2025 SEC Championships: Day 6 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 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Day 6 Prelims Heat Sheet 

Day 6 Distance Session Heat Sheet

Women’s 200 Backstroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:46.87 — Claire Curzan, Virginia (2024)
• SEC Record: 1:48.08 — Rhyan White, Alabama (2020)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:48.08 — Rhyan White, Alabama (2020)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50

‘A’ Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Bella Sims (FLOR), 1:49.99
2. Josephine Fuller (TENN), 1:51.46
3. Catie Choate (FLOR), 1:51.78
4. Sophie Brison (TENN), 1:52.06
5. JoJo Ramey (FLOR), 1:52.33
6. Regan Rathwell (TENN), 1:52.42
7. Lillie Nesty (TEX), 1:52.92
8. Grace Frericks (KY), 1:52.99

Bella Sims has been on fire in the backstroke events at these championships. Yesterday, she reset the women’s 100 backstroke SEC record twice, eventually breaking 49 seconds for the first time leading off the 400 medley relay. This morning, she set herself up well to defend her SEC title in the 200 backstroke, clocking 1:49.99 for the fastest qualifying time.

Sims is the lone swimmer under the 1:51-mark, as 100 backstroke runner-up Josephine Fuller clocked 1:51.46 to secure lane five for tonight’s final. Fuller was the silver medalist in the 200 backstroke last season, swimming 1:49.75. She swam a 100 backstroke lifetime best yesterday as well, approaching the 50-second barrier with a 50.05.

Both Florida and Tennessee had a strong turn out in the women’s 200 backstroke, which could have significant implications in the team standings as the programs are in a close race for 2nd overall. Sims is joined in the ‘A’ final by Catie Choate (1:51.78) and JoJo Ramey (1:52.33). All three are sophomores, and Choate and Ramey each swam season-bests as they returned to the ‘A’ final for the second-straight season.

In addition to Fuller, the Vols will be represented in the ‘A’ final by Sophie Brison (1:52.06) and Regan Rathwell (1:52.42). Getting three swimmers into the ‘A’ final is a big points swing for Tennessee from this event last season, where they only had two finals qualifiers, one in the ‘A’ final and one in the ‘C’ final.

Also returning to the ‘A’ final is Kentucky junior Grace Frericks who dropped a season-best 1:52.99. Freshman Lillie Nesty qualified for the big heat as Texas’ lone ‘A’ finalist with a lifetime best 1:52.92

Men’s 200 Backstroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:35.37 — Destin Lasco, Cal (2024)
• SEC Record: 1:35.75 — Shaine Casas, Texas A&M (2021)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:36.69 — Jonny Marshall, Florida (2024)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:38.80

‘A’ Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Jonny Marshall (FLOR), 1:37.94
2. Hubert Kos (TEX), 1:38.70
3. Will Modglin (TEX), 1:39.41
4. Tommy Hagar (BAMA), 1:39.77
5. Ruard van Renen (UGA), 1:40.13
6. Caleb Maldari (FLOR), 1:40.60
7. Sam Powe (UGA), 1:40.66
8. Griffin Curtis (LSU), 1:40.69

After successfully defending his title in the 100 backstroke, sophomore Jonny Marshall is looking to do the same in the 200 backstroke. He set the bar this morning by winning the first circle-seeded heat in 1:37.94, a season-best that breaks the pool record Luca Urlando swam last month at a dual meet against Emory (1:38.18).

Yesterday’s 100 backstroke podium will once again face off for the medals, as Hubert Kos and Will Modglin qualified second and third overall. Neither really showed their cards this morning, as Kos, the Olympic champion in the 200-meter event, swam 1:38.70 and Modglin checked in at 1:39.41.

The race for the medals seems like it’s between those three swimmers, but Alabama sophomore Tommy Hagar joined the trio under the 1:40 barrier this morning, asserting himself as an interesting dark horse candidate for tonight’s ‘A’ final. The swim is a lifetime best for Hagar, slicing .11 seconds off the 1:39.88 he put up earlier this season.

