COLLEGE STATION, Texas — A day after crowning an SEC individual champion, Arkansas saw just two athletes advance to Thursday’s finals, as freshman Peyton Palsha and sophomore Ayumi Macias qualified for the A-final and B-final, respectively, in the 500 freestyle.
Palsha swam a personal-best 4:43.05, the sixth-fastest time in prelims, to qualify for the A-final. In her SEC Championship debut, Palsha touched eighth in the A-final in a time of 4:43.69.
Macias clocked the 10th-fastest prelim time with a then-season-best time of 4:43.86, to claim her place in the B-final.
After finishing seventh overall in the event as a freshman, Macias turned in a 12th-place showing this season, touching fourth in the B-final in a season-best 4:43.32.
Freshman Alyssa Lemon also competed in the 500 free prelims, finishing sixth in her heat, 47th overall, in a personal-best time of 4:55.00.
In the 200 individual medley, senior Chelsea Tatlow led the way for the Razorbacks with a 36th-place overall finish, eighth in her heat, in a time of 2:00.34.
Senior Chloe Hannam finished 41st overall, seventh in her respective heat, in a time of 2:00.59. Senior Jessie Garrison touched in 2:01.00, finishing 42nd overall and seventh in her heat.
Swimming in the same heat at Garrison, senior Sydney Angell touched eighth in a time of 2:01.77 to finish 46th overall.
Junior Madison Strathman finished seventh in her heat of the 200 IM, touching in 2:05.09 for a 61st-place overall finish.
In the 50 freestyle prelims, the Razorback had six athletes compete, as junior Annah Carney paced Arkansas with a personal-best 23.08 to finish fifth in her heat, 34th overall.
Senior Olivia Weekley turned in the 37th-best time in prelims, swimming a 23.15 for an eighth-place finish in her heat. Juniors Kiera Michailoff-Russell and Erin Kelly, along with freshman Kenedy Thaman all swam in the fourth 50 free prelim heat, finishing fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively.
Michailoff-Russell finished 43rd overall with a personal-best time of 23.31, while Kelly touched in a season-best 23.32 for a 44th-place effort. Thaman finished 53rd overall with a time of 23.65.
Senior Maddie Edwards swam the 50 free for the first time this season, touching second in her three-person heat in a time of 24.12.
In the final race of the evening, Arkansas’ relay of Weekley, Carney, Michailoff-Russell and Kelly touched third in the first heat of the 200 free relay in 1:31.39 to finish 10th overall in the event.
Day three of the 2018 Swimming and Diving Championships begin at 10 a.m. on Friday morning with the 400 individual medley, 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle prelims.
Standings – Day Two
1. Texas A&M – 469
2. Georgia – 361
3. Tennessee – 337.5
4. Auburn – 250.5
5. Kentucky – 250
6. Alabama – 241
7. Missouri – 236
8. Florida – 219.5
9. South Carolina – 218.5
10. Arkansas – 188
11. LSU – 161
12. Vanderbilt – 106
