2019 SEC Championships: Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

2019 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 19 – Saturday, February 23
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Texas A&M Women (3x), Florida men (6x)(results)
• Live results
• Live Video – SEC Network
• Championship Central

Following the 2nd day of competition in Athens, Mizzou’s men and Texas A&M’s women are leading the team battles. However, there are many races left to be swum, and anything could happen. In these day 3 prelims, we will see the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, and men’s 3 meter diving. After a thrilling women’s 200 IM final last night, Sydney Pickrem will look to pick up her first indiviudal title of the meet in the 400 IM, but she’ll be met by fierce competition Tess Cieplucha and a tough Florida IM group, led by freshman Vanessa Pearl. After breaking the NCAA record in the 50 free last night, what does Erika Brown have in store for us in the 100 fly? Can Camden Murphy help kickstart UGA today by winning the 100 fly?

WOMEN’S 400 IM

• SEC Meet Record – 3:58.35, Elizabeth Beisel
• NCAA Record – 3:54.60, Ella Eastin

1. Emma Barksdale (South Carolina) – 4:03.96
2. Vanessa Pearl (Florida) – 4:05.23
3. Hannah Burns (Florida) – 4:06.24
4. Tess Cieplucha (Tennesee) – 4:07.06
5. Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo (A&M) – 4:07.22
6. Sinclair Larson (Tennesee) – 4:07.27
7. Kelly Fertel (Florida) – 4:07.30
8. Bailey Nero (Auburn) – 4:07.65

Interestingly, Sydney Pickrem did not swim the race and she isn’t listed as a DFS on the results. We’ll have updates later on with why she didn’t swim the race.

Emma Barksdale swam a impressive 4:03.96 to establish the top time this morning, racing with eventual #2 seed Vanessa Pearl the whole way. Barksdale actually managed to make her move on Pearl in the breast leg, which is Pearl’s best stroke. Florida notched 3 swimmers to the A final tonight, poising them to score some big points in the event. Tess Cieplucha appeared to be holding back until the last 50, where she threw down an impressive 26.91 to go from 4th in her heat to 2nd. She took the 4th overall seed, leading a tight pack to round out the top 8.

MEN’S 400 IM

• SEC Meet Record – 3:35.76, Hugo Gonzalez
• NCAA Record – 3:33.42, Chase Kalisz

1. Grant Sanders (Florida) – 3:42.17
2. Kieran Smith (Florida) – 3:42.32
3. James Guest (UGA) – 3:43.25
4. Andrew Abruzzo (UGA) – 3:43.53
5. Alex Walton (Mizzou) – 3:44.09
6. Robert Finke (Florida) – 3:44.12
7. Clayton Forde (UGA) – 3:44.22
8. Aidan Burns (UGA) – 3:45.13

This was the UGA/Florida show. 7 of the 8 A finalists are from the two schools, and Alex Walton of Mizzou was the only other swimmer to make it in. Grant Sanders and Kieran Smith battled hard in the final heat, establishing themselves as the top 2 seeds for tonight, but James Guest and Andrew Abruzzo are not giving them very much breathing room. All qualifiers swam solid races all-around, but one standout split was James Guest‘ 1:00.67 on the breast leg, which was really what gave him the ability to grab that 3rd place finish this morning. Tonight’s race will surely be a battle to watch.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY

• SEC Meet Record –
• NCAA Record –

1. Erika Brown (Tennessee) – 50.56 (Pool Record)
2. Alyssa Tetzloff (Auburn) – 51.51
3. Ann Ochitwa (Mizzou) – 51.54
4. Haylee Knight (LSU) – 51.96
5. Veronica Burchill (UGA) – 52.03
6. Olivia Carter (UGA) – 52.27
7. Madeline Banic (Tennesee) – 52.32
8. Taylor Pike (A&M) – 52.52

Erika Brown took the top seed handily for tonight, clocking a new UGA pool record of 50.56. Despite her speed, Brown did not actually have the fastest split on the first 50, that distinction went to 2nd place finisher Alyssa Tetzloff, who was 23.72 on the front half. Haylee Knight became LSU’s first women’s A finalist of the meet (in swimming events), taking the 4th seed for tonight. Freshman Emma Carlton and Dakota Luther fell just out of the mix, finishing 9th and 10th respectively.

