2025 SEC Championships: Day 4 Finals Live Recap

2025 SEC Championships

• Dates: Tuesday, February 18–Saturday, February 22
  • Prelims: 9:30 am EST/ Finals 5:30 pm EST (Tuesday-5:00 EST)
• Location: Gabrielsen Natatorium — Athens, GA
• Defending Champions: Florida women (2x); Florida men (12x)
• Live Results
• Live Video: SEC Network+
• Championship Central
• Fan Guide (Men)
• Fan Guide (Women)
• Psych Sheets
• Teams: Alabama, Arkansas (women), Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas*, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (women)
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 3 | Day 4
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Day 4 Finals Heat Sheet

It’s time for the fourth finals session of the 2025 SEC Championships. On tap tonight is finals of the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, and men’s 1-meter diving.

If you missed prelims, the biggest headline of the morning came out of the men’s 100 butterfly, where Josh Liendo took down his own championship record with a 43.70. He leads the way into the final by .83 seconds, cementing himself as the favorite while he aims to defend his title from last season. The Gators went 1-2 in this event last year and the defending silver medalist, Scotty Buff, is back in the ‘A’ final as well, qualifying fourth in 44.67.

Though Jordan Crooks opted for the 200 freestyle today, Tennessee still had a strong showing in the men’s 100 butterfly, putting four swimmers through to the ‘A’ final. Also in the mix for the title is 200 butterfly NCAA record holder Luca Urlando.

Emma Sticklen kept her momentum rolling in the women’s 100 butterfly prelims, as she has for the majority of the season. She cracked 50 seconds again, this time clocking 49.85 to secure lane four this evening. She’ll aim to win her second individual SEC title after winning the 200 IM yesterday.

In the first event of the session, Emma Weyant looks to defend her title in the women’s 400 IM. The Gator women won all three events on day four last year and while that’s going to be a challenge for them this year, Weyant is the favorite in the 400 IM after posting a 4:03.34 for the fastest time of the morning. The Gators showed out in this event, putting four women through to the ‘A’ final tonight.

On the men’s side, defending champion Baylor Nelson will face a tough challenge from Longhorns Rex Maurer and David Johnston. Maurer qualified first overall, swimming 3:38.61 to get the better of Nelson’s time in the heat before by three-hundredths. It took a 3:40.09 to make it back for the championship final, so there should be great races throughout the field. Georgia, the host team, has two up in this final, fifth-year Jake Magahey (3:39.52) and freshman Drew Hitchcock (3:40.09).

Chris Guiliano swam a lifetime best 1:30.31 in the men’s 200 freestyle prelims, taking down the pool record that Charlie Hawke swam leading off Alabama’s 800 freestyle relay. Last year, there was only one 1:30-point swim in the individual 200 freestyle between prelims and finals. This year, there’s already been four as Luke Hobson, Hawke, and Tomas Koski joined Guiliano sub-1:31. Crooks is also in the mix as well, and still owns the fastest time in the NCAA this season (1:30.00). On the women’s side, Erin Gemmell was the lone 1:42 this morning, swimming 1:42.84. She’s followed by three Tennessee women, Brooklyn Douthwright (1:43.38), Julia Mrozinski (1:44.00), and Camille Spink (1:44.00).

WOMEN’S 400 IM – Final

• NCAA Record: 3:54.60 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
• SEC Record: 3:58.23 – Sydney Pickrem, Texas A&M (2019)
• SEC Championship Record: 3:58.35 – Elizabeth Beisel, Florida (2012)
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:03.62

Final:

1. Emma Weyant (FLOR), 3:59.24
2. Ella Jansen (TENN), 4:01.61
3. Campbell Stoll (TEX), 4:03.11
4. Mabel Zavaros (FLOR), 4:03.93
5. Julie Brousseau (FLOR), 4:04.21
6. Emily Brown (TENN), 4:05.17
7. Campbell Chase (TEX), 4:06.63
8. Sofia Plaza (FLOR), 4:07.23

Ella Jansen touched first after the butterfly leg in the women’s 400 IM ‘A’ final and continued to lead at the halfway mark, turning in 1:54.61. Emma Weyant made the backstroke-to-breaststroke turn in third and went right to work, eating away at Jansen’s lead. 50 yards into the breaststroke leg, Jansen and Weyant were tied.

