2024 SEC Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

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
• Championship Central
• 2023 SEC Championships Box Score
• Major Conference Roster Limits and Scoring Rules
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Video (SEC+ Network)
• Day 1 Diving Recap
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap| Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

Day 3 Finals Heat Sheets

It’s time for the third finals session at the 2024 SEC Championships. It’s a shorter session with just finals of the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, and women’s 1-meter diving on tap.

After winning the 500 freestyle yesterday, Emma Weyant owns the fastest qualifying time in the women’s 400 IM, clocking 4:04.62 to lead the field by 3.45 seconds. She’s one of four Gators in the final as Zoe Dixon, Anna Auld, and Julia Podkoscielny made the top 8 as well.

On the men’s side, defending champion Baylor Nelson qualified in 4th (3:41.65) while Georgia’s Ian Grum posted 3:40.08 and earned lane 4. His teammate Jake Magahey (3rd, 3:41.59) and Giovanni Linscheer (2nd, 3:40.63) are also right in the mix as well, though Nelson has been as fast as 3:38.33 already this season making him the favorite still.

Auburn’s Meghan Lee posted a big season best of 51.24 for the fastest time in the women’s 100 fly this morning. She’s sitting just ahead of Olivia Peoples, who swam a personal best 51.38 to qualify in 2nd overall. The 100 fly was a big event for South Carolina; the Gamecocks put two women through to the ‘A’ final: Greta Pelzek (3rd, 51.93) and Nicholle Toh (6th, 52.24).

Josh Liendo broke Jordan Crooks‘s 100 butterfly meet record in prelims this morning, ripping a 43.89. It’s the fastest 100-yard fly we’ve seen in the NCAA outside of an NCAA Championships. He’s well ahead of the field as the 2nd place qualifier is his teammate Scotty Buff. Buff, a freshman, swam a big season-best time of 45.00 in prelims, setting himself up to take a run at his 44.87 PB.

In the women’s 200 freestyle, Isabel Ivey got under 1:43 for the first time from a flat-start this season. She swam 1:42.85, qualifying first overall for the final. Texas A&M’s Chloe Stepanek isn’t too far behind her (1:43.25). The two used different strategies this morning (Ivey took the race out faster) so watch to see if they stick to those race plans or mix it up for the final.

Crooks usually opts for the 100 fly on this day of a championship meet but today he chose the 200 freestyle. That paid off to the tune of 1:31.45, a new personal best and his first outing sub-1:32. He’s running second behind Macguire McDuff, who also swam a personal best in prelims. He clocked 1:31.40, clipping his previous best of 1:31.56.

TEAM SCORES THRU DAY 2

WOMEN:

1. Tennessee — 475
2. Florida — 440
3. Georgia — 363
4. Auburn — 312.5
5. Texas A&M — 256.5
6. Alabama — 250.5
7. LSU — 230
8. South Carolina / Kentucky — 173
9. (tie)
10. Missouri — 168.5
11. Arkansas — 132
12. Vanderbilt — 94

MEN:

1. Florida — 622
2. Texas A&M — 468
3. Tennessee — 392
4. Georgia — 381
5. Auburn — 373
6. LSU — 266
7. Kentucky — 191
8. Alabama — 187
9. South Carolina — 183
10. Missouri — 176

WOMEN’S 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY  – Final

• NCAA Record: 3:54.60 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
• SEC Record: 3:58.23 – Sydney Pickrem, Texas A&M (2022)
• SEC Championship Record: 3:58.35 – Elizabeth Beisel, Florida (2012)
• Pool Record: 3:56.54 – Katinka Hosszu, USC (2012)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 4:03.62
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 4:11.36

Top 8:

1. Emma Weyant (FLOR) — 4:01.20
2. Zoe Dixon (FLOR) — 4:03.33
3. Giulia Goerigk (TAMU) — 4:06.79
4. Anna Auld (FLOR) — 4:09.39
5. Hannah Ownbey (AUB) — 4:10.03
6. Sydney Sanders (BAMA) — 4:12.66
7. Julia Podkoscielny (FLOR) — 4:17.78

DQ: Anna Havens Rice (UKY)

Emma Weyant picked up her second individual title so far this week by earning her second-straight SEC championship in the women’s 400 IM.

Weyant didn’t lead until 350-yards to go. Her teammate Zoe Dixon blasted out with a 55.59 butterfly leg with Weyant running 2nd in 56.02. Weyant closed the gap by a few tenths on the backstroke leg, splitting 1:00.62 to Dixon’s 1:00.84, but Dixon still had control at the halfway point.

