2025 SEC Championships: Day 5 Prelims 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

Day 5 Prelims Heat Sheet 

Good morning swim fans and welcome to the start of Day Five of the 2025 SEC Championships. It’s another quick prelims session this morning; there are only three events in store, the 200 fly, 100 backstroke, and 100 breaststroke.

Luca Urlando is the NCAA record holder in both the men’s 200 butterfly and 100 backstroke. He’s chosen to race the 200 butterfly today, and enters as the top seed after swimming his NCAA record 1:37.17 earlier this year during a dual meet. Bella Sims has made the opposite choice; she won the 200 butterfly at this meet last year, but has opted for the 100 backstroke today. She set an SEC record at the UGA Fall Invitational in November, hitting 49.93 as she broke 50 seconds for the first time. Josephine Fuller, last year’s runner-up, will look to put herself in a position to challenge Sims in tonight’s final. Fuller is seeded with a 50.85 and has a lifetime best of 50.22.

In the women’s 200 butterfly, all eyes will be on Emma Sticklen. She’s the SEC record holder in the event after swimming a lifetime best 1:49.54 at her midseason invite. Sticklen’s been on fire all season and that’s continued through these SEC Championships. She’s earned two individual event wins so far, including swimming a lifetime best 49.40 to win the 100 butterfly last night. Sticklen’s early season speed in this event has jetted her ahead of the competition; no one else in the field is seeded faster than 1:52.

Women’s 200 Butterfly — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:49.16 — Alex Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• SEC Record: 1:49.54 — Emma Sticklen, Texas (2024)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:51.45 — Bella Sims, Florida (2024)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:52.47

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Emma Sticklen (TEX), 1:50.01 CR 
2. Sara Stotler (TENN), 1:52.66
3. Campbell Stoll (TEX), 1:52.97
4. Olivia Bray (TEX)/Greta Pelzek (SCAR), 1:53.15
5. —
6. Ella Jansen (TENN), 1:54.34
7. Sofia Sartori (LSU), 1:54.34
8. Emily Brown (TENN), 1:54.46

We’re just one event into Day Five and we’ve already been treated to a record-setting swim. Emma Sticklen chopped 1.44 seconds off the SEC Championship record Bella Sims swam last year, rocketing to a 1:50.01 for the fastest qualifying time in the women’s 200 butterfly.

We’ll be back on record watch later this evening as Sticklen was under her SEC record pace for the majority of the race. She turned at the halfway mark in 51.14, approximately eight-tenths under her pace, and was still about a second under with 150 yards to go after a 28.77 split. She backed off on the final 50, splitting 30.10 as she just missed turning in her fifth sub-1:50 swim of the season.

Texas and Tennessee controlled these prelims. Both teams put three into the ‘A’ final, meaning we’ll see a lot of orange caps in the pool this evening.

Tennessee’s Sara Stotler won the first of the circle-seeded heats, clocking a lifetime best and program record 1:52.66. The swim marked her first sub-1:53 effort, as she’s previously been as fast as 1:53.94, which she swam at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Stotler won her heat by 1.80 seconds ahead of her teammate Emily Brown.

Stotler’s swim set the tone in the circle-seeded heats and held up for the second-fastest qualifying time. She’ll be surrounded by Longhorns, as Campbell Stoll and Olivia Bray qualified third and fourth. Stoll hit a lifetime best as well, dropping from the 1:53.84 she swam at last year’s NCAAs. After finishing 4th in the 100 butterfly last night, Bray clocked 1:53.15 to win the penultimate heat. She didn’t reveal much of what she may have in store for tonight, adding .47 seconds from her season-best.

Ella Jansen (1:54.28) and Emily Brown (1:54.46) are the other representatives in the ‘A’ final for the Volunteers. Brown’s 1:54.46 made her last in to tonight’s ‘A’ final after it took 1:56.79 to qualify last year.

There will be two swim-offs in this event. The first is for the last spot in the ‘B’ final between South Carolina’s Breckin Gormley and Arkansas’ Syd Craft at 1:57.21, which was a 1.28 second lifetime best for Craft as she won the last non-circle seeded heat. The second swim-off is for second alternate between Auburn’s Morgan Carteaux and Kentucky’s Billie Sherratt. 

Swim-off update: Auburn conceded the swim-off for second-alternate. In the swim-off for 16th, Gormley beat Craft, 1:55.71 to 1:56.87. Both swims were faster than the pair went this morning when they tied. Additionally, both were lifetime bests as Gormley improved on the 1:55.82 she swam last month at a dual meet. Craft’s 1:57.21 was her second lifetime best of the day. She’s dropped 1.62 seconds today after coming into the meet with a lifetime best 1:58.49.