Weyant continued to push the pace and made her final stroke exchange at 3:04.37, 1.77-seconds ahead of Texas sophomore Campbell Stoll. Weyant anchored her swim in 54.87, stopping the clock at 3:59.24 to win her third-straight 400 IM SEC title. The swim is just .24 seconds from her lifetime best and her first time sub-4:00 this season.

The early leader Jansen touched third after the breaststroke leg, three-hundredths behind Stoll. She battled back on the freestyle leg, pulling well ahead of Stoll and winning the silver medal in 4:01.61. It’s her second lifetime best of the day. After coming into the meet with a lifetime best of 4:06.06, the Canadian Olympian swam 4:04.45 in prelims before taking another 2.84 seconds off her best in the final.

Stoll held off a charge from Florida fifth-year Mabel Zavaros on the freestyle leg. She earned bronze in a lifetime best 4:03.11, improving from 4:03.89 at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

MEN’S 400 IM – Final

• NCAA Record: 3:28.82 – Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2023)
• SEC Record: 3:33.42 – Chase Kalisz, Georgia (2017)
• SEC Championship Record: 3:35.76 – Hugo Gonzalez, Auburn (2018)
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:38.37

Final:

1. Rex Maurer (TEX), 3:35.61 CR
2. Baylor Nelson (TAMU), 3:37.47
3. Jake Magahey (UGA), 3:37.89
4. Giovanni Linscheer (FLOR), 3:38.46
5. Cooper Lucas (TEX), 3:39.02
6. Drew Hitchcock (UGA), 3:39.98
7. David Johnston (TEX), 3:40.86
8. Mason Laur (FLOR), 3:42.53

Rex Maurer took control of the men’s 400 IM championship final on the backstroke leg. He was just two-hundredths behind Georgia’s Jake Magahey at the end of the butterfly leg and quickly took over the lead, flipping .87 seconds ahead of Magahey, now running second, 50 yards into the backstroke leg.

Maurer opened his race in 48.75/53.95, but his breaststroke leg provided an opening for two-time defending champion Baylor Nelson to make his move. Nelson split 1:01.62 on his breaststroke leg while Maurer split 1:03.30. The two turned to freestyle nearly together, with Nelson just .17 seconds off Maurer’s lead.

But last night’s 500 freestyle champion pulled away on the freestyle elg, splitting 49.61 to earn his second individual SEC title in as many days with an overall time of 3:35.61. The time is a new championship record for Maurer, erasing Hugo Gonzalez’s meet record from his Auburn days.

Magahey, another excellent 500 freestyler, also closed strong, splitting 50.22 over the final 100 yards. Nelson had enough left in the tank to hold him off, and earned the silver medal in 3:37.47, which is a hundredth off his lifetime best. Magahey was also not far from his lifetime best (3:37.64) clocking a season-best 3:37.89 to win bronze, improving on his fifth-place finish from 2024 SECs.

Giovanni Linscheer, Cooper Lucas, and Drew Hitchcock all swam lifetime bests in the championship final. Lucas’ and Hitchcock’s swims marked their first sub-3:40 efforts.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY – Final

• NCAA Record: 47.35 – Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• SEC Record: 48.51 – Maggie MacNeil, LSU (2023)
• SEC Championship Record: 48.99 – Maggie MacNeil, LSU (2023)
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.52

Final:

1. Emma Sticklen (TEX), 49.40
2. Olivia Peoples (FLOR), 50.96
3. Abby Arens (TEX), 51.21
4. Olivia Bray (TEX), 51.28
5. Sara Stotler (TENN), 51.50
6. Morgan Carteaux (AUB), 51.64
7. Greta Pelzek (SCAR), 51.73
8. Olivia Theall (TAMU), 51.90

This race was all about Emma Sticklen. She’s been hacking time off her lifetime best and the Texas program record all season, and tonight was no exception. She was out like a shot, turning at the halfway mark in 22.79, under Maggie MacNeil’s championship record pace.

