Tulane Swimming and Diving Closes AAC Championships in Fifth Place

Saturday, February 22

Houston, TX

10 AM

Tulane University

American Athletic Conference

Tulane Swimming and Diving Closes AAC Championships in Fifth Place

Feb 22, 2020 | Women's Swimming and Diving

COMPLETE RESULTS

HOUSTON – The Tulane University swimming and diving team closed out competition Saturday night at the 2020 American Athletic Conference Championships in fifth place with 456 points.

The four-day event was held at the University of Houston inside the CRWC Natatorium.

The Green Wave opened day four competition on a high note, as freshman Lilly Byrne (16:15.69) and senior Olivia Johnson (16:18.63) finished in second and third place in the 1,650 freestyle, respectively.

Byrne's time in the event, smashed her previous personal-best performance by more than 20 seconds. Her time also broke the Tulane school record by nearly 15 seconds. Johnson's mark in the event also served as a personal-best time.

Both Johnson and Byrne's times served as NCAA B-cut times.

Following the meet, Byrne earned AAC Freshman of the Year honors. The Canton, Georgia, native made three trips to the medal stand throughout the week. The first came after she swam the opening leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay team, which finished third on Wednesday

The next trip to the podium included runner-up finishes in the 500-yard freestyle (4:42.78) on Thursday. She also took ninth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:48.64), placing behind sophomore teammate Iza Pelka, who finished eighth in a time of 1:50.47.

Junior Kate McDonald closed the championship week on a high note as well thanks to a third-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. McDonald's third-place finish in the event marked the third time this week that the Colorado native earned a spot on the medal stand.

McDonald's time of 2:11.08 also served as a Tulane program record, breaking the mark which she set back at the 2019 AAC Championships.

Fellow junior Courtney Barker also had a strong performance on the final day, as she clocked a fifth-place performance in the 100-yard freestyle (50.53).

Tulane also had a strong performance in the 200-yard backstroke, as five individuals scored points for the Green Wave. Senior Jordan Morling led the way for Tulane in the event, as she finished seventh (1:57.71).

Be sure to follow the program on Facebook and Twitter(@GreenWaveSwim) and on Instagram (@TulaneSwimDive). Fans can also follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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