ATHENS, Ga. – Robert Howard closed out his final Southeastern Conference Championships in style, winning his second individual and third relay title of the week before collecting more SEC hardware at the conclusion of the five-day event.
The Alabama swimming and diving senior earned the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as the championships’ top point scorer and was voted the SEC Swimmer of the Meet by the league’s head coaches. Earlier in the week he was honored as the 2019 SEC Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
On Saturday, the Alexander City, Ala., native won the 100 freestyle with a career-best 41.57, adding championship that to the 50 freestyle title he won earlier in the week. Then he combined with freshman Jonathan Berneburg, junior Zane Waddell and senior Knox Auerbach to win the 400 freestyle relay with a school record 2:48.52.
Earlier in the week, the Tide men won the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays, with both victories coming in SEC-record time. Overall, the Tide won three relays and took second in a fourth, while Waddell won the 100 backstroke on Friday. It was the most relay titles in a single year in program history and the most SEC titles in a year since 1990.
In the team standings, the Tide men finished sixth overall with 789.50 points.
On the women’s side of the night, freshman Kensey McMahon reached the podium in the 1,650 freestyle on Saturday, clocking a 16:00.57 to take the bronze medal, just seven hundredths of a second out of second.
As a team, the Tide women finished the week in 11th place with 429.50 points.
With the conference championships behind them, the men’s and women’s teams are gearing up for NCAA postseason competition, with the diver’s heading to the NCAA Zone B Championships, while the swimmers continue preparing for nationals
