2025 SEC Men’s Fan Guide: Florida’s Streak In Danger As Texas Makes SEC Championship Debut

2025 SEC Championships — Men

• February 18-22, 2025
• Gabrielsen Natatorium — Athens, GA
• Defending Champions: Florida (12x)
• Start Times (ET): Prelims/Finals — 9:30 am/5:30 pm
  • Day 1: 12 pm (diving only prelims)/5 pm (finals)
• Championship Central
• Major Conference Roster Limits and Scoring Rules
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Video (SEC+ Network)

Event Schedule

Monday, February 17

• Women’s 1-meter diving

Tuesday, February 18

• Men’s 3-meter diving
• 200 medley relay
• 800 freestyle relay

Wednesday, February 19

• 500 freestyle
• 200 IM
• 50 Freestyle
• Women’s 3-meter diving
• 200 freestyle relay

Thursday, February 20

• 400 IM
• 100 butterfly
• 200 freestyle
• Men’s 1-meter diving

Friday, February 21

• 200 butterfly
• 100 backstroke
• 100 breaststroke
• Women’s Platform diving
• 400 medley relay

Saturday, February 22

• 200 backstroke
• 100 freestyle
• 200 breaststroke
• 1650 freestyle
• Men’s Platform diving
• 400 freestyle relay

2024 Final Standings

1. Florida — 1584
2. Auburn — 1104
3. Georgia — 1042
4. Texas A&M — 1006.5
5. Tennessee — 992
6. LSU — 553
7. Alabama — 527.5
8. Missouri — 513
9. South Carolina — 442
10. Kentucky — 433

Last year, Florida earned its 12th consecutive SEC Championship title, scoring a record-breaking 1584 points for the win. The top four teams all broke 1000 points, with Auburn defending its runner-up status by scoring 1104 points to beat Georgia (1042) and Texas A&M (1006.5).

Texas’ arrival in the SEC this season has shaken up the conference. The Longhorn men are a deep team filled with Olympians and NCAA champions. They went undefeated in the regular season and have made several key additions to the team that have put them in line to contend for this year’s NCAA team title. But, before they get there, they arrive at their SEC conference championship debut as the heavy favorites to snap Florida’s winning streak. The Gators know how to win at this meet, and it’s certainly a much different environment than the Big 12 Championships, but the Longhorns depth will be a challenge to overcome.

There will be battles all the way down the standings. Tennessee looks to leap up from its 5th place finish last season, and there should be a close race between the teams in the bottom half of the conference as well.

Swimmers To Watch

Alabama — Charlie Hawke (Sr – free), Kaique Alves (Sr – free), Tommy Hagar (So – back/IM), Toni Dragoja (Jr – free)

Alabama maintained its 7th place position at the 2024 SEC Championships, scoring 537.5 points to finish 25.5 points behind LSU. The Crimson Tide have some work to do to climb back into the fight in the top half of the SEC standings, but things are looking up for the program.

In addition to adding some sprint firepower in the form of Toni Dragoja and Kyle Micallef to boost the sprint relays, sophomore Tommy Hagar has made massive strides during the past 12 months. This season alone, he’s swum lifetime bests in the 100/200 backstroke, 200 butterfly, and 200/400 IM.

Further, Charlie Hawke looks set for another strong championship season. He’s ranked 2nd in the conference in the 200 freestyle (1:31.05) and 5th in the 500 freestyle (4:11.95) with times within a second of his lifetime bests from last season. Kaique Alves and Leonardo Alcantara provide solid depth in the freestyle events, both are projected to score in at least one event. Multiple finalists in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals will be crucial for Alabama; they may not be in the fight for the SEC title, but they’re projected to be in a close race with LSU and Auburn. The Crimson Tide will be eager to translate the positives from this season into a move up from 7th overall.

Auburn — Nate Stoffle (Sr – back), Jacques Rathle (Sr – IM/breast), Mason Mathias (Sr – distance free), Logan Tirheimer (GS – sprint free/fly)

Last season, Auburn repeated as the SEC runners-up behind Florida, winning a four-team battle for 2nd in their home pool. The Tigers finished 62 points ahead of 3rd place Georgia, but are going to have an uphill struggle to maintain that spot in the conference this season—and not just because Texas has arrived. Other teams like Tennessee and Georgia have made improvements or additions that have noticeably benefitted the team throughout the regular season. Auburn, on the other hand, not only graduated a key piece of its roster (Aidan Stoffle) at the end of last season but also hasn’t swum as fast in-season as last year.