She gave back time to MacNeil’s blistering back Half over the closing 50 yards, but still lowered her lifetime best again this season, slicing .15 seconds off her time from the Eddie Reese Showdown last month with a 49.40. Per USA Swimming’s database, that makes her the 8th fastest performer in history, pending tonight’s results around the league.

Sticklen won the race by over a second, as last year’s champion Olivia Peoples collected silver in 50.96. The swim is a season-best for Peoples, who checked in at 51.01 at her midseason invitational.

Swim fans have gotten used to seeing the Longhorn women’s butterfly group shine in the 200 butterfly over recent years, but they put their sprint skills on display tonight. The Longhorns finished 1-3-4, as fifth-years Abby Arens and Olivia Bray swam 51.21 and 51.28 for third and fourth place, respectively.

Sara Stotler clocked a lifetime best 51.50 for 5th place.

MEN’S 100 FLY – Final

• NCAA Record: 42.80 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Record: 42.80 – Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Championship Record: 43.70 – Josh Liendo, Florida (2025)
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.51

Final:

1. Josh Liendo (FLOR), 43.23 CR
2. Luca Urlando (UGA), 43.99
3. Scotty Buff (FLOR), 44.28
4. Connor Foote (TAMU), 44.34
5. Harrison Lierz (TENN), 44.67
6. Gui Caribe (TENN), 44.76
7. Bjoern Kammann (TENN), 45.14
8. Martin Espernberger (TENN), 45.50

Josh Liendo jumped on the men’s 100 butterfly final from the start. He shot out to the lead, turning at the halfway point in 20.00, just a hundredth off Caeleb Dressel’s NCAA record pace. He was over a half-second ahead of the field, as Texas A&M junior Connor Foote made the turn in 20.57.

Liendo split 23.23 over the second 50 of the race, touching in a season-best 43.23 and taking over the fastest time in the NCAA this season from the runner-up, Luca Urlando. Liendo’s swim erased the championship record he set in this morning’s prelims. He also now owns four of the six fastest 100 fly performances in history as he successfully pulled off the three-peat.

Urlando, the 2022 SEC champion, joined Liendo under 44 seconds, clocking a 43.99. He’s been as fast as 43.62 this season, which he swam at a dual meet against Tennessee.

If not for Urlando, the top four rankings would look identical to last year’s SEC Championships. Last year’s runner-up Scotty Buff shaved a tenth off his lifetime best to earn bronze in 44.28. He, Foote, and Harrison Lierz touched in the same order as they did last year, just one place lower. Foote and Lierz both swam lifetime bests as well, with Foote clocking 44.34 and Lierz 44.67.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE – 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)
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:42.60

Final:

1. Camille Spink (TENN), 1:42.06
2. Erin Gemmell (TEX), 1:42.32
3. Brooklyn Douthwright (TENN), 1:42.62
4. Lillie Nesty (TEX), 1:43.63
5. Lainy Kruger (FLOR), 1:43.90
6. Marie Landreneau (UGA), 1:44.10
7. Julia Mrozinski (TENN), 1:44.33
8. Chloe Stepanek (TAMU), 1:44.92

Camille Spink made it two wins in as many days at the SEC Championships, following up her 50 freestyle win from day three with a win in the 200 freestyle. Spink was the runner-up in this event last year. She didn’t take any chances this evening, using her speed to carry her to the front of the race at the 50-yard mark (23.53).

The Tennessee sophomore led from wire-to-wire, holding off Olympians Erin Gemmell and Brooklyn Douthwright. She split 49.51/52.55, swimming a lifetime best 1:42.06 and improving from the 1:42.37 she swam at this meet a year ago. Gemmell swam a lifetime best as well, hitting 1:42.32. It’s a .52 second drop for the sophomore, who swam her previous lifetime best 1:42.79 at the Eddie Reese Invite less than a month ago.

Meanwhile, Douthwright was .21 seconds off her lifetime best from the 2023 NCAA Championships as she rounded out the podium wiht a 1:42.62. This was a strong event for the Vols; in addition to finishing first and third, Julia Mrozinski added a 7th place finish. Freshman Lillie Nesty made it a 2-4 finish for the Longhorns as she touched in 1:43.63, just over a second behind Douthwright for fourth.

