STANFORD, Calif. – The University of Alabama had a big week at the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships in Stanford, Calif.
Kensey McMahon took silver in the 1,500-meter freestyle, knocking 20 seconds off her previous career-best time with a 16:09.80. She also took fourth in the 400-meter freestyle with a lifetime best of 8:28.68 and eighth in the 400-meter freestyle with a career-best 4:10.62.
Robert Howard, the Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Year, took silver in the 50-meter freestyle with a career-best 22.00. He was also seventh in the 100-meter freestyle after posting a personal-best 48.37 in prelims. Earlier in the summer Howard took gold at the World University Games as part of Team USA’s 400-meter freestyle relay.
The Maas brothers, Derek and Kyle, were part of Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics silver-medal winning 400-meter medley relay, with Kyle swimming leadoff and Derek anchoring the quartet to a 3:38.13 finish.
The Crimson Tide broke eight long course meters school records, including five on the women’s side and three on the men’s:
- McMahon rewrote the school distance records, dropping more than a minute combined off the 400-meter (4:10.62), 800-meter (8:26.68) and 1,500-meter (16:09.80) freestyle marks
- Howard bettered his own 100-meter freestyle mark, posting a 48.37 in prelims
- Nicholas Perera broke the longest-standing record on the board, taking down Peter Berndt’s 400 individual medley mark of 4:21.76, set at the 1988 Olympic Games, with a time of 4:20.51 in prelims
- Alexis Preski broke the school 200 individual medley mark, going 2:15.34, shaving more than a second off the old mark
- Tyler Sesvold broke the school 100-meter butterfly in back-to-back swims, lowering it to 52.62 in prelims and then going 52.02 in finals
- Allie Surrency broke the school 50-meter freestyle record twice, posting a 25.65 in prelims and a 25.62 in finals