It’s time to see whether that’s because of a changed approach to the regular season. While they lost the elder Stoffle brother, the Tigers still have senior backstroke Nate Stoffle, who’s been an NCAA All-American. They’ve also retained their top five points scorers from the 2024 SEC Championships: N. Stoffle (73), Jacques Rathle (69), Danny Schmidt (68), Mason Mathias (65), and Logan Tirheimer (63). That’s a solid base for the team, and though they’ll have to show up in the morning to counteract the Longhorns’ arrival, it suggests that this will be a better conference team than the projections—which are based on in-season swims—show.

Auburn’s approach under head coach Ryan Wochomurka has emphasized relays to maximize points. Expect them to maintain that strategy this season. Swimmers like N. Stoffle, Tirheimer, and junior sprint freestyler Kalle Makinen will be key players in that effort.

Florida — Josh Liendo (Jr – sprint free), Julian Smith (Sr – breast/sprint free/IM), Jonny Marshall (So – back), Jake Mitchell (Sr – free)

In many ways, the story of Florida’s season has been about who isn’t on the roster. The team lost two huge contributors, Adam Chaney and Macguire McDuff, and Olympian Luke Whitlock departed after one semester with the team. The losses are a setback for a team that looked like it would get involved in the fight for the NCAA title this season.

But, Florida still has plenty of stars suiting up to try and preserve the team’s SEC title streak. Olympic medalist Josh Liendo swept his events at NCAAs last season and has remained a serious contender to do the same at SECs this year, even as he dabbles in other events (like the 200 butterfly).

Even as the Gators have dealt with losses this season, Julian Smith has injected energy into the team with a breakout at midseason, where he cracked the 50-second barrier in the 100 breaststroke and broke Caeleb Dressel’s SEC record. Smith has been a key factor on the Gators’ relays but has shown a new level in his individual races this season.

Other Gators swimmers to watch include Tokyo Olympian Jake Mitchell and the backstroke duo of sophomore Jonny Marshall and freshman Aiden Norman. Marshall broke out at SECs last year; we could see him take another step forward or Norman follow in Marshall’s footsteps. Florida’s distance crew, including reigning SEC champion Andrew Taylor and Giovanni Linscheer, will also need to be strong for Florida to maintain its streak.

Georgia — Luca Urlando (R-Sr – back/fly/IM), Jake Magahey (GS – free), Tomas Koski (So – freestyle), Ruard van Renen (Jr – back)

Olympian and redshirt senior Luca Urlando missed his midseason invite with an illness, but he hasn’t waited for the big meets to go fast this season. He took down the 200 butterfly NCAA and American records at a January dual meet, then swam a lifetime best in the 200 backstroke a week later. In addition to being a 50+ point scorer, Urlando injects life into Georgia’s relays and will help the Dawgs quickly close the gap to their competition.

The Georgia women’s mid-distance freestyle crew makes a big impact, but the men’s group has carved out space for themselves as well. Jake Magahey leads the way for them as one of the most consistent 500 freestylers in NCAA history. Magahey switched up his event lineup last season and could continue to focus on the 400 IM and 200 fly rather than the 200/1650 freestyle, but he remains a podium threat in the 500 free. Tomas Koski has developed into a quintessential 200/500 freestyler and swam lifetime bests of 1:31.72/4:11.96 at midseason.

Georgia’s backstroke group was one of its strengths last season. Though it graduated much of its firepower, Ruard van Renen and Sam Powe remain and will make an impact at the conference level. The team will rely on Reese Branzell to anchor it in the sprint freestyle events.

While the Georgia roster has its weak spots, the return of Urlando and their sprint breaststrokers has the team primed to get involved with the fight at the top of the conference.

Kentucky — Carson Hick (So – distance free), Levi Sandidge (Jr – distance free), Max Berg (GS – sprint free), Ryan Merani (Jr – IM/fly)

Kentucky finished 10th in the SEC standings last season. Though that may happen again next week, this year it would mean that they aren’t the last-place team. For Kentucky to not finish last, they’ll need strong performances from their entire roster.

One factor that aids Kentucky’s quest is that they return the bulk of their individual point scorers from last season, including fifth-year Max Berg and junior Ryan Merani. As a sprinter, Berg is integral to the Wildcats’ relays. Merani’s strengths lie in the IM/200s of stroke, though he did race on Kentucky’s 400 and 800 freestyle relays last season.