Men’s 200 Butterfly — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:37.17 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2025)
• SEC Record: 1:37.17 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2025)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:39.00 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2022)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.05

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Luca Urlando (UGA), 1:38.86 CR
2. Martin Espernberger (TENN), 1:40.10
3. Jake Magahey (UGA), 1:40.31
4. Danny Schmidt (AUB), 1:40.43
5. Bjoern Kammann (TENN), 1:40.81
6. Ryan Merani (KY), 1:40.88
7. Ryan Branon Jr. (TEX), 1:40.89
8. Drew Hitchcock (UGA), 1:41.09

There were just five heats of the men’s 200 fly this morning, but there was still an intense race to get a lane in tonight’s finals as seven men broke 1:41 this morning.

NCAA record holder Luca Urlando locked up lane four for tonight’s championship final in the final heat. He matched Sticklen with a championship record of his own, swimming 1:38.86 to make us two-for-two on CRs this morning. The time breaks the championship record of 1:39.00 that he swam three years ago.

Urlando leads the way into finals by over a second. Last year’s champion, Martin Espernberger, will be in lane five tonight after swimming a 1:40.10 to win the penultimate heat and qualify second overall.

Espernberger is joined by his Tennessee teammate Bjoern Kammann (1:40.81) in the championship final, but it’s Georgia, the hosts, that have the most representation in the ‘A’ final tonight. Three Dawgs made it back as Jake Magahey (1:40.31) and Drew Hitchcock (1:41.09) qualified third and eighth overall. Magahey won heat four, pulling ahead of Missouri’s Jan Zubik.

Hitchcock, a freshman, took third in heat five and has shown a real knack for sneaking into the ‘A’ final at his debut SEC Championships. Yesterday, he qualified eighth for the 400 IM ‘A’ final, then moved up to sixth in the final (3:39.98) with his second lifetime best of the day. His swim this morning is a lifetime best as well, bettering the 1:41.84 he clocked at the Tennessee vs. Georgia dual meet last month.

Women’s 100 Backstroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 48.10 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• SEC Record: 49.93 — Bella Sims, Florida (2024)
• SEC Championship Record: 50.02 — Rhyan White, Alabama (2020)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.66

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Josephine Fuller (TENN), 50.67
2. Bella Sims (FLOR), 50.76
3. Berit Berglund (TEX), 51.41
4. Eboni McCarty (UGA), 51.46
5. Catie Choate (FLOR), 51.54
6. Lora Komoroczy (AUB)/Emily Jones (UGA), 51.68
7. —
8. Zoe Carlos-Broc (LSU), 51.71

As expected, it was Josephine Fuller and Bella Sims who set the pace in the women’s 100 backstroke prelims this morning. The two were the only women to break 51 seconds in the prelims. It’s Fuller’s season-best 50.67 from heat five that stands as the fastest qualifying time, with Sims checking in at 50.76 for the win in the final heat.

Sims took over the lead in the final heat on the back half of the race. Georgia’s Eboni McCarty led the field around at the halfway mark and though both Sims and Berit Berglund (51.41) to past her, she qualified safely for the ‘A’ final in 51.46. McCarty was 4th in this event at the 2024 SEC Championships.

Only she and Fuller return from last year’s ‘A’ final. After winning heat six in 51.54, Catie Choate moved up to the championship final after finishing 10th last season. There’s also a pair of freshman in the ‘A’ final as Lora Komoroczy (51.68) earned a spot, as did Zoe Carlos-Bloc (51.71). Carlos-Bloc’s 51.71 was the last swim into the ‘A’ final after it took a 52.53 last year, which marks a .82-second drop.

Men’s 100 Backstroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 43.35 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2022)
• SEC Record: 43.35 — Luca Urlando, Georgia (2022)
• SEC Championship Record: 44.10 — Zane Waddell, Alabama (2020)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.48

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Jonny Marshall (FLOR), 44.35
2. Will Modglin (TEX), 44.64
3. Hubert Kos (TEX), 44.68
4. Harrison Lierz (TENN), 45.11
5. Nate Stoffle (AUB), 45.16
6. Scotty Buff (FLOR), 45.23
7. Ruard van Renen (UGA), 45.25
8. Kyle Peck (TEX), 45.32

Last year, Jonny Marshall swept the backstroke events at the SEC Championships as a freshman. It will be a challenge for him to do the same this year as the field has gotten deeper with Texas’ arrival, but he made a statement in prelims, breaking the Gabrielsen Natatorium pool record with a 44.35 in the final heat.

We got a taste of what the ‘A’ final will look like in that last heat, as Marshall faced off against Will Modglin, who owns the fastest time in the NCAA this year at 43.91. Modglin touched second in the heat to qualify second overall, stopping the clock four-hundredths ahead of teammate Hubert Kos’ winning time from the previous heat (44.68). Kos was just off his season-best, swimming a 44.68 as he moved through to the championship final.

