Matt Targett says he can go faster.

So does his coach.

After the second day of the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships, they both were looking forward to a month from now and the NCAA Championships, when Targett gets a chance to prove it.

“He can definitely go faster,” Auburn men’s co-head coach Brett Hawke said of his senior sprinter. “We didn’t rest him for this meet. We shaved him down, but we didn’t rest him, so he’s definitely got more in him.”

Thursday in the 50-yard freestyle, Targett had enough in him to set the second-fastest time in U.S Open history at 18.52 seconds. Targett’s time was also an SEC record.
The guy he’s chasing? Former Auburn teammate and Olympic gold medal winner in the 50 meters, Cesar Cielo.

Cielo has the fastest 50-yard time ever at 18.47, which he set last season. Targett, who took last season off to train for the Olympics, where he won a silver and bronze as part of the Australian relay teams, can’t wait to get another crack at being the fastest swimmer on the planet.

“I think they’re lofty goals, but there’s nothing Cesar had last year that I don’t — same coaches, same circumstances, same competition,” Targett said. “I think the advantage might be with me with time on my side, but we’ll se what happens.”

Targett’s 50-free title, along with helping the Tigers win the 200-freestyle relay, gave the Auburn men’s team a huge lead heading into the final two days of the conference championships. The men lead Tennessee by 69.5 points, 329.5-260. Florida’s men are in third with 246.

Auburn’s women finished Thursday in third place (254), 58 points behind first-place Florida (312). Georgia’s in second at 260.5 points.

Targett will now have to wait until the NCAA Championships on March 26-28 in College Station, Texas to challenge Cielo’s record, which Hawke says is in danger.

“He’s been working hard all year,” Hawke said, “so I’m certain he’s going to go under that record.”

Known for its strength in the sprints, Auburn’s men actually finished first through fourth in the 50 free. Jakob Andkjaer took second with a time of 19.05. Andkjaer turned in the second-fastest prelim time earlier in the day, breaking the 19-second barrier at 18.97. Auburn’s Gideon Louw (19.28) took third and Kohlto Norys (19.65) fourth.

The quartet wasn’t finished, however. Targett, Andkjaer, Louw and Norys then teamed up to win the 200-freestyle relay in the night’s final event with a time of 1:15.47.

“It gives us so much confidence going into the relay when you finish 1-4,” Hawke said. “I know they’re going to go faster in that race as well. It’s pretty exciting where we’re at right now.”

While Targett’s win was the fastest of the night for Auburn, Ava Ohlgren pulled off the most suspenseful win, rallying in the final two strokes (breaststroke and freestyle) to beat Florida’s Gemma Spofforth by 0.21 seconds to win the women’s 200 IM. Ohlgren finished with a time of 1:55.18, good enough for her third consecutive SEC title in the event.

“I knew that (Spofforth) was going to be out at the 100, so I just was trying to keep up with her as best I could, then kind of bring it back on the breast and the free,” Ohlgren said. “I’ve won that event the past two years and I didn’t really want to lose it.”

And she didn’t.

“I wouldn’t say it was one of the prettiest swims she’s ever had, but she did what she had to do to win it,” AU women’s co-head coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker. “Very positive. A lot of heart she showed out there.”

Auburn’s men also excelled in the diving, as junior Dan Mazzaferro won the 3-meter event with a score of 420.90. Teammate Kelly Marx took second with 418.05.

“I knew overall it was going to be a tough competition,” Mazzaferro said. “Me and my roommate and my teammate Kelly Marx, all the time, we battle back and forth.”

Day 3 of the SEC Championships begins today at Auburn’s James E. Martin Aquatics Center with the prelims kicking off at 10 a.m. Finals for the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, women’s platform diving and 400-medley relay start at 6 p.m.

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