 Free
- Women | Mackenzie Brandt – 9:45.09
- Men | Leonardo Alcantara – 8:50.19
100 Back
- Women | Emily Jones – 51.17
- Men | Tommy Hagar – 45.91
100 Breast
- Women | Charlotte Rosendale – 59.96
200 Fly
- Women | Gaby Van Brunt – 1:54.70
50 Free
- Women | Cadence Vincent – 21.92
- Men | Sean Niewold – 19.23
1m Diving
- Women | Rin Drudge – 286.28
100 Free
- Women | Cadence Vincent – 47.70
200 Back
- Women | Emily Jones – 1:53.58
- Men | Tommy Hagar – 1:39.29
200 Breast
- Men | Lance Johnson – 1:55.18
500 Free
- Women | Mackenzie Brandt – 4:44.56
- Men | Leonardo Alcantara – 4:15.65
100 Fly
- Women | Tessa Giele – 51.67
- Men | Sean Niewold – 45.90
200 IM
- Women | Isabella Chavez-Varela – 2:00.20
400 Free Relay
- Women | Cadence Vincent, Emily Jones, Tessa Giele, Gaby Van Brunt – 3:13.22
Players Mentioned
