2026 SEC Championships: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2026 SEC Championships

• Dates: Monday, February 16–Saturday, February 21
• Location: Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, Knoxville, TN
• Defending Champions: Texas (1x)
• Live Results
• Live Video: SEC Network+
• Psych Sheet (UPDATED)
• Schedule of Events
• Championship Central
• Teams: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (women only), Arkansas (women only)
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 Distance | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheet

Conference meets can often feel like they last forever–especially if you’re on deck–but we’ve already reached the penultimate day of the 2026 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships. If you thought based on the event lineup it was the first day you’d be forgiven, it’s still odd to see the 50 and 500 freestyle events slated for this late in the lineup.

But before we get there, the day starts with the 200 breaststroke. On the women’s side, Anita Bottazzo aims to complete a sweep of the breaststroke events. The Texas men have an iron grip on the men’s 200 breaststroke; they own the top four seeds on the psych sheet, led by Will Scholtz‘s SEC record from midseason (1:49.59). On the psych sheet, he’s closely followed by conference champions Nate Germonprez (1:49.80) and Baylor Nelson (1:50.71).

After a blistering 43.06 100 butterfly yesterday, all eyes will be on Josh Liendo in the men’s 50 freestyle. While we no longer have the Liendo vs. Crooks matchup, Liendo facing off against Gui Caribe and Jere Hribar is still an excellent race. Hribar has reached a new level at these championships and it will be exciting to see what he brings to the splash and dash after a 17.59 split on night one of the meet.

In the 500 freestyle events, the Texas Longhorns will try to defend their titles. Double NCAA champion Jillian Cox is aiming for another repeat title after going back-to-back in the 1650 freestyle already and American record holder Rex Maurer looks to lock up another title. 1650 freestyle champion Ahmed Jaouadi could challenge, though it remains to be seen whether this event is too much of a sprint for him in the yards pool.

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)
• Pool Record: 2:01.29 — Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 2:11.27

Top 8: 

1. Anita Bottazzo (FLOR) — 2:09.16
2. Anna Moore (FLOR) — 2:09.43
3. Grace Rabb (FLOR) — 2:09.46
4. Angie Coe (TEX) — 2:09.55
5. Molly Maybe (FLOR) — 2:10.05
6. Hannah O’Leary (TAMU) — 2:10.10
7. Grace Palmer (LSU) — 2:10.11
8. Martina Bukvic (LSU) — 2:10.21

Last year, Molly Mayne was Florida’s lone ‘A’ finalist in the women’s 200 breaststroke. This year, the Gators showed out and half of the championship final will be wearing Gator caps.

Bottazzo leads the pack, showing off the improvements she’s made in the 200 breaststroke this year by jumping from 9th place in prelims a year ago to the top qualifier. She won the final heat this morning in a controlled 2:09.16, adding 2.19 seconds from her seed time (2:06.97).

She’ll be flanked in the final by her senior teammate Anna Moore (2:09.43) and freshman teammate Grace Rabb (2:09.46). This was Moore’s first time cracking the 2:10 barrier, her previous best was the 2:10.74 she swam at a January dual meet. Rabb added about a half-second from her seed time as she moved through to the final in third. This will be her second ‘A’ final of her debut SECs as she took 7th in the 100 fly.

Finally, Mayne rounds out the Gator contingent with a 2:10.05, qualifying 5th overall. It was Texas’ Angie Coe that disrupted the Gators from having the top four seeds. She won heat six with a 2:09.55, joining Bottazzo, Moore, and Rabb under the 2:10 mark this morning.

LSU will have a pair of swimmers in the final as well, with sophomore Grace Palmer and freshman Martina Bukvic making it back for the ‘A’ final.

This event took a notable step back this year. A year ago, it took a 2:08.91 to make the ‘A’ final and there were 11 women under the 2:10 mark compared to just four this year. While some of that is due to graduations, the 2025 silver medalist McKenzie Siroky and 8th place finisher Piper Enge both scratched the race this morning.

Men’s 200 Breaststroke — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 1:46.35 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
• SEC Record: 1:49.59 — Will Scholtz, Texas (2025)
• SEC Championship Record: 1:50.02 — Aleksas Savickas, Florida (2025)
• Pool Record: 1:51.56 — Derek Maas, Alabama (2022)
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 1:54.95

Top 8: 

1. Nate Germonprez (TEX) — 1:50.47 *Pool Record*
2. Campbell McKean (TEX) — 1:52.10
3. Logan Brown (TAMU) — 1:52.20
4. Gabe Nunziata (TENN) — 1:52.52
5. Will Scholtz (TEX) — 1:52.57
6. Maston Ballew (AUB) — 1:53.10
7. Guilherme Camossato (LSU) — 1:53.21
8. Cale Martter (UGA) — 1:53.35

While the women’s 200 breaststroke ‘A’ final qualifying time regressed compared to last year, the men’s 200 breaststroke was a different story. This year, 10 men broke 1:54 seconds in the morning and it took a 1:53.35 to make the championship final compared to the 1:54.12 it took in 2025.

Germonprez, the newly crowned 100 breaststroke SEC champion, posted the top time of the morning. He won heat four in 1:50.47, cracking the pool record Derek Maas set four years ago (1:51.56) by over a second. Germonprez owns a lifetime best 1:49.71 and has already been as fast as 1:49.80 this season.

He’ll be chasing the SEC record his teammate Scholtz set during midseason invitationals this season, a 1:49.59. Scholtz will be in the mix for the title this evening alongside Germonprez, but he took a much different approach to prelims. Scholtz swam 1:52.57, qualifying 5th overall.

