Emma Barksdale Named CollegeSwimming SEC Swimmer of the Week

Jan. 30, 2018

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior Emma Barksdale was named CollegeSwimming’s SEC Female Swimmer of the Week after a show-stopping performance at the South Carolina Collegiate Invitational. Barksdale swam two of this week’s fastest times in the country, including the second-fastest 1650 freestyle in South Carolina history to earn the award.

Tuesday marks the third time in her career Barksdale has been named CollegeSwimming’s SEC Swimmer of the Week.

Barksdale shined in the second day of the South Carolina Collegiate Invitational, starting the day by swimming the program’s second-fastest 1650 freestyle at 16:16.53. The time was also good for the second-fastest 1650 freestyle in the nation this week. The junior then turned around to swim the fastest 400 IM in the nation at 4:08.91 in her next event.

The Davis, Calif., native finished the meet with three individual first-place finishes in the 1650 freestyle, 400 IM and 100 breaststroke. She also helped her 200 freestyle relay team to a win and secured second place in the 200 breaststroke with a new personal best at 1:59.04.

Barksdale travels with her team this weekend to the Virginia Tech Invitational, its final regular-season meet before the SEC Championships on Feb. 14-18 in College Station, Texas.