Swimming and diving sets 18 school records, four conference records at SEC Championships

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Hunter Jones | @Hunter_Jones_10, Contributing Writer

The Alabama swimming and diving teams competed at the SEC Championships this week at Auburn. Throughout the five-day event, the Crimson Tide men finished in fourth while the women team finished seventh. Individually, Alabama won nine titles and set 18 school records, 14 of them being women’s records while four were men’s records.

On top of setting 18 new school records, Alabama also set four new SEC records. Sophomore Rhyan White set records in the women’s 100 and 200 backstroke, senior Zane Waddell set a record in the men’s 100 backstroke and the team of Waddell, freshman Liam Bell, junior Tyler Sesvold and sophomore Jonathan Berneburg set the record in the men’s 400 medley relay.

Both the men’s and women’s teams improved on their finishes from last season. The men scored their highest finish since 2017, while the women recorded their highest finish since 2012.

“We had a lot of different people score points this year and that made a difference. It was definitely a total team effort on both sides,” coach Coley Stickels said in a release. “We had a shot at being top two if everything had gone just right, and that’s where our sights are set heading into next year.”

Waddell won two gold medals in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and took home the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy, awarded to the highest individual scorer. He was also voted SEC Male Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the year.

“The momentum for both teams is really high and I want to see us carry this forward to the national championships in a couple of weeks,” Stickels said.