Weyant inched closer on the breaststroke leg (1:09.44), then exploded on the freestyle leg with a 27.70 opening 50. That split gave her about a body length lead on Dixon, who split 28.98 on that first 50 of freestyle. Weyant continued to build her lead on the last 50 yards, taking the win in 4:01.20. Her time is just two-hundredths from the personal best she swam for the win in this event last season.

Dixon took silver with a 4:03.33. That’s a 2.85 second drop for her, blowing past her previous 4:06.18 best. Not only is it a huge time drop for her but it’s also a huge improvement on her place in the standings. She didn’t make the ‘A’ final in this event last year and took the win in the ‘B’ final, finishing 9th.

Texas A&M’s Giulia Goerigk made her move through the field on the breaststroke leg. She split 1:09.20 to move into 3rd place. She maintained that position through the freestyle leg, repeating her 3rd place finish from 2023 in a season-best 4:06.79.

MEN’S 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – Final

• NCAA Record: 3:28.82 – Leon Marchand, ASU (2023)
• SEC Record: 3:33.42 – Chase Kalisz, Georgia (2017)
• SEC Championship Record: 3:35.76 – Hugo Gonzalez, Auburn (2018)
• Pool Record: 3:37.31 – Kieran Smith, Florida (2020)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 3:38.90
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 3:42.99

Top 8:

1. Baylor Nelson (TAMU) — 3:38.05
2. Ian Grum (UGA) — 3:39.48
3. Giovanni Linscheer (FLOR) — 3:39.61
4. Mason Laur (FLOR) — 3:39.65
5. Jake Magahey (UGA) — 3:39.67
6. Jacques Rathle (AUB) — 3:41.52
7. Landon Driggers (TENN) — 3:42.68
8. Danny Schmidt (AUB) — 3:48.57

For the second year in a row, sophomore Baylor Nelson has swept the IMs at SEC Championships.

Ian Grum didn’t make it easy for him, though. After qualifying first for the final, Grum blazed ahead of the field on the first half of the race. The fifth-year Bulldog opened with a 48.21 butterfly split, then followed up with a 54.25 backstroke leg. That gave him a 2.75 lead over Nelson (who was running 2nd) headed into the breaststroke.

Like he did in the 200 IM yesterday, Nelson went to work on the breaststroke. Over the first 50 yards he ate into Grum’s lead by almost two seconds. By the time they turned for freestyle, Nelson had the clear lead courtesy of his 1:01.08 breast split.

Nelson closed in 51.76, charging to the win in 3:38.05, which takes .06 seconds off his PB. Grum held on for silver, improving on his 3rd place finish from 2023 with a season-best 3:39.48.

Giovanni Linscheer, Mason Laur, and Jake Magahey were locked in a three-swimmer race for bronze on the freestyle leg. At the wall, Linscheer got the better of the other two in 3:39.61. The three were separated by just six-hundredths as Laur touched in 3:39.65 and Magahey took 5th in 3:39.67, his first swim under 3:40.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – Final

• NCAA Record: 48.86 – Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
• SEC Record: 48.51 – Maggie MacNeil, LSU (2023)
• SEC Championship Record: 48.99 – Maggie MacNeil, LSU (2023)
• Pool Record: 49.38 – Erika Brown, Tennessee (2020)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 50.69
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 52.20

Top 8: 

1. Olivia Peoples (FLOR) — 50.47
2. Meghan Lee (AUB) — 50.66
3. Miranda Grana (TAMU) — 51.32
4. Gaby Van Brunt (BAMA) — 51.68
5. Greta Pelzek (SCAR) — 51.77
6. Sara Stotler (TENN) — 52.21
7. Nicholle Toh (SCAR) — 52.34
8. Ellie Waldrep (AUB) — 53.13

After finishing 6th in this race a year ago, Olivia Peoples is the new SEC champion in the women’s 100 butterfly. Peoples led this race from start to finish, opening in a 23.74 ahead of Auburn’s Meghan Lee.

Peoples closed in 26.73, claiming her first individual SEC title with a lifetime best 50.47. With that swim, she cut another .91 seconds off her personal best which she’d just set at 51.38 in prelims. Over the course of the day, she’s dropped 1.12 seconds in this event. This time also breaks the program record Isabel Ivey swam earlier this season.