MEN’S 100 FLY

• SEC Meet Record – 44.21, Caeleb Dressel
• NCAA Record – 42.80, Caeleb Dressel

1. Maxime Rooney (Florida) – 45.32 (Pool Record)
2. Liam McCloskey (Auburn) – 45.48
3. Camden Murphy (Georgia) – 45.48
4. Santiago Grassi (Auburn) – 45.60
5. Kacper Stokowski (Florida) – 45.72
6. Danny Kovac (Mizzou) – 45.03
7. Angel Martinez (A&M) – 46.07
8. Daniel Hein (Mizzou) / Micah Slaton (Mizzoui) – 46.16

Florida swimmer Maxime Rooney, the SEC runner-up in the 200 free last year, scratched that event at this y ear’s meet to focus on the 100 fly. That decision paid off with a new Pool Record of 45.32 in prelims, breaking the 2002 mark set by Texas’ Ian Crocker (who now has 5 Olympic medals, including individual 100 fly silver in 2004).

Rooney’s previous best time in the event was a mid-season 46.61 at the Georgia Tech Invite; his best coming into the season was a 46.63 from 2015 when he was still 17. It took a 45.2 to score top 8 at NCAAs last year in the 100 fly. Rooney was 21st at that meet in the 200 free, which didn’t score. Because the two events are back-to-back in the NCAA schedule, doing a double is unlikely.

Auburn’s Liam McCloskey qualified 2nd in 45.38, also under the old Pool Record, while Georgia’s Camden Murphy qualified 3rd in 45.48. Auburn has 2 swimmers in the A final, while there is a scheduled Missouri vs. Missouri swim-off for 8th place between juniors Micah Slaton and Daniel Hein. The Tigers had 4 swimmers finish 6th-10th in prelims of that race, but a maximum of 2 will be able to swim in the A final.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE

• SEC Meet Record – 1:41.82, Shannon Vreeland
• NCAA Record – 1:39.10, Missy Franklin

1. Erin Falconer (Auburn) – 1:43.75
2. Courtney Harnish (UGA) – 1:44.10
3. Meghan Small (Tennessee) – 1:44.50
4. Claire Rasmus (A&M) – 1:44.73
5. Georgia Marris (Florida) – 1:45.00
6. Kelsey Dambacher (Florida) – 1:45.36
7. Katie Portz (A&M) – 1:45.70
8. Anna Hopkin (Arkansas) – 1:45.78

Auburn senior Erin Falconer led the way with a 1:43.75, just a few tenths off her 1:43.42 leadoff on the 800 free relay Tuesday night. Last night’s 500 free champion, Courtney Harnish, posted the next-fastest time with a 1:44.10. She was followed by Meghan Small, who won the 200 IM last night, and who went 1:44.50 this morning.

Both Florida and Texas A&M put a pair of swimmers into tonight’s A-final, and Arkansas’ sprint star Anna Hopkin just squeezed into the A-final by a margin of 0.04s.

MEN’S 200 FREE

• SEC Meet Record – 1:31.61, Mikel Schreuders
• NCAA Record – 1:29.50, Townley Haas

1. Mikel Schreuders (Mizzou) – 1:33.12
2. Joey Reilman (Tennessee) – 1:33.40
3. Jack Dahlgren (Mizzou) – 1:33.57
4. Robert Howard (Alabama) – 1:33.65
5. Khader Baqlah (Florida) – 1:33.86
6. Mark Theall (A&M) – 1:33.91
7. Trey Freeman (Florida) – 1:34.17
8. Fynn Minuth (South Carolina) – 1:34.50

It’s not surprising that look to be in for a great battle in this event tonight, especially after the excitement of the 800 free relay Tuesday night.

Mizzou’s Mikel Schreuders followed his SEC meet record-setting 1:31.61 leadoff from Tuesday’s relay with the top time this morning, going 1:33.12.  Schreuders will be one of four men returning from last year’s A-final. Florida’s Khader Baqlah took it a bit easier in prelims this year than he did last year (1:33.86 to 1:32.96), but with a lifetime best under 1:32, he should be Schreuders’ main challenger tonight.

Joey Reilman will also return after posting the 2nd-fastest time this morning (1:33.40). So will Fynn Minuth, who was 8th this morning in 1:34.50, the same exact time it took to make the A-final last year.

Jack Dahlgren (1:33.57), Robert Howard (1:33.65), Mark Theall (1:33.91) and Trey Freeman (1:34.17) will round out tonight’s A-final.

MEN’S 3 MTR

• SEC Meet Record –
• NCAA Record –