The 200 backstroke has been a strong event for Georgia the past few seasons and though they graduated some of their firepower in the event, the team still put two swimmers into the ‘A’ final as Ruard van Renen (1:40.13) and Sam Powe (1:40.66) qualified fifth and seventh overall.

Women’s 100 Freestyle — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 44.83 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• SEC Record: 45.83 — Erika Brown, Tennessee (2020)
• SEC Championship Record: 45.83 — Erika Brown, Tennessee (2020)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.10

‘A’ Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Camille Spink (TENN), 47.03
2. Brooklyn Douthwright (TENN), 47.73
3. Erin Gemmell (TEX), 47.94
4. Chloe Stepanek (TAMU), 47.98
5. Cadence Vincent (BAMA), 48.05
6. Zara Zallen (UMIZ), 48.14
7. Jada Scott (BAMA), 48.19
8. Lisa Klevanovich (AUB), 48.29

Camille Spink is aiming to sweep the sprint freestyle events at these championships. She’s already won the 50 and 200 freestyle and now has her sight set on defending her 100 freestyle title from her freshman season. She looked strong in prelims this morning, clocking a 47.03 to lead prelims by seven-tenths. Spink has been as fast as 46.61 this season, which currently puts her second in the NCAA.

This was another strong event for Tennessee’s hopes in the team race as not only are there no Gators in the ‘A’ final, the Vols have the top two qualifying times. Brooklyn Douthwright will swim next to her teammate Spink this evening after breaking her lifetime best by two-hundredths with a 47.93.

The other swimmers to break 48 seconds this morning were Erin Gemmell and Chloe Stepanek. Gemmell clocked 47.94 and Stepanek a 47.98 as both broke that barrier for the first time this season. Just behind them, Alabama sophomore Cadence Vincent sliced five-hundredths from her lifetime best with a 48.05, moving through to the ‘A’ final as the fifth seed. She’s joined by her teammate Jada Scott, who has had a strong year since returning from injury at the beginning of the season. Scott, like Vincent, swam a lifetime best in the 50 freestyle earlier in the meet and hit one here in the 100 freestyle prelims. Her time of 48.19 is a lifetime best by two-hundredths.

Zara Zallen‘s time of 48.14 is a huge lifetime best for her, dropping .44 seconds from her previous mark.

Men’s 100 Freestyle — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 39.90 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Record: 39.90 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Championship Record: 40.82 — Josh Liendo, Florida (2024)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.34

‘A’ Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Jordan Crooks (TENN), 40.58 CR 
2. Josh Liendo (FLOR), 40.83
3. Chris Guiliano (TEX), 41.13
4. Gui Caribe (TENN), 41.21
5. Jere Hribar (LSU), 41.31
6. Julian Smith (FLOR), 41.68
7. Alex Painter (FLOR), 41.81
8. Nikoli Blackman (TENN), 41.87

This might be the most stacked final of the SEC Championships so far. Six of the men in this final have broken at least one NCAA record this week, plus Chris Guiliano helped set an American record.

Jordan Crooks leads the way in to the final after a blistering prelims swim of 40.58 that takes .24 seconds off the SEC Championship record Josh Liendo swam last year. Crooks set a lifetime best 40.26 at the Tennessee Invite this season, and this swim slots into the all-time performances list at 12th, per USA Swimming’s database.

Crooks, Gui Caribe (41.21), and Nikoli Blackman were all part of the NCAA record-setting 200 freestyle relay from Tennessee earlier in the meet. Caribe is the defending bronze medalist in this event at the SEC Championships, while Blackman swam in the ‘C’ final last year. This event is another example of him taking huge strides in his sophomore season, as his 41.87 is a .37-second drop and his first time breaking 42 seconds.

Liendo looked strong this morning as well, coming a hundredth off his now former championship record with a 40.83. Like Crooks, Liendo didn’t race individually yesterday. He used his extra rest to drop a dizzying 42.12 100 butterfly split on Florida’s NCAA record-setting 400 medley relay yesterday, which Julian Smith and Alex Painter also contributed too.

