Alabama Opens Season With Sweep Over Delta State

Alabama vs Delta State

• Friday, September 14
• University of Alabama Natatorium
• Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Meet Results
• PDF Results

The Alabama men and women opened their 2018-19 campaigns with decisive dual meet victories at home over Delta State, with the men winning 213-88 and the women by a similar score of 206-88.

Women’s Meet

Freshman Kensey McMahon, Morgan Liberto and Ryhan White were the three women to pick up multiple individual event wins for the Crimson Tide. McMahon won the 500 (4:58.44) and 1000 freestyle (10:07.93), Liberto won the 100 (56.55) and 200 back (1:59.99), and White won the 100 fly (56.02) and tied with teammate Alina Faunce for the victory in the 200 fly (2:03.19).

They also had wins from sophomore Julia Kukla in the 200 free (1:52.84), senior Justine Macfarlane in the 200 breast (2:15.98), and freshman Kalia Antoniou and sophomore Flora Molnar traded 1-2 finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Antoniou won the 50 by .01 in 23.38, while Molnar took the 100 in 50.97 to Antoniou’s 51.83.

Junior Alexis Preski was also the fastest swimmer in the 200 IM in a time of 2:04.23, though the official win went to Delta State’s Maddy Lavoie (2:06.70) as Alabama had already clinched the meet and thus Preski’s swim was officially counted as exhibition.

Lavoie, a freshman, did have an outright win in the 100 breast, where her 1:02.53 took out Macfarlane’s 1:02.95. She was also the runner-up to Macfarlane in the 200 breast.

White, Macfarlane, Molnar and Antoniou combined to win the 400 medley relay decisively in 3:43.44, and Molnar (50.16) had the top split on the 400 free relay (3:23.46) that was technically an exhibition swim as well.

Men’s Meet

Like the women, the Bama men were fastest in all but one event, with freshman Nico Hernandez-Tome and Nicholas Perera, along with junior Zane Waddell and senior Laurent Bams all winning two individual events. Hernandez-Tome won the 500 (4:38.00) and 1000 free (9:30.35), Perera won the 200 fly (1:49.91) and 200 IM (1:51.39 – though this was officially an exhibition swim), Waddell took the 50 free (20.45) and 100 fly (48.89), and Bams was victorious in the 100 (44.61) and 200 free (1:39.51).

They got additional wins from sophomores Richard Miksi in the 100 breast (56.02) and Michael Burris (2:03.42) in the 200 breast, and senior Robert Howard also picked up a victory in the 200 back (1:47.46).

Delta State’s lone win came from sophomore Giulio Brugnoni, as he clipped Howard by .06 to top the 100 back in 48.44. Brugnoni was also just .07 back of Waddell to take 2nd in the 100 fly in 48.96. Due to the exhibition swim, sophomore Matey Rezashki also had an official win in the 200 IM (1:55.13).

The Crimson Tide dominated both relays, with Bams and Howard contributing on both.