2024 SEC Championships: Day 2 Ups/Mids/Downs

2024 SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 19 – February 24, 2024
• James E. Martin Aquatic Center — Auburn, AL
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Florida (1x)
  • Men: Florida (11x)
• Start Times (CT): 9:30 am prelims/5:30 pm finals
  • Day 1 (diving only): 11 am prelims/4:20 pm finals
  • Day 2: 11 am prelims (diving only)/ 5 pm (relays only)
• Championship Central
• 2023 SEC Championships Box Score
• Major Conference Roster Limits and Scoring Rules
• Psych Sheets
• Women’s Fan Guide | Men’s Fan Guide
• Live Results
• Live Video (SEC+ Network)
• Day 1 Diving Recap  Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

For those unfamiliar with swimming terminology, the concept of “Ups” and “Downs” is a good way to track which teams performed best at prelims. In prelims, swimmers qualify for one of three finals heats: the top 8 finishers make the A final, places 9 through 16 the B final and places 17 through 24 the C final. In finals, swimmers are locked into their respective final, meaning a swimmer in the B heat (spots 9-16) can only place as high as 9th or as low as 16th, even if they put up the fastest or slowest time of any heat in the final.

With that in mind, we’ll be tracking “Ups,” “Mids” and “Downs” after each prelims session. “Up” refers to swimmers in the A final, “Mid” to swimmers in the B final and “Down” to swimmers in the C final.

Team Scores Thru Day One

WOMEN:

1. Auburn — 167
2. Florida — 160
3. Tennessee — 147
4. LSU — 146
5. Georgia — 134
6. Texas A&M — 129
7. Alabama — 127
8. Missouri — 107
9. South Carolina — 99
10. Kentucky — 98
11. Vanderbilt — 62

MEN:

1. Texas A&M — 199
2. Florida — 180
3. Tennessee — 155
4. Georgia — 150
5. Auburn — 127
6. Alabama — 116
7. Missouri — 111
8. LSU — 106
9. Kentucky — 101
10. South Carolina — 93

At the end of day one, both the men’s and women’s meets remain close, with scores heavily influenced by diving. Auburn leads the women while Texas A&M leads the men, and both Florida teams, which are expected to come away with victory and won all of the relays on Tuesday night, sit in second.

Day 3 Ups/Mids/Downs — Women

Credit to Anne Lepesant for running the numbers.

Scored Prelims — Women

1. Tennessee — 336.5
2. Florida — 257.5
3. Georgia — 234
4. Auburn — 145
5. Texas A&M — 136.5
6. Alabama — 135
7. South Carolina — 83.5
8. Kentucky — 77
9. LSU — 73
10. Arkansas — 65
11. Missouri — 61
12. Vanderbilt — 32

Day 2 Scores + Prelim Projections — Women

1. Tennessee — 483.5
2. Florida — 417.5
3. Georiga — 368
4. Auburn — 312
5. Texas A&M — 265.5
6. Alabama — 262
7. LSU — 219
8. South Carolina — 182.5
9. Kentucky — 175
10. Missouri — 168
11. Arkansas — 121
12. Vanderbilt — 94

The Tennessee women had a huge morning, putting more swimmers in ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals than any other team. If they can continue this kind of momentum for the rest of the meet, they could upset Florida to win the SEC title. Meanwhile, Florida sits on second, though Georgia isn’t too far behind in third.

Day 3 Ups/Mids/Downs — Men

Credit to Anne Lepesant for running the numbers.

Scored Prelims — Men

1. Florida — 451
2. Texas A&M — 255
3. Auburn — 246
4. Tennessee — 245
5. Georgia — 229
6. LSU — 149
7. Alabama — 123
8. Kentucky — 86
9. South Carolina — 80
10. Missouri — 72

Day 2 Scores + Prelim Projections — Men

1. Florida — 631
2. Texas A&M — 454
3. Tennessee — 400
4. Georgia — 379
5. Auburn — 373
6. LSU — 255
7. Alabama — 239
8. Kentucky — 187
9. Missouri — 183
10. South Carolina — 173

The Florida began showing off their depth on Wednesday morning, placing more swimmers in ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals than any other team. Based on prelims projections, they are expected to end day two with a near 200-point lead. Meanwhile, the battle for second looks to be a dogfight with Texas A&M, Tennessee, Georgia, and Auburn all having strong morning showings.