Lee held onto second place the entire race, earning silver in a personal best of her own. She joined Peoples in breaking 51 seconds for the first time, clocking 50.66. Her previous best was the 51.01 she swam for silver at this meet last year.

Freshman Miranda Grana continued the momentum she’s carried throughout the regular season here to SECs. She picked up bronze in 51.32, dropping another .89 seconds from the personal best (52.21) she clocked in prelims. She’s taken even more time off her PB today than Peoples as her time represents a 2.28 second drop.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY – Final

• NCAA Record: 42.80 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Record: 42.80 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Championship Record: 43.89 — Josh Liendo, Florida (2024)
• Pool Record: 43.89 — Josh Liendo, Florida (2024)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 44.64
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 45.57

Top 8:

1. Josh Liendo (FLOR) — 43.98
2. Scotty Buff (FLOR) — 44.38
3. Connor Foote (TAMU) — 44.76
4. Harrison Lierz (TENN) — 45.40
5. Sohib Khaled (AUB) — 45.41
6. Bjoern Kammann (TENN) — 45.52
7. Nate Stoffle (AUB) — 45.98
8. Ruard van Renen (UGA) — 46.20

Josh Liendo put together another sub-44 second effort in the 100 fly, earning his second straight SEC crown in the event. Liendo set a meet record of 43.89 in prelims, which marked the fastest time in NCAA history from a non-NCAA Championship event.

Liendo led at the 50 in 20.38, with his freshman teammate Scotty Buff following in 20.65. Buff closed the gap to just six-hundredths at the 75-yard mark, pushing Liendo into the final 25 yards. Liendo had enough left in the tank to hold off Buff, who finished four-tenths behind the sophomore in 44.38.

That marks a new personal best for Buff, undercutting the 44.87 he arrived in Gainesville with. Buff drew a lot of attention for arriving at university with a sub-45 100 fly. He had a relatively quiet regular season compared to some of his Florida teammates but he’s picked exactly the right time to make noise. He came into SECs with a season best of 46.09.

Connor Foote got Texas A&M on the podium in a fourth straight event with a 44.76. Foote broke 19 seconds in the 50 free for the first time yesterday. He’s broken another barrier tonight by swimming the first sub-45 100 fly of his career.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Final

• NCAA Record: 1:39.10 – Missy Franklin, Cal (2015)
• SEC Record: 1:40.90 – Bella Sims, Florida (2024)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:40.90 – Bella Sims, Florida (2024)
• Pool Record: 1:40.90 – Bella Sims, Florida (2024)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:42.84
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:45.31

Top 8:

1. Isabel Ivey (FLOR) — 1:41.85
2. Camille Spink (TENN) — 1:42.37
3. Chloe Stepanek (TAMU) — 1:42.41
4. Brooklyn Douthwright (TENN) — 1:42.61
5. Micayla Cronk (FLOR) — 1:43.83
6. Amy Riordan (SCAR) — 1:44.08
7. Shea Furse (UGA) — 1:44.23
8. Julia Mrozinski (TENN) — 1:47.37

At the final turn, it was anyone’s race between Isabel Ivey, Camille Spink, Chloe Stepanek, and Brooklyn Douthwright. In the final 12 yards, it was Ivey who was able to make the final push needed to separate herself from the field. She powered to the wall, claiming her first individual SEC title with a 1:41.85.

Her Gator teammate Micayla Cronk led the race around after 50-yards in 23.70. Ivey and Stepanek were right with her, turning in 23.71 and 23.74. Over the next 50 yards Douthwright, the defending champion, asserted herself. Douthwright flipped first at the 100 in 49.28 with a 25.29 second 50.

Douthwright continued to lead at the 150 mark as Ivey followed about three-tenths behind, and Stepanek about six-tenths back from the Vol. Spink split 26.26 on the 3rd 50, then 26.41 on the final 50, pulling herself into the race and ultimately getting her hand on the wall for silver in a personal best 1:42.87.

Spink’s had a strong showing at her first SECs so far as she won the 50 freestyle last night. Here, she earned silver by four-hundredths ahead of Stepanek, who followed up her 2023 silver with a bronze in a faster time (1:43.37 compared to 1:42.41 tonight). The swim is just .01 off tying Stepanek’s PB from 2022 SECs.

Douthwright ended up off the podium in 4th, two-tenths behind Stepanek in a season-best 1:42.61.

