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Alabama Falls to Auburn in Rivalry Dual Meet: A Bitter Defeat for Both Men and Women

In an exhilarating display of athleticism, the Alabama Crimson Tide swimming and diving teams suffered a tough loss to their in-state rivals, the Auburn Tigers, in a high-stakes dual meet on January 24, 2025. Both the men’s and women’s squads found themselves outpaced in a fierce competition, as Auburn demonstrated superior depth and consistency across all events at the Auburn Natatorium.

Men’s Meet: Auburn Dominates with Relentless Energy

The men’s competition was fiercely contested from the start, but Auburn’s squad quickly showed why they have remained one of the top teams in collegiate swimming. Despite a strong performance from Alabama’s swimmers, who showed flashes of brilliance, the Tigers proved too much to handle.

Auburn’s strength was evident in both individual and relay events. In the 200-yard medley relay, Auburn set the tone early by securing a decisive victory, with Alabama’s squad finishing in second place, but well behind the Tigers. Auburn’s sprint freestylers, particularly in the 50 and 100-yard events, proved to be a formidable challenge for Alabama. Senior sprinter Austin Swenson’s impressive swim in the 50-yard freestyle helped the Tigers maintain momentum, ultimately giving them a crucial lead that the Crimson Tide could never recover from.

Alabama’s standout performances came from senior standout Josh Morris, who had an excellent showing in the 200-yard freestyle. His personal best time earned him a win in the event, but his efforts weren’t enough to stem the tide of Auburn’s dominance in the other events. Morris also had a strong showing in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing second but once again falling behind the consistent performances of Auburn’s distance swimmers.

The backstroke and breaststroke events saw Auburn continuing to rack up points, particularly with strong performances from sophomore Jack Hunter and senior Kyle Becker, who each recorded wins in their respective events. Alabama’s divers also faced stiff competition, as Auburn’s senior divers, led by All-American Tyler Williams, dominated both the 1-meter and 3-meter events.

With the final score reading Auburn 173, Alabama 127, the Tide men’s team faced a sobering reality: despite individual successes, they could not overcome the Tigers’ collective strength across the board.

Women’s Meet: Auburn’s Depth Proves Too Much for Alabama

On the women’s side, the rivalry between Alabama and Auburn continued to deliver fireworks, but Auburn once again proved to be the superior team, dominating nearly every event.

The Tigers set an early tone with a thrilling victory in the women’s 200-yard medley relay, where Alabama’s team struggled to keep pace, finishing second but unable to challenge Auburn’s relay squad. Auburn’s dominance continued through the individual events, especially in the freestyle disciplines, where the Tigers swept the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyles, showcasing the strength of their sprinters and middle-distance swimmers.

The Alabama women found success in a few individual events, led by standout freshman swimmer Emma Johnson, who claimed a win in the 100-yard backstroke, edging out Auburn’s talented swimmers. However, the Crimson Tide’s victories were few and far between as Auburn continued to build on their already sizeable lead.

In the breaststroke events, Auburn’s junior swimmer Rachel McIntyre delivered a commanding performance in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke, finishing well ahead of the competition. Meanwhile, in the butterfly events, Auburn’s Claire Dawson was nearly untouchable, claiming wins in both the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly.

Perhaps the most disappointing event for Alabama came in the diving competitions, where Auburn once again showed their superiority. Tigers’ sophomore diver Maddie Simmons was exceptional in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events, earning high scores that added to Alabama’s mounting deficit.

The final score for the women’s meet saw Auburn triumph 168-132, marking a convincing victory that underlined the Tigers’ strong team chemistry and individual prowess. Despite strong individual performances from Alabama, particularly Johnson’s backstroke victory and sophomore diver Sarah Thompson’s runner-up finish in the 1-meter dive, the Crimson Tide could not piece together enough wins to mount a serious challenge.

A Rivalry Renewed

Both teams will take lessons from this loss as they head into the final stretch of the regular season. Alabama, while proud of individual efforts, will need to regroup and focus on building a more cohesive team performance if they are to challenge Auburn in future meets. Meanwhile, Auburn’s victory reinforces their position as one of the premier swimming and diving programs in the Southeastern Conference, further stoking the fire of this storied rivalry.

As both teams look ahead, they will have their sights set on the SEC Championships and beyond, where they will need to use their experiences in this heated rivalry meet to fuel their drive for postseason success.