Seven Women’s Swimming & Diving Athletes Named to All-Conference Team; Six Records Broken at SAA Championships

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of the South women's swimming and diving team totaled seven student-athletes to the Southern Athletic Association's All-SAA Swimming & Diving Team after their fifth place finish at the SAA Championships from the Birmingham CrossPlex from Feb. 16-20.

Olivia Durfee, Mary Louise LeMieux and Kate Mabry were listed on the First Team. Gabby Acker and Mary Butler were listed on the Second Team, while Anna Hawkins Dulaney and Aurelia Willett were listed as Honorable Mentions. 

Additionally, the women's team earned six new school records at the championships. 

Olivia Durfee, the 2022 SAA Diver of the Year recipient, won the one-meter (388.45) and the three-meter (369.25) dives at the championships last week as Sewanee wins the SAA Diver of the Year award for the fourth straight year, joining Noel Whitlock C'20 (2019-20) and Paisley Simmons C'21 (2021) who won the award previously. 

Freshman Mary Louise LeMieux won two events at the SAA Championships, the 200 freestyle (1:52.55) and the 1,650 freestyle (17:52.23). The Mandeville, La. becomes the first winner in the 200 since Elizabeth Land C'04, who was a three-time winner in the event. 

Additionally, she set the school record in the 200, breaking Sewanee Athletics Hall of Famer J.H. Chapman's C'02 time of 1:52.55 in 1999. 

Senior Kate Mabry earned the gold at the 100 backstroke for the second time in her career. In the prelim, she improved her school record with a preliminary time of 57.53 seconds. She has medaled in the 100 backstroke three times in her career. 

Gabby Acker (2:26.13) finished second in the 200 breaststroke, as she earned her third All-SAA selection in the event. 

Mary Butler earned Second Team All-SAA laurels with scores of 380.75 on the one-meter and 338.45 on the three-meter boards. 

Anna Hawkins Dulaney and Aurelia Willett earned Honorable Mentions after their team finished third in the 800 freestyle relay. Along with LeMieux and Mabry, the quartet set a school record in the event with a relay time of 7:50.30, breaking the record set in 2015 (7:51.95). 

Here are the six records broken at the championships: 

Mary Louise LeMIeux	50 Freestyle	24.08
Mary Louise LeMieux	200 Freestyle	1:52.55
Kate Mabry	100 Backstroke	57.53
Kate Mabry, Morgan Howat, Anna Hawkins Dulaney, Mary Louise LeMieux	200 Freestyle Relay	1:38.91
Mary Louise LeMieux, Morgan Howat, Anna Hawkins Dulaney, Kate Mabry	400 Freestyle Relay	3:35.24
Mary Louise LeMieux, Kate Mabry,  Anna Hawkins Dulaney, Aurelia Willett	800 Freestyle Relay	7:50.30

For the latest news on the Sewanee Tigers, follow @SewaneeTigers on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.