The Texas A&M women sent out their senior class, which depending on what happens in March has the chance to be the most successful senior class in women’s program history, sent themselves out in sterling fashion, topping the North Texas Mean Green 153-97 at home on Saturday.
That completes an 8-0-1 season for the Aggies, with that lone blemish being a tie with the defending NCAA Champions from Georgia.
The outgoing senior class includes three Olympians: Breeja Larson and Cammile Adams for the United States and Erica Dittmer for Mexico. It also includes Canadian national-level swimmer Paige Miller.
Injuries kept this from being an even more tearful outgoing class for Steve Bultman – this group came to campus with another U.S. National Teamer Sarah Henry (who’s a redshirt junior) and another Mexican Olympian and National Record holder Lili Ibanez (also a redshirt junior).
Also included in the class is All-American Melanie McClure.
That class combined to win 10 out of the 12 individual events at the meet.
The Texas A&M Seniors with their parents as the Fightin’ Texas Aggie band plays in the background. Courtesy: Brad Marquardt
Larson was battling a little bit of back soreness in the last few weeks after she was rear-ended by a truck that caused her to miss the Aggies’ road-trip to LSU, but all reports of it just being “precautionary” and the injury not being serious seem to have held true. Larson won the 100 breast (59.61) and the 200 breast (2:10.11) in some of the best second-semester times we’ve seen so far for the American Record holder.
Everything seems to be coming together for the Aggies as they hed toward the SEC Championships. Sarah Henry won both the 500 (4:49.06) and 1650 (16:35.95) freestyles; Paige Miller won the 100 back in 54.53; and Cammile Adams won the 200 fly in 1:57.03.
Also a part of that class, Dittmer won the 50 free in 22.94, which is a time that’s as good as we’ve seen from a lot of the star sprinters around the country this weekend (Geer and Lobb out in Arizona come to mind).
The best performance for North Texas came in the women’s 200 backstroker. There, junior Mona Groteguth was 2nd in 2:03.43 to senior Melanie McClure (2:02.03).
The Aggie women are done, while UNT will have a meet on January 5th against TCU.
Full meet results available here.