Smith, the new NCAA record holder in the 100 breaststroke, cut three-hundredths from his 100 freestyle lifetime best this morning with a 41.68. Painter, a freshman from England, has been dropping lifetime bests all meet and did the same here. He joined Blackman in breaking 42 seconds for the first time with a 41.81, improving from 42.65 earlier this season.

Women’s 200 Breaststroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29 — Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
• SEC Record: 2:03.26 — Bethany Galat, Texas A&M (2018)
• SEC Championship Record: 2:03.84 — Mona McSharry, Tennessee (2024)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut:

‘A’ Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Mona McSharry (TENN), 2:06.98
2. McKenzie Siroky (TENN), 2:07.09
3. Avery Wiseman (BAMA), 2:07.48
4. Abby Arens (TEX), 2:08.24
5. Molly Mayne (FLOR), 2:08.50
6. Bridget Engel (KY), 2:08.72
7. Grace Palmer (LSU), 2:08.79
8. Piper Enge (TEX), 2:08.91

The top two swimmers in the women’s 100 breaststroke, Mona McSharry and McKenzie Siroky, were back on top in prelims of the women’s 200 breaststroke. The pair of Lady Vols swam the top two times of the morning in the event, with McSharry clocking a season-best 2:06.98 for the top time.

The freshman Siroky swam multiple best times in the 100 breaststroke yesterday and set herself up to do the same in the 200 breaststroke. She sliced three-hundredths off her lifetime best with a 2:07.09 and will swim out of lane five tonight.

Alabama’s Avery Wiseman has been a consistent presence in the 100/200 breaststroke ‘A’ finals at the SEC Championships over her college career and she will be back in the 200 breast final tonight. She’s finished as high as third in this event and she checks in as third fastest qualifier this morning with a season best 2:07.48.

It took a 2:08.91 to make the ‘A’ final this year, well under the 2:10.76 it took last year. Texas, the newcomers to the SEC and the leaders in the team standings, put two swimmers through to the final. Abby Arens is now a three-time ‘A’ finalist at these championships and qualified fourth in 2:08.24. Her teammate Piper Enge will swim out of lane eight with a 2:08.91.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
• SEC Record: 1:50.08 — Aleksas Savickas, Florida (2023)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:50.08 — Aleksas Savickas, Florida (2023)
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.65

‘A’ Finals Qualifiers: 

1. Nate Germonprez (TEX), 1:50.96
2. Aleksas Savickas (FLOR), 1:51.21
3. Will Scholtz (TEX), 1:52.08
4. Alex Sanchez (TAMU), 1:52.81
5. Jed Garner (TENN), 1:53.23
6. Baylor Nelson (TAMU), 1:53.37
7. Brayden Taivassalo (TEX), 1:53.42
8. Vincent Ribeiro (TAMU), 1:54.12

Yesterday, Nate Germonprez lowered his Texas program record in the 100 breaststroke. Today, he slashed 1.29-seconds off his 200 breaststroke lifetime best as he powered to the top qualifying time in the men’s 200 breaststroke with a 1:50.96. His previous best stood at 1:52.25, which he posted at the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational in November.

Germonprez time makes him the fastest qualifier by .25 seconds over Aleksas Savickas, who qualified second with a season-best 1:51.21. Savickas won this event in 2023 and was the 2024 runner-up.

Last season, the Aggies controlled this event as Alex Sanchez, Baylor Nelson, and Vincent Ribeiro finished 1st, 3rd, and 4th. All three return to the ‘A’ final this season. Sanchez leads the way for Texas A&M with a 1:52.81 and has been as fast as 1:51.87 already this season. Nelson qualified sixth with a 1:53.37 and Ribeiro made the ‘A’ final in eighth with a 1:54.12. He edged out Florida’s Peter Bretzmann for the last lane by seven-hundredths.

Tennessee didn’t qualify any swimmers for the ‘A’ or ‘B’ final last year but Jed Garner made it through for the Volunteers in fifth this year, swimming a lifetime best 1:53.23.