Kentucky will also aim to maximize points from its distance group, one of its strongest disciplines. Junior Levi Sandidge is a former SEC champion in the mile, though he doesn’t own the team’s season best in the event. Instead, it’s Carson Hick, the team’s top SEC scorer last season, who owns the team’s fastest mile time. He’s ranked 3rd in the conference with a 14:43.70, while Sandidge sits 6th with a 14:46.97. The only other school with two active NCAA swimmers ranked in the top 8 this season is Texas, making the mile an event where the Wildcats could pick up some ground on their direct opponents in the team standings.

LSU — Jere Hribar (So – sprint free), Stepan Goncharov (So – sprint free), Jovan Lekic (So – free/IM), Carson Paul (Jr – diving)

Jere Hribar has kept improving after a solid freshman season at LSU. Now in his sophomore year, he’s already adjusted to yards. Without that transition period, he’s already neared his lifetime bests this season, swimming 18.92 in the 50 freestyle and 41.95 in the 100 free, which rank 5th and 6th in the conference, respectively.

One thing that’s stood out about LSU this season has been the team’s relays. They’d earned four NCAA ‘A’ cuts by the end of their midseason invite, up from zero post-invite last season. Hribar and Stepan Goncharov have factored on all four of the team’s cut-worthy swims, with Griffin Curtis, Pawel Uryniuk, Andrew Garon, and Mitch Mason factoring on at least one relay. While the gap to the top six teams is likely too wide for LSU to cross—this season at least—the team’s improvements in the relays help boost their fight to stay ahead of Alabama in the standings.

Last season, Jovan Lekic was the team’s top scorer in the pool, earning 53 points from the top 16 finishes in the 500 freestyle (8th), 1650 freestyle (11th), and 200 freestyle (12th). Meanwhile, diver Carson Paul was their top scorer overall, racking up 71 points. Both remain on the Tigers roster and will once again be important pieces of LSU’s championship goals.

Missouri — Jan Zubik (Jr – fly/back), Grant Bochenski (Jr – back/free), Collier Dyer (Jr – diver), Calvin Windle (Sr – free/back)

The SEC was a deep conference before the Texas Longhorns arrived on the scene. And while Missouri may not be in the hunt for this season’s conference title, Texas’ arrival still affects the Tigers. It makes the fight for a finals lane more competitive, putting increased pressure on going fast in the morning.

The projected scoring—without diving—puts Missouri in an interesting spot, about 70 points behind Auburn but only about 30 ahead of Kentucky. If Missouri can show up in the morning sessions, it’s possible the team will close the gap to Auburn instead of fighting to stay ahead of Kentucky.

Central to that mission will be upperclassmen like Jan Zubik, Grant Bochenski, and Collier Dyer. Mizzou graduated Will Goodwin, their top scorer at the 2024 SEC Championships, but Dyer and Zubik were right behind Goodwin’s 57 points, scoring 51 and 50.5 points, respectively. Bochenski placed 4th in the 100 backstroke and added a 14th-place effort in the 200 backstroke. As Dyer is a diver, it’s important to keep in mind that his points aren’t factored into Missouri’s projected total.

Other key athletes for Mizzou are Calvin Windle, Philipp Peschke, and Luke Nebrich. Nebrich owns the team’s season-best in the 50 freestyle, as Windle does in the 200 freestyle, making them important relay swimmers in addition to what they’re bringing to the individual events.

South Carolina — Connor Fry (So – distance free), Kaden Smesko (GS – back), Liam Kerns (Sr – breast), Linus Kahl (Sr – breast/fly)

Based on our Swimulator projections, there are three teams projected to score in the 300-point range: Missouri, Kentucky, and South Carolina. Without factoring in diving, the Gamecocks are projected to finish last in the conference, 15 points behind Kentucky. But, in a conference championship that scores out to 24th place, a 15-point swing is minimal. So, in addition to the fight at the top of the conference, there will be another battle going on at the other end of the standings.

Last season, breaststroker Linus Kahl was South Carolina’s top scorer, racking up 49 points from ‘B’ final appearances in the 100 fly, 100 breast, and 200 breast. He’s currently sitting in the ‘C’ final range with his season-bests, but the Gamecocks have gotten deeper in the breaststroke events this season; senior Liam Kerns owns the team’s fastest times in the 100/200 breast this season, after hitting lifetime bests of 52.64/1:55.14 at the Gamecock Invite. It would be huge for the Gamecocks if they could get both Kerns and Kahl into two ‘B’ finals this season.

