DALLAS – The SMU men’s team extended its lead and five-time defending women’s champion Houston reclaimed the top spot in the standings after day three of the 2022 American Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday at the Robson & Lindley Aquatics Center and Barr-McMillion Natatorium in Dallas.
SMU scored 890 points in the men’s competition after the third finals session to place ahead of Cincinnati with 701 points. Houston inched back in front in the women’s draw with 583.5 points, just a sliver ahead of host SMU with 577 points. Tulane remained in third with 420 points, Cincinnati fourth with 382 points and East Carolina checked in fifth with 177.5 points.
Gianna Spremullo opened the finals session with a third all-time win for Tulane in the women’s 400 IM, outracing defending champion Camryn Streid from Cincinnati for the victory. Spremullo touched the wall in 4:12.98 for the gold medal, followed by Streid at 4:13.63 for the silver. SMU’s Gabi Grobler was third with a time of 4:18.29.
SMU’s Colin Feehery defended his men’s 400 IM crown and became a three-time champion in the event following a competitive championship heat. Feehery notched a winning time of 3:44.20 to outpace teammate Cotton Fields (3:44.94) for the victory. Spencer Sehlhorst of Cincinnati took bronze in 3:47.10.
Adelaide Meuter claimed a second straight women’s 100 butterfly championship for Houston in a photo finish, notching a :53.50 to lead the field. SMU’s Valentina Becerra hit silver with a time of :53.79 and Houston’s Abby Jackson joined Meuter on the podium in third place with a time of :54.02.
Jack Easton picked up the first SMU men’s 100 butterfly gold medal since the 2016 season, racing to the wall with a time of :46.68. Russell Exum (:46.89) from SMU and Cincinnati’s Thomas Eaton (:47.62) earned the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Lilly Byrne kept the Tulane momentum rolling in the women’s 200 freestyle, taking the first Green Wave win in the event in meet history. Byrne outraced the field to the wall with a time of 1:47.25 to bring home the gold. Houston’s Mary Catherine Jurica gained silver with a time of 1:48.02 and Tulane’s Isabelle Pelka snagged the bronze medal in 1:48.03.
Cincinnati’s Michael Balcerak won his second career men’s 200 freestyle title, dueling SMU’s Tyler Mansheim to the very end of the finals heat. Balcerak’s time of 1:35.51 outlasted Mansheim’s 1:35.69 for the gold. SMU’s Robby King placed third in the final with a time of 1:36.01.
Houston’s Henrietta Fangli returned the Cougars to the top of the women’s 100 breaststroke with a championship finals swim of 1:00.02. Tulane’s Christiana Williams gained the silver medal with a time of 1:01.67, followed by East Carolina’s Caitlin Reynera in third place with a time of 1:01.93.
Caleb Rhodenbaugh notched his third straight men’s 100 breaststroke championship, establishing a meet record time of :52.42 to successfully defend his title. Cincinnati’s Dominic Polling locked up second place in :53.47 and SMU’s Evan McCormick was third with a time of :53.51.
Tulane’s Danielle Titus won an incredible race in the women’s 100 backstroke with a championship time of :53.58. Houston’s Kathryn Power grabbed a silver medal with a time of :53.82 and Cincinnati’s Erin Shema took third with a time of :54.64.
Riley Hill won the third men’s 100 backstroke in American meet history for SMU by hitting the wall with a time of :47.81. Cincinnati’s Hunter Gubeno grabbed second place with a time of :48.28 and SMU’s Rob McCall earned the bronze with a :48.74 showing.
SMU’s Peter Smithson won the men’s 3-meter diving championship for the third straight season, scoring a career-high 424.40 points for the top spot in the conference. Teammate Parker Hardigree battled to silver with a score of 398.90 points and fellow Mustang Dominic Hoefer was third with 354.55 points.
Houston staked claim to a fifth straight women’s 400 medley relay gold medal, outpointing its foes to the podium with a great effort. Power, Fangli, Meuter and Jurica captured the win with a time of 3:37.91. SMU’s Ilektra Lebl, Grobler, Becerra and Johanna Gudmundsdottir finished second with a time of 3:38.18 and Tulane’s Titus, Williams, Mya Drost-Parra and Pelka were third in 3:40.15.
Cincinnati closed the session with a record swim in the men’s 400 medley relay final. Hanna, Polling, Balcerak and Gubeno shattered the previous mark by nearly a full second, clocking in at 3:08.56. SMU’s Hill, Rhodenbaugh, Easton and Feehery added an impressive silver medal showing of 3:09.92.
The fourth and final day of the American Swimming and Diving Championships will begin at 10 a.m. (CT) on Saturday with prelim action on ESPN+. The Saturday finals session is set to commence at 5 p.m. (CT), with seniors from competing teams being recognized prior to the start of the evening’s racing.
Men’s Teams Scores
1. SMU – 890
2. Cincinnati – 701
Women’s Teams Scores
1. Houston – 583.5
2. SMU – 577
3. Tulane – 420
4. Cincinnati – 382
5. East Carolina – 177.5
Championships Schedule:
Saturday, February 19 (ESPN+)
Swimming Prelims: 10 A.M. (CT) (ESPN+) | Diving Prelims: 12:30 P.M. (CT) | Finals: 5:00 P.M. (CT) (ESPN+)
Event #30 Platform Diving PRELIMS Women
Event #29 Platform Diving PRELIMS Men
Event #31 1,650 Yard Freestyle Women
Event #32 1,650 Yard Freestyle Men
Event #30 Platform Diving FINALS Women
Event #33 200 Yard Backstroke Women
Event #34 200 Yard Backstroke Men
Event #35 100 Yard Freestyle Women
Event #36 100 Yard Freestyle Men
Event #37 200 Yard Breaststroke Women
Event #38 200 Yard Breaststroke Men
Event #39 200 Yard Butterfly Women
Event #40 200 Yard Butterfly Men
Event #29 Platform Diving FINALS Men
Event #41 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Women
Event #42 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Men