The Birmingham Crossplex will be the setting for the 2023 Southern Athletic Association Swimming & Diving Championship, February 8-11.
 
Birmingham-Southern has won the last eight conference titles on the men’s side and six-consecutive women’s crowns heading into 11^th edition of the SAA Championship. The other six SAA swimming schools are coming off stellar regular seasons and each will challenge the Panthers for the 2023 trophy.  
 
MEN
Last season, BSC won five individual events and three relays to outscore runner-up Rhodes 811.-5-693.6. Berry was third with 674.5 points and Centre fourth (592). Hendrix (389) was fifth, Sewanee (268.5) sixth and Millsaps (196) seventh.
 
2022 SAA Swimmer of the Year Bryan Sullivan of Millsaps returns looking to follow up three-win performance a year ago. The grad student was voted SAA Swimmer of the Week three times this season and holds the season’s top-time in five events.  The Panthers top returner is Jacob Icimsoy was third in scoring last season, picking up victories in the 100-freestyle and 400 IM at the championship. He was the Oct. 24 SAA Swimmer of the Week during the season. Ross Valdez of Berry won the 500-freestyle a year ago and finished fourth in individual points (54). Rhodes teammates Arthur Bishop and Daniel Snyder of Rhodes both won an individual event and tied for fifth individually with 53 points. Snyder is having a breakout sophomore campaign this season, currently holding the SAA’s top-time in four events.
 
John Beuerlein of Rhodes won both diving events last season and enters the 2023 championship as one of the favorites. He was named SAA Diver of the Week on Oct. 10 this season. BSC duo Avery Balch and Justin Toth were each named SAA Diver of the Week twice during the year, alternating the last four awards. Balch was second to Beuerlein last season while Toth is in his first year.
 
WOMEN
Birmingham-Southern had to come from behind on the final day and relied on its depth to sneak by Rhodes and win sixth-straight and seventh overall SAA championship in 2022. The Panthers totaled 795.5 points to the Lynx 789. BSC had just two individual event victories to Rhodes three individual and two relay titles. Centre was third with 596.5 points behind four individual and three relay wins. Berry (579) and Sewanee (559) rounded out the top-five. Hendrix was sixth with 202 and Millsaps scored 162.
 
Then freshmen Callie West of Centre and Adeline Carroll of Rhodes both won three events at last year’s championship and tied atop the individual scorers list with 60 points. Mary-Louise LeMieux from Sewanee posted two wins and a runner-up to finish with 57 points. The trio will all return to again battle in Birmingham in 2023. West has been named SAA Swimmer of the Week three times while Carroll and LeMieux have each won the award once.
 
Women’s diving will have a new SAA champion in 2023 with the top-two scorers from a year ago all graduating. Cassie Ruiz was third in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives last season and is the top returner. Six different student-athletes earned Diver of the Week honors during the season. Anna Cate Goodson won the award three times while Haley Rice of Centre was a two-time winner.
 
The 2023 SAA Swimming & Diving championships will get underway Wednesday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m. CT. Teams will compete in the 200-medlay relay and 800-freestyle relay finals. On the boards, the women will compete in the 1-meter dive.
 
Prelims each day begin at 10 a.m. CT with the finals set for 6 p.m. CT each night.