Courtesy: SEC Sports
Men’s Swimmers of the Week: Charlie Hawke, Alabama; Ian Grum, Georgia; and Ryan Merani, Kentucky
Alabama’s Charlie Hawke, a junior from Newcastle, Australia, scored 43 points to help his team to a 175-144 win at Kentucky. Hawke won the 200 free with an NCAA B-cut time of 1:33.34 and the 500 free with a time of 4:22.39. He posted the fastest 100 split in the winning 400 free relay (2:52.39/42.70) and the fastest free split in the winning 200 medley relay (1:26.16/19.32). Hawke rounded out the meet with a third-place finish in the 200 fly (1:46.81).
Georgia’s Ian Grum, a fifth-year senior from Atlanta, Ga., helped his team to a dual meet victory over Florida State. In the 200 backstroke, Grum touched first with an NCAA B-cut time of 1:40.02, his second-fastest time of the season. He also posted his second-fastest time this year in the 400 IM with a top time of 3:42.60, along with a second-place NCAA B-cut time of 1:45.10 in the 200 butterfly.
Kentucky’s Ryan Merani, a sophomore from Lutherville-Timonium, Md., won three individual events with a trio of NCAA B-cut times against No. 19 Alabama. Merani touched the wall first in the 200 fly (1:44.18), the 200 IM (1:46.03) and the 400 IM (3:45.98) to score a meet-high 27 individual points. He also swam the final leg of the second-place 400 free relay (2:55.55/44.58) and the third leg of the third-place 200 medley relay (1:29.76/21.35).
Men’s Diver of the Week: Victor Povzner, Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s Victor Povzner, a senior from Toronto, Ontario, swept the springboard events in the win at TCU. Povzner led the Aggies’ diving corps, who posted the top four scores on both boards, with a final score of 390.85 on the 1-meter and a final score of 427.10 on the 3-meter.
Men’s Freshman of the Week: Tomas Koski, Georgia
Georgia’s Tomas Koski, a freshman from Alpharetta, Ga., helped his team earn the win over No. 16 Florida State. In the 200 free, Koski earned his fifth dual meet win of the season in the event, posting his second-fastest time of the season at 1:33.34. He also set a collegiate personal best in the 500 free with a fourth-place time of 4:27.54 and led off the 400 free relay with a 44.78 split (2:55.76).
Women’s Swimmer of the Week: Abby McCulloh, Georgia
Georgia’s Abby McCulloh, a junior from Lilburn, Ga., led her team to a sweep of No. 23 Florida State and Vanderbilt. In the 1,000 free, McCulloh set a personal-best time of 9:30.61, winning the event by nearly 19 seconds. Her time was the fastest in the nation this season and the second-fastest in program history, and set a pool record at Gabrielsen Natatorium. She followed up the win with an NCAA B-cut time of 4:39.58 to win the 500 free, her fastest dual meet time of the season.
Women’s Diver of the Week: Joslyn Oakley, Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s Joslyn Oakley, a sophomore from Mooresville, N.C., earned four first-place finishes in a pair of dual meet victories for the Aggies. In the win at Houston, Oakley posted top scores of 306.90 on the 1-meter and 357.98 on the 3-meter. She then recorded career-best scores of 337.15 to win the 1-meter and 395.80 to win the 3-meter at TCU.
Women’s Freshman of the Week: Gaby Van Brunt, Alabama
Alabama’s Gaby Van Brunt, a freshman from Savannah, Ga., swept the butterfly events with two NCAA B-cut times in the win at Kentucky. Van Brunt posted a career-best time of 52.60 in the 100 fly and a time of 1:57.71 in the 200 fly. She also swam the third leg of the winning 200 medley relay (1:38.25/23.47) and the anchor leg of the third-place 400 free relay (3:23.65/49.84). Van Brunt rounded out the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 100 back (53.69).
Go Dawgs!