Similarly, in the backstroke events, Notre Dame transfer Kaden Smesko forms a formidable duo with the Gamecocks’ reliable scorer Michael Laitarovsky. The pair rank 16th and 19th in the SEC this season in the 100 backstroke. Smesko’s ranked even higher in the 200 backstroke, checking in at 13th. He swam lifetime bests in both events at the Gamecock Invite (46.05/1:41.55) and could provide a boost to the Gamecocks at his first SECs.

Outside of the breaststroke/backstroke events, keep an eye on Connor Fry in the distance events. He scored 27 points at SECs last season as a freshman, placing 9th in the 1650 freestyle and 18th in the 500 freestyle. This season, he’s clocked a lifetime best in the 1650 freestyle that puts him 10th in the conference (14:52.97).

Tennessee — Jordan Crooks (Sr – sprint free), Gui Caribe (Jr – sprint free), Martin Espernberger (Jr – fly), Bjorn Kammann (Sr – free/fly/back)

Tennessee has one of the strongest sprint freestyle 1-2 punches in the NCAA with Jordan Crooks and Gui Caribe. That was true last season, but Crooks and Caribe continue to improve. Ahead of their world records and medal-worthy swims at the 2024 Short Course World Championships, the pair lit up the Tennessee Invite; Crooks owns the fastest times in the NCAA in the 50/100/200 freestyle (18.12/40.62/1:30.00) from his swims there, and Caribe ranks 3rd in the 50 free and 2nd in the 100 free (18.76/40.85).

The Volunteers’ sprint freestyle speed powers much of the team’s success, but translating that speed to the 800 freestyle relay at midseason has helped launch the team into the fray with the other top-tier teams at the conference and national level. Last year, this relay was the Vols’ weak spot; now, Crooks, Caribe, Joaquín Vargas, and Bjorn Kammann have already ripped a 6:12.33 this season—2nd in the league—giving the team five high-scoring relays, a must for any team looking to get involved in a title fight.

Outside of the sprints and the relays, Kammann and Harrison Lierz are two swimmers to watch—as is Martin Espernberger, the defending champion in the 200 butterfly. The Volunteers are also historically strong on the diving boards. While they graduated Bryden Hattie, Nick Stone scored 63 points as a freshman last season.

Texas — Luke Hobson (Sr – free), Rex Maurer (So – free/IM/back), Hubert Kos (Jr – back/IM), Chris Guiliano (Sr – sprint free)

Texas aims to make an impression at its first SEC Championships and snap Florida’s winning streak to claim the SEC title in its first year in the conference. The Longhorns have put themselves in a position to achieve that goal. The team is loaded with Olympians, NCAA Champions, and American record holders, and has gone undefeated this season.

Rex Maurer has been a revelation in his first year in a Longhorn cap, shattering the American record in the 500 freestyle and swimming lifetime bests in the 200/500/1650 free, plus the 200 back/200 fly/200 IM/400 IM. Everything’s clicking for him as Texas, which has him sitting top of the conference (and NCAA) in the 500 free (4:04.45) and 400 IM (3:34.19).

Defending NCAA 200 and 500 freestyle champion Luke Hobson has primarily showcased his improvements this season in the short-course meters pool, but he should start revealing his abilities at these championships. Along with his mid-distance freestyle talents, Hobson has demonstrated he can deliver a strong 100 freestyle, which is crucial for Texas, considering that sprint freestyle is the team’s weakness. To address this issue, the Longhorns brought in Chris Guiliano at midseason. The impact has been immediate—while Texas’ depth swimmers have made strides this season, Guiliano quickly rose to the top of the team’s rankings (18.89/41.72).

With Olympic gold medallist Hubert Kos transferring from ASU to Texas and Nate Germonprez, Will Modglin, and Coby Carrozza on the roster, Texas has no shortage of talent to deploy at these championships.

Texas A&M — Baylor Nelson (Jr – breast/IM), Alex Sanchez (GS – breast), Vincent Ribeiro (GS – breast/IM) Connor Foote (Jr – sprint free)

Texas A&M has been quiet during its first season under head coach Blaire Anderson and as a combined program. Now, it’s time to see if they were holding their cards close to their chest or if it’s going to take a couple of seasons for the transition to yield results.

