2021 Women’s SEC Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

SEC – WOMEN SWIMMING & DIVING + MEN’S DIVING

• Wednesday, February 17 – Saturday, February 20, 2021
• W Swimming: Gabrielsen Natatorium – Athens, GA (Eastern Time Zone)
• W&M Diving: Mizzou Aquatics Center – Columbia, MO (Central Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Tennessee (1x) (2020 results)
• Live results
• Live Video – SEC Network
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets (UPDATED)

This morning will be the first full prelims session of the 2021 Women’s SEC Championships. Last night, Alabama and Kentucky won a relay each, while Auburn and Georgia stumbled with DQ’s in the 200 medley relay.

THURSDAY PRELIMS HEAT SHEETS

500 FREE – PRELIMS

• SEC meet record – 4:33.10, Brittany Maclean (Georgia) 2016
• 2020 NCAA invite time – 4:41.20
• 2020 champion – Courtney Harnish (Georgia), 4:36.40

Top 8

1. Kristen Stege (Tennessee) – 4:39.35
2. Peyton Palsha (Arkansas) – 4:39.94
3. Courtney Harnish (Georgia) – 4:40.57
4. Elise Bauer (Florida) – 4:41.26
5. Kensey McMahon (Alabama) – 4:42.10
6. Tylor Mathieu (Florida) – 4:43.25
7. Jillian Barczyk (Georgia) – 4:43.43
8. Olivia Anderson (Georgia) – 4:43.44

Tennessee sophomore Kristin Stege was out fast in 1:49.21 in heat five, the East Carolina transfer already making a name for herself in the conference distance ranks. She would go on to win the heat with a 4:39.35, beating Alabama junior Kensey McMahon (4:42.10) who finished third in this race last year. For Stege, that’s a lifetime best by four seconds, and she’s come a long way since her high school best of 4:58.89 just two years ago.

Peyton Palsha of Arkansas and Courtney Harnish of Georgia went head-to-head in the final heat of the 500 free prelims, both out in 1:49-mids at the 200. Palsha was able to get under 4:40, going 4:39.94 for her third sub-4:40 swim ever, while Harnish will lurk in third (4:40.57), not showing her full potential as the defending champion (4:36.40).

Florida freshman Elise Bauer had another huge swim, clocking a lifetime best of 4:41.26 to snag the fourth spot in the A-final. She was 4:47.34 in high school, and 4:44.76 mid-season before shaving an additional 3.5 seconds this morning.

In the first circle-seeded heat, Florida sophomore Tylor Mathieu battled with Georgia sophomore Jillian Barczyk and Auburn junior Emily Hetzer. Mathieu was 4:43.25 to get the win, ahead of Barczyk (4:43.43) and Hetzer (4:43.63). For Barczyk, that’s a lifetime best, while Hetzer was off of her prelim-leading 4:38.56 from the 2020 SEC Champs. Mathieu and Barczyk both get into the A-final after swimming in the C-final last year, knocking Hetzer down to ninth and out of the A-final.

Florida and Georgia are the big winners in terms of getting swimmers into scoring position– Florida has 2/2/2 in the A/B/C finals and Georgia has 3/1/0. Tennessee and Kentucky also had strong showings, as the Lady Vols have 1/2/0 and the Wildcats 0/2/2.

200 IM – PRELIMS

• SEC meet record – 1:51.62, Meghan Small (Tennessee) 2019
• 2020 NCAA invite time – 1:57.31
• 2020 champion – Meghan Small (Tennessee), 1:52.14

Top 8

1. Zoie Hartman (Georgia) – 1:54.35
2. Danielle Dellatorre (Georgia) – 1:55.29
3. Vanessa Pearl (Florida) – 1:55.40
4. Lauren Poole (Kentucky) – 1:55.56
5. Alexis Yager (Tennessee) – 1:55.88
6. Izzy Gati (Kentucky) – 1:56.25
7. Bailey Bonnett (Kentucky) – 1:56.40
8. Hannah Ownbey (Auburn) – 1:56.73

Georgia sophomore Zoie Hartman is the top seed by a good margin going into tonight’s final. She won the final heat this morning at 1:54.35, winning her heat by over a second ahead of Tennessee’s Alexis Yager (1:55.88).

In heat seven, Danielle Dellatorre of Georgia and Lauren Poole of Kentucky battled to the wall, both going bests as Dellatorre won in 1:55.29 ahead of Poole’s 1:55.56. For Poole, it was her first time under 1:57. The heat after, Vanessa Pearl of Florida dropped a 1:55.40 for the win in the penultimate heat.

Kentucky looked very good here, with Poole, Izzy Gati (1:56.25) and Bailey Bonnett (1:56.50) all into the A-final and Sophie Sorenson (1:56.92) in the B-final.

Auburn freshman Hannah Ownbey dropped almost two full seconds to get all the way up into the A-final, a key swim for the Tigers.

Alabama had a couple big initial heat wins, with freshman Diana Petkova taking heat one (1:58.13) and junior Cat Wright picking up heat two (1:57.67). Also dropping a big swim was Kentucky sophomore Jodi Ogle, an East Carolina transfer, who dropped over two seconds from her old best with a 1:59.13 to win heat five and nab the last spot in the C-final.

Kentucky and Georgia are the big movers in this event. UK has 3 up, 1 mid, 1 down, while UGA has 2 up, 3 mid and 1 down.

50 FREE – PRELIMS

• SEC meet record – 21.03, Erika Brown (Tennessee) 2020
• 2020 NCAA invite time – 22.21
• 2020 champion – Erika Brown (Tennessee), 21.03

Top 8

1. Katie Mack (Florida) – 21.82
2. Kalia Antoniou (Alabama) – 21.91
3. Gabi Fa’amausili (Georgia) – 21.99
4. Maxine Parker (Georgia) – 22.07
5. Megan Keil (Mizzou) – 22.09
6. Cora Dupre (Alabama) – 22.12
7. Bailey Grinter (Tennessee) – 22.13
8. Emily Barclay/Kobie Melton (Arkansas) – 22.18 *TIE*

Katie Mack of Florida, an NC State transfer, destroyed her old best of 22.34 en-route to a huge 21.82 in heat eight of ten. She leads the way going into tonight’s final.

Blasting a 21.91 out of lane eight in heat one (with a NT entry), Alabama’s Kalia Antoniou rocked a 21.91 to easily get into the A-final tonight. Her old best was 22.11, and she nearly broke the Alabama school record of 21.84 held by Bailey Scott. Antoniou was an A-finalist in the 100 free last year at this meet, but only made the B-final in this race.

Alabama looked good here, with IU transfer Cora Dupre also getting into the A-final at 22.09, while Georgia again put two swimmers up between Gabi Fa’Amausili (21.99) and freshman Maxine Parker (22.07).

Mizzou, Tennessee and Arkansas each got one swimmer into this A-final, with #2 seed Megan Keil for Mizzou, Tennessee’s Bailey Grinter and Arkansas’s Emily Barclay and Kobie Melton tying.

Sarah Thompson, the top seed at 21.76, fell to the B-final with a 22.22, a big blow to Mizzou.

Alabama goes 2/1/1, Georgia 2/0/1, Tennessee 1/2/1, Florida 1/2/0, Mizzou 1/1/3 and Arkansas 1/1/0. Kentucky had no scorers after big showings in the previous two events.