MEN’S 200 FREE – Final

• NCAA Record: 1:28.81 – Luke Hobson, Texas (2024)
• SEC Record: 1:29.48 – Kieran Smith, Florida (2021)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:29.48 – Kieran Smith, Florida (2021)
• 2025 NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:31.21

Final:

1. Luke Hobson (TEX), 1:30.23
2. Chris Guiliano (TEX), 1:30.38
3. Charlie Hawke (BAMA), 1:30.62
4. Tomas Koski (UGA), 1:30.70
5. Alex Painter (FLOR), 1:31.13
6. Jordan Crooks (TENN), 1:31.88
7. Kaique Alves (BAMA), 1:32.07
8. Toni Dragoja (BAMA), 1:32.88

Chris Guiliano got out to an early lead for Texas, flipping at the 50-yard mark in 20.64, with Florida freshman Alex Painter .11 seconds behind him. Guiliano grew his lead over the second 50 yards, flipping .47 seconds ahead of Painter at the halfway mark in 43.33.

The gap stayed about the same with 50 yards to go, though NCAA record holder Luke Hobson had taken over second-place. He was .43 seconds behind Guiliano at the 150-yard mark and pushed the final 50, closing in 23.27. That gave him enough room to get ahead of Guiliano (23.85) and win his first individual SEC title in 1:30.23. He also takes over the pool record which has changed hands multiple times at these championships. Guiliano broke the record Charlie Hawke set on day one this morning with a 1:30.31.

Hobson pulled away in the closing yards as he and three swimmers came down the stretch together–Guiliano, Hawke, and Tomas Koski. They were the same four swimmers that broke 1:30 this morning and they all did so again. Guiliano earned silver in 1:30.38, which was his lifetime best before his morning swim. Hawke clocked 1:30.62, a couple tenths from the lifetime best he swam leading off Alabama’s 800 freestyle relay. Meanwhile, Koski continued to drop time, chipping another .15 seconds off his standard with a 1:30.70, his second lifetime best of the day.

Painter placed fifth, putting together his second lifetime best of the meet. The British freshman swam 1:31.13, improving from the 1:31.21 he swam leading off Florida’s 800 freestyle relay. He came in to the meet with a lifetime best 1:34.11.

MEN’S 1-METER DIVING – Final

• SEC Record: 479.10 – Juan Celaya-Hernandez, LSU (2018)

Final:

1. Conor Gesing (FLOR), 412.75
2. Nicholas Harris (TEX), 392.50
3. Jacob Jones (TEX), 384.05
4. Peyton Donald (FLOR), 372.75
5. Carson Paul (LSU), 372.30
6. Jesus Gonzalez (FLOR), 353.15
7. Whit Andrus (AUB), 340.10
8. Samuel Duncan (UK), 337.70

After earning bronze as a freshman last season, sophomore Conor Gesing is the men’s 1-meter SEC champion. Gesing finished ahead of a Texas 2-3, putting important points on the board for the Gators as he scored 412.75 points to win the event. This was Gesing’s second trip to the podium at these championships, as he finished second on the 3-meter earlier this meet.

Gesing was the lone diver to make back-to-back championship flight appearances on the men’s 1-meter board.

Nicholas Harris and Jacob Jones earned silver and bronze for Texas, scoring 392.50 and 384.05 points, respectively. Jones finished 11.3 points ahead of Peyton Donald, who missed finals in this event at the 2024 SEC Championships. Whit Andrus also did not qualify for 1-meter finals last year, while Carson Paul and Samuel Duncan moved up from their ‘B’ flight finishes in 2024.

Team Scores Through Day 4

Women:

1. Texas — 888.5
2. Florida — 576
3. Tennessee — 556
4. Georgia — 441.5
5. Texas A&M — 347
6. South Carolina — 344
7. LSU — 308
8. Alabama — 289
9. Auburn — 242.5
10. Missouri — 208.5
11. Kentucky — 166
12. Arkansas — 146
13. Vanderbilt — 89

Men:

1. Texas — 827.5
2. Florida — 714
3. Tennessee — 526.5
4. Georgia — 463
5. Texas A&M — 377
6. Alabama — 329
7. Auburn — 308
8. LSU — 295
9. Kentucky — 231
10. South Carolina — 164
11. Missouri — 157