Junior Baylor Nelson has swept the IMs for the last two SEC Championships. That streak is under fire this season, but even if he doesn’t win both (or either) the Aggies will still rely on him to be one of their primary individual point scorers. Last year, he scored a team-high 91 individual points, followed closely by Alex Sanchez’s 87.5.

Sanchez, the defending 200 breaststroke champion, returns for his final SEC Championships with the Aggies. Between him, Nelson, and Vincent Ribeiro, the 200 breaststroke should once again be a high-scoring affair for the Aggies; last year, the trio placed 1st, 3rd, and 4th. They haven’t flexed that dominance so far this season, but all three are inside the top 10 in the conference. Sanchez is 3rd after his 1:51.87 from midseason, Nelson sits 6th (1:53.77), and Ribeiro 10th (1:54.61).

Another swimmer to keep an eye on is junior sprinter Connor Foote. While he won’t get involved in the title fight in this loaded men’s sprint field, he’s the Aggies’ top sprinter and ranks 7th in the conference this season (19.10). He broke 19 seconds for the first time at this meet last year, so he’s someone to keep an eye on.

As always, the Aggies have a strong diving crew that will help lift their points total past the Swimulator projections, which don’t include diving.

Showdowns

50 Freestyle — Jordan Crooks has been on fire this season, including in the short-course meters pool, where he broke the world record twice and became the first man in history under 20 seconds. As the only man in this field who’s broken 18 seconds, Crooks is the favorite as he chases another outing under that magical barrier. But even if Crooks speeds ahead, this is a stacked field. Liendo, the reigning NCAA champion, is here, and Crooks’ teammate Caribe is in the middle of a career year of his own. Texas will field Guiliano as their top sprinter, and his performances in the sprints could be what seals an SEC title for Texas.

100 Butterfly — There’s no shortage of action in the men’s sprint events at the SEC Championships, and the 100 butterfly is no exception. While there are some big national title threats to add to the field once the NCAA Championships roll around, the men’s 100 fly final at SECs could serve as a first look at what the final in Federal Way, Wash., will look like. Two of the three men who have broken 44 seconds already this season will be in this field, led by Urlando’s 43.62. Crooks has been under the barrier as well, dropping a 43.77 at midseason. Crooks could opt for the 200 freestyle instead, but even if he makes that choice, this is still a loaded field, as Liendo, the returning NCAA champion, will step up to the blocks. Plus, there’s the Texas duo of Kos and Kyle Peck, who rank #3 and #5 in the conference this season at 44.05 and 44.74, respectively. Last season’s runner-up Scotty Buff and Tennessee’s Caribe could make things interesting as well.

500 Freestyle — While the men’s sprint events will offer plenty of excitement, there could be fireworks in the 500 freestyle as well. It’s the first individual event of the meet and Texas will look to stake a claim on its new conference early. All eyes will be on Rex Maurer after his American record (4:04.45) at midseason. Including Maurer, the Longhorns have four of the top eight swims in the conference this season, with Hobson, the defending NCAA champion, lurking in 7th. David Johnston (4:09.41) and Carrozza (4:11.23) round out the top of Texas’ talent. But, there are plenty of swimmers looking to move the spotlight off Texas. Magahey, a former NCAA champion in this event himself, sits 3rd with a 4:10.93. His teammate, Koski, could break up the Longhorns hold at the top of the conference, as could Hawke, Mathias, or Mitchell.

SwimSwam Picks

1. Texas
2. Florida
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Texas A&M
6. LSU
7. Auburn
8. Alabama
9. Missouri
10. Kentucky
11. South Carolina

Florida has held an iron grip on the SEC for more than a decade. The Gators know how to show up for this meet and even though they’ve taken some hits this season, they remain a talented and deep roster that will finish well inside the top 10 at the NCAA Championships.

However, it looks like their reign at the top of the SEC is over. Even though it’s Texas’ first SEC Championships, the team that Bob Bowman and crew will bring to Athens has been on fire all season and is showing no signs of slowing down. They went undefeated in the regular season, and while they are weak in the freestyle sprints—especially compared to some of the other SEC schools—they’re strong enough in the other disciplines to make up for the points they’ll cede in those events.

Meanwhile, after finishing 2nd the last two seasons, it looks like Auburn will slip down the standings. We’re projecting Florida won’t fall further than 2nd place, though Tennessee could make things interesting there. The Volunteers have figured out its 800 freestyle relay, and boast strong sprint freestyle and diving crews, which projects to lift them from last year’s 5th place finish to 3rd.