Further back in 6th, Amy Riordan reset the South Carolina program record she swam earlier this year in 1:44.08.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE – Final

• NCAA Record: 1:29.15 – Dean Farris, Harvard (2019)
• SEC Record: 1:29.48 – Kieran Smith, Florida (2021)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:29.48 – Kieran Smith, Florida (2021)
• Pool Record: 1:30.11 – Kieran Smith, Florida (2020)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:31.74
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:32.85

Top 8:

1. Macguire McDuff (FLOR) — 1:30.64
2. Charlie Hawke (BAMA) — 1:31.03
3. Jordan Crooks (TENN) — 1:31.17
4. Jake Mitchell (FLOR) — 1:31.84
5. Tomas Koski (UGA) — 1:31.93
6. Reese Branzell (UGA) –1:32.26
7. Bradley Dunham (UGA) — 1:32.79
8. Kaique Alves (BAMA) — 1:33.14

In the last swimming event of the session, we were treated to a great race in the men’s 200 freestyle ‘A’ final. After helping the Gators to numerous SEC and NCAA relay titles, Macguire McDuff got to stand on his own at the top of the podium, claiming his first individual SEC title.

Jordan Crooks and Charlie Hawke led the race around at the 50-yard mark together, splitting 20.91 to the feet. McDuff was sitting 3rd, just .03 seconds behind them in 20.94. By the halfway point, Hawke maintained sole control of the lead; he turned in 43.95. McDuff was six-hundredths behind and Crooks was still hanging around with a 44.19 split.

The three stayed in that order for the third 50, with Hawke even extending his lead out to .16–the biggest lead of the race so far–with a 23.45 third 50. McDuff responded on the last 50 with a 23.08, which Hawke couldn’t match (23.63).

McDuff passed Hawke and took the win in a personal best 1:30.64. That takes another .76 seconds off his personal best, which he’d set at 1:31.40 to lead the way out of prelims. Per USA Swimming, he’s now the 11th fastest performer all-time in the event and now leads the NCAA this season.

Hawke, the defending champion, took silver in 1:31.03. It’s faster than he went to win this event last year but is .28 seconds slower than the 1:30.75 he swam leading off Alabama’s 800 free relay.

Crooks, who is most known for his superlative sprinting, continues to make improvements here in the 200 freestyle. He held on for 3rd place in 1:31.17, a new personal best that resets the Tennessee program record he swam in prelims. He’s taken nine-tenths off his best today.

WOMEN’S 1-METER DIVING – FINALS

• SEC Record: 375.53, Brooke Schultz (UARK) – 2019 Arkansas vs Houston
• SEC Championship Record: 364.30, Lauren Reedy (MIZ) – 2017

Top 8:

1. Joslyn Oakley (TAMU) — 325.65
2. Camyla Monroy (FLOR) — 316.35
3. Montserrat Lavenant (LSU) — 310.55
4. Meghan Wenzel (UGA) — 307.00
5. Helle Tuxen (LSU) — 304.50
6. Tanesha Lucoe (TENN) — 279.15
7. Malea Martinez (UARK) — 275.90
8. Carina Lumia (FLOR) — 270.45

Joslyn Oakley made a statement on the 1-meter board, improving from 5th in 2023 to win the SEC title. Oakley took the win with 325.65 points, just 9.30 points ahead of Florida freshman Camyla Monroy. The Florida freshmen divers have made a big impact for the Gators this week; yesterday, Connor Gesing became the first Gator to win the men’s 3-meter event since 1985.

Monroy finishing 2nd means the Gators picked up the same amount of points from this ‘A’ flight as they did in 2023 when Maha Amer won silver in this event.

LSU’s Montserrat Lavenant improved from her 4th place finish in 2023, earning bronze with 310.55 points. She beat Meghan Wenzel for the final spot on the podium by 3.55 points

Team Scores Thru Day 3

Women:

1. Florida — 765.5
2. Tennessee — 623
3. Georgia — 498
4. Auburn — 477.5
5. Texas A&M — 453
6. LSU — 337
7. Alabama — 324.5
8. South Carolina — 309
9. Kentucky — 211
10. Missouri — 204.5
11. Arkansas — 181
12. Vanderbilt — 110

Men:

1. Florida — 893
2. Tennessee / Georgia — 569
3. (tie)
4. Texas A&M — 554
5. Auburn — 536
6. LSU — 293
7. Alabama — 254
8. Kentucky — 243
9. South Carolina — 212
10. Missouri — 202