Texas put three men into the ‘A’ final as Kyle Peck snuck in at eighth with a 45.32. He had a big showing at the Eddie Reese Showdown, swimming a lifetime best 45.02 that ranked him third-fastest in the conference until this morning.

Nate Stoffle (45.16) and Ruard van Renen (45.25) return to the ‘A’ final from 2024. Stoffle’s best finish in this event is silver from 2023.

Harrison Lierz won the ‘B’ final last year but will get involved in the ‘A’ final fight this season. He qualified with a season-best 45.11, nearing his lifetime best of 44.98 from a relay lead-off at the 2024 SEC Championships.

After taking third in the 100 fly last night, Scotty Buff made the 100 backstroke final in sixth, just three-hundredths off his lifetime best with a 45.23.

Women’s 100 Breaststroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 55.73 — Lilly King, Indiana (2019)
• SEC Record: 56.64 — Mona McSharry, Tennessee (2024)
• SEC Championship Record: 57.06 — Mona McSharry, Tennessee (2024)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.01

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. McKenzie Siroky (TENN), 57.41
2. Mona McSharry (TENN), 57.42
3. Anita Bottazzo (FLOR), 58.24
4. Piper Enge (TEX), 58.36
5. Avery Wiseman (BAMA), 58.82
6. Abby Arens (TEX), 58.83
7. Molly Mayne (FLOR), 58.89
8. Stasya Makarova (AUB), 59.23

Tennessee finished 1-3 in this event last year with Mona McSharry and Emelie Fast. Though Fast is not racing at these championships, the Volunteers still have a solid chance at replicating—or improving—that finish as they took the top two times in the women’s 100 breaststroke prelims.

Freshman McKenzie Siroky won the first circle-seeded heat with a lifetime best 57.41 that held as the top time of the morning through the final two heats. She dropped .39 seconds from the lifetime best she swam last month at the Tennessee vs. Georgia dual meet (57.80).

Meanwhile, McSharry hacked 2.71 seconds off her season-best with a 57.42. She returned to racing for Tennessee in January after a post-Olympics travel break during the first term. She had a shaky start to the championships in the 50 freestyle, her first individual event, placing 18th after winning bronze last year. However, she seems to have found her groove in her primary event.

After swimming 57.49 at the UGA Fall Invite, Florida freshman Anita Bottazzo moved safely through to the final in 58.24. She’s joined by her teammate Molly Mayne (58.89), giving the Gators two swimmers in ‘A’ final as well.

The Longhorns also put two swimmers into the championship final as Piper Enge and Abby Arens qualified fourth and sixth. Enge swam a lifetime best 57.69 last month.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 49.53 — Liam Bell, California (2024)
• SEC Record: 49.98 — Julian Smith, Florida (2024)
• SEC Championship Record: 50.03 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.02

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Julian Smith (FLOR), 50.46
2. Nate Germonprez (TEX), 50.66
3. Aleksas Savickas (FLOR), 51.35
4. Kaique Alves (BAMA), 51.80
5. Mitch Mason (LSU), 51.92
6. Volodymyr Lisovets (LSU), 51.96
7. Alex Sanchez (TAMU), 52.08
8. Kristian Pitshugin (UGA), 52.16

In the final heat of the men’s 100 breaststroke prelims, SEC record holder Julian Smith posted the fastest time of the morning with a 50.46. Smith took over the conference record earlier this season, clocking a 49.98 to break Caeleb Dressel’s standard and dip under 50 seconds for the first time in his career.

He’s been strong all season and at these championships so far, winning the 200 IM (1:39.38) and swimming the fastest 50 breaststroke split in history (22.15). The championship final should be a great race between him and Nate Germonprez, whose had a fantastic season of his own. The Texas sophomore qualified second for tonight’s final in 50.66, about three-tenths from the lifetime best 50.39 he swam at the Texas Hall of Fame Invite at midseason.

The two swimmers have set the bar in this event as the only swimmers to break 51 seconds in prelims. Defending champion Aleksas Savickas will aim to get involved as well after qualifying third in 51.35.

Six men went sub-52 seconds this morning and it took a 52.16 to make the ‘A’ final. Kaique Alves (51.80), Mitch Mason (51.92), and Volodymyr Lisovets (51.96) were all under the barrier as they made the championship final. Alves swim marks his first time breaking 52 seconds, as he dropped .84 seconds from the 52.64 lifetime best he swam in November. The same goes for Lisovets, whose lifetime best before this swim was a 52.77 from the Auburn First Chance Invite earlier this month. With Mason and Lisovets qualifying fifth and sixth, LSU ties Florida for most swimmers in this ‘A’ final.