Olympian Micah Lawrence Returning to Auburn for 2012-2013 Season

The prodigal daughter has returned. After a one-year hiatus in Charlotte, training for the Olympics with SwimMAC Carolina, US National Teamer Micah Lawrence will return to Auburn for the 2012-2013 season.

This could set up a special year for the Auburn women, if Lawrence continues the success she’s had in long course over the last year. Since starting her break from the NCAA, she’s put up a slew of lifetime of lifetime bests in both the 100 and 200, and culminating at the 2012 US Olympic Trials with a second-place finish in the 200 in a 2:23.0 to put herself onto the American Olympic Team.

In her freshman season at Auburn, she was a First-Team All-American in the 200 breaststroke. In her second year, she won the 100 at the SEC Championships and broke the conference record, but only scored a single point for 16th in the 200 at NCAA’s. In her junior season, she went scoreless for the Tigers.

But that doesn’t change the fact that when she’s swimming well, she’s one of the best breaststrokers in the country, period, and incredibly valuable for a college team. She will be a huge part of the Tigers’ push to get back into the top 5 this season.

There’s always a chance that an Olympic berth can change the scenery, but Lawrence is enrolled in classes at Auburn so that indicates that she will head back in the fall.

The Auburn breaststroke group now becomes incredibly deep. That group will now include Lauren Norberg (a great relay swimmer who split a 59.4 at NCAA’s); Abby Duncan (who broke a minute and made the B-Final at NCAA’s as just a freshman last season); defending JuCo National Champion Tryshia Centeno-Rosa; and and elite British junior Pippa Cochran.

With Texas A&M and their incredible breaststroke group coming to the SEC next season, plus the 200 breaststrokers from Georgia, Hrafnhildur Luthersdottir from Florida, Annie Zhu headed to Georgia, Lindsey McKnight going to Florida, Amanda Rutqvist from South Carolina; and so-on, the conference Championship will be stacked next season.