MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin swimming and diving program made some statements in its season-opening meet — with with the men dominating the freestyle events, the women receiving strong performances from a pair of newcomers and divers shining on both sides — but it was Auburn that left the UW Natatorium victorious on Saturday.
The Tigers edged the UW men's team, 156-144, and downed the Badgers women, 165-135.
"It was great having them (Auburn) on campus," UW head coach Whitney Hite said. "They are a traditional powerhouse and any time we can get them here, it's a good thing.
"This is a process. We always want to be faster but we also know that the key is February, March, the championship season. So this is the start for us, this is the start of the season, this isn't the end.
"We can be better, we will be better."
Four Badgers combined to sweep the freestyle events for the UW men.
Senior Matt Hutchins and junior Victor Goicoechea led the charge in the distance events, while seniors Cannon Clifton and Brett Pinfold starred in the sprints.
Pinfold and Clifton combined to sweep the shorter sprint events, with Clifton breaking his own pool record in the 50-yard freestyle in 20.12 seconds to earn a NCAA "B' cut and then claiming victory in the 100 free in 44.56. Pinfold took the 200 freestyle title in 1 minute, 38.10 seconds.
In the 1000-yard freestyle, Goicoechea made a statement in his first race as a Badger, winning in 9 minutes, 17.86 seconds. Hutchins was right behind him to finish second in 9:22.51. Later, the roles were reversed as Hutchins went on to win 500 free in 4:27.65 while Goicoechea was runner-up in 4:37.12.
The UW men also won the final event of the afternoon in dramatic fashion, claiming the 400 freestyle relay in a pool-record time of 2:57.93.
Clifton led UW to a solid start by posting a split of 44.22 that had the Badgers out front early, but Auburn crept back into the lead during the second leg. It was Olympian Matt Hutchins that drew the Badgers back on the third leg.
"I was out a bit faster and think that was the key," Clifton said. "I still need to control that first 50 because I know the guy next to me was going out pretty hard so I think that just pushing off the wall and pounding under water was the key."
Pinfold was clutch as the anchor for the Badgers while Auburn's Zachary Apple fought to keep the Tigers out front in a race that was neck and neck down the stretch.
With yards to go, Pinfold overtook Apple and out-touched him by just over a half-second with a split of 43.75 that was the fastest of any swimmer in the field, clinching victory for his teammates Clifton, Ryan Stack and Hutchins.
The UW women's team was led by freshman Beata Nelson, who in her first individual collegiate race snatched victory in the 100-yard backstroke in 54.40 to earn a NCAA 'B' cut standard.
"It feels really good (to get the standard)," Nelson said. "We've done a lot of hard training, so to kind of get that out of the way and just get the blood moving and be in the Nat and feel comfortable, it's a good feeling."
In her first-ever swim as a Badger, Nelson led off UW's entry in the 200 medley relay team and helped teammates Marissa Berg, Dana Grindall and Chase Kinney to a first-place finish in 1:41.44.
Also premiering for the Badgers was Olympic gold medalist Cierra Runge, who earned a pair of runner-up finishes in the 1000 free (9:56.04) and 500 free (4:50.39).
"It was really fun," said Runge, who last competed collegiately for Cal in 2014-15, of her Badgers debut. "I was excited to kind of get in and have a team and do the whole dual meets again, so I really enjoyed myself."
Also earning wins for the women were Kinney, who won the 50 free with an NCAA 'B' cut of 22.92, and sophomore Jess Unicomb, who claimed victory in the 200 back in 1:59.81.
Wisconsin was strong on the boards, as well, with four divers posting automatic qualifying marks for NCAA zone competition.
Senior Ashley Peterson led the way for the women, sweeping the 1-meter (306.67 points) and 3-meter (291.45) events. Sophomore Hazel Hertting finished as runner-up in the 1-meter, posting a score of 280.05 that completed a 1-2 sweep for Wisconsin.
On the men's side, freshman Kevin Pomeroy won the 3-meter in dominating fashion, scoring 336.30 points. Sophomore Andrew Pearce also collected the 'A' qualifying standard on the 1-meter board, taking third with 321.52 points.
The Badgers are at it again next week as they travel to take on rival Minnesota in the Border Battle on Oct. 13. The meet, which will stream live via BTN Plus, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
