Emory University swimmers took part in two sessions on Saturday as the Emory February Invitational came to a close at the Madeleine Jude Brown Aquatic Center in Atlanta.
The meet served as a one last-chance qualifier for numerous swimmers as they looked to improve upon their standings ahead of next month's NCAA Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Eagles, swimming alongside competitors from Emory & Henry, Wingate, Carson-Newman, Mars Hill and Nova Southeastern came out on top in both team standings with Emory topping the men's table with 625 points and the women leading the way with 763 points.
During the morning session, the women's team turned in several notable performances with those in the 200 Freestyle most notably standing out. Sophomore Katherine Swan led the charge of a trio of Eagles that claimed the top three spots in the 200 Freestyle with all three times coming in under the NCAA B Cut mark. Swan notched a season-best at 1:51.06 to win the event while sophomores Meredith Teague and Natalie Boorjian touched behind her at 1:52.00 and 1:52.06.
Fellow sophomore Maren McDonald added an event win in the 100 Fly and recorded a season-best 55.62 to earn a NCAA B Cut. Senior Rosalie Gaudiani posted a NCAA B Cut as well in the time trials of the 100 Fly (55.94) and junior Isabel Huang registered a 56.46 in the 100 Backstroke for another NCAA qualifying mark.
For the men, sophomore Lukas Fu was a winner in the 400 IM as he swam a season-best 4:01.20. The Eagles saw a pair of swimmers go under NCAA B Cuts in their respective events as well with sophomore McKee Thorsen turning in a season-best in the 100 Fly (48.31) and senior Johnny Bradshaw touching at 55.26 in the 100 Breast.
When competition returned several hours later, the evening session was filled with a few more season-best times for event leaders to go along with a few NCAA qualifying marks.
On the men's side, freshman Jack Teasley was a winner in the 200 Fly as he went under the NCAA B Cut standard at 1:49.12. Classmate Michael Kaiser also turned heads in the event as he finished second, recording a season-best and NCAA B Cut time of 1:49.40. Senior Anderson Holcomb additionally went under the NCAA B Cut line as he was second in the 200 Breast at 2:00.80.
For the women, senior Maddie Palatt shined in the event portion of the session as she touched at 2:02.28 to place third in the 200 Back and give her a season-best time as well as a NCAA B Cut.
In time trials, the 200 Freestyle was where Boorjian and Teague impressed as both swimmers improved upon their morning times. Boorjian dropped to 1:49.90 while Teague slashed her best time to 1:50.64.
Next up for the Eagles will be the NCAA Diving Regionals next week followed by the NCAA Championships from March 19-22.