Nobody was close to Germonprez this morning as Texas freshman Campbell McKean swam 1:52.10 for the second-fastest time of the morning. He slotted in a tenth ahead of the Aggies’ Logan Brown (1:52.20). Brown placed 11th in this event last year but upgraded to the ‘A’ final this year.

LSU’s Guilherme Camossato had a big swim in heat one. He swam a 1:53.21 that was the top time of the morning until Germonprez touched in heat four. The swim was a lifetime best for Camossato, shaving over a half-second from the 1:53.80 he swam in March 2024. This is a program record for LSU, blowing away the 1:54.58 Mitch Mason swam last year. Camossato, who represents Brazil internationally, began his NCAA career at TCU and last competed for them in October 2024 before joining the Tigers this term.

The event getting faster this year did not come without casualties. Last night’s 400 IM champion Baylor Nelson will miss the chance to vie for another title at this meet. Nelson won heat three in 1:53.44 but finished 9th overall and will swim out of the ‘B’ final this evening. He was 6th in this event last year while swimming for Texas A&M and was the #3 seed heading into this meet.

Women’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 20.37 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024/25)
• SEC Record: 20.79 — Maggie MacNeil, LSU (2023)
• SEC Championship Record: 20.98 — Maggie MacNeil (2023)
• Pool Record: 20.54 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 22.28

Top 8: 

1. Camille Spink (TENN) — 21.01
2. Cadence Vincent (BAMA) — 21.59
3. Lisa Klevanovich (AUB) — 21.67
4. Eva Okaro (TEX) — 21.71
5. Michaela De Villiers (LSU) — 21.74
6. Avery Littlefield (LSU) — 22.00
7. Katie Belle Sikes (UGA) — 22.05
8. Jillian Crooks (TENN) — 22.14

Camille Spink ripped the women’s 50 freestyle prelims wide open, blasting a lifetime best 21.01 for the top time of the morning. The swim improves on Spink’s former lifetime best–set at the 2025 SEC Championships–by .22 seconds. She is now the sixth-fastest performer in event history.

Top 10 Performer’s All Time, Women’s 50 Freestyle (SCY)

1. Gretchen Walsh, Virginia — 20.37 (2025)
2. Maggie MacNeil, LSU — 20.79 (2023)
3. Kate Douglass, Virginia — 20.84 (2022)
4. Abbey Weitzeil, California — 20.90 (2019)
5. Torri Huske, Stanford — 20.92 (2025)
6. Camille Spink, Tennessee — 21.01 (2026)
7. Erika Brown, Tennessee — 21.03 (2020)
8. Julia Dennis, Louisville — 21.08 (2025)
9. Katharine Berkoff, NC State/Sara Curtis, Virginia — 21.09 (2024/2026)
10. —

The time puts Spink on the cusp of becoming  the sixth woman to break the 21-second barrier and of course, gives her a school record as she broke Erika Brown‘s mark by two-hundredths.

It puts her in excellent position to continue chase a 50/100/200 freestyle sweep for the second-straight SEC Championships.

Behind her, Cadence Vincent swam the second-fastest qualifying time with a 21.59. It’s a season-best for the Alabama junior and just two-hundredths off the lifetime best 21.57 she swam at the 2025 NCAA Championships.

With 100 backstroke champion Jillian Crooks snagging 8th seed in a season-best 22.14, Tennessee will have two championship finalists. Tennessee and LSU were the only schools to put up multiple ‘A’ finalists in this event as senior Michaela De Villiers (21.74) and sophomore Avery Littlefield qualified for the Tigers.

Crooks moved up from the ‘B’ final last year as did Katie Belle Sikes, while Lisa Klevanovich went from a 19th place finish in the ‘C’ final a year ago to qualifying 3rd overall (21.67).

Men’s 50 Freestyle — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 17.63 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Record: 17.63 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
• SEC Championship Record: 17.85 — Jordan Crooks, Tennessee (2023)
• Pool Record: 18.12 — Jordan Crooks, Tennessee (2024)
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 19.43

Top 8: 

1. Josh Liendo (FLOR) — 18.52
2. Gui Caribe (TENN) — 18.69
3. Jere Hribar (LSU) — 18.83
4. Garrett Gould (TEX) — 18.89
5. Alex Painter (FLOR) — 18.90
6. Nikoli Blackman (TENN) — 18.97
7. Ben Scholl (TAMU) — 19.03
8. Luke Nebrich (UMIZ) — 19.10

Josh Liendo was up early yesterday, firing off a 43.26 during the men’s 100 butterfly heats–the fastest prelims swim ever. He was not as explosive during the men’s 50 freestyle prelims this morning but still, his 18.52 was more than enough to secure lane four for tonight’s championship final.

Last year, Liendo finished second in this event to Jordan Crooks, swimming 18.35 after an 18.31 in the morning.

Tennessee senior Gui Caribe swam an 18.69 to qualify second this morning, seven-hundredths slower than the 18.62 he swam in prelims last year. Hribar and Alex Painter are the other returning ‘A’ finalists from the 2025 SEC Championships. Hribar moved through in 3rd with an 18.83, while Painter clocked 18.90 for 5th.

Six men were under 19 seconds this morning. In addition to the men we’ve already mentioned, Texas’ Garrett Gould swam a lifetime best 18.89 to qualify 4th, improving on the 18.94 he swam at midseason and moving up Texas’ all-time rankings. Nikoli Blackman was the last man to crack the 19-second threshold this morning, swimming a lifetime best 18.97 for his first effort under the barrier. Blackman now ranks fifth-fastest in Tennessee history. The Volunteers now have five men in school history faster than 19 seconds and six of their top ten times were done in the in the past year.

Women’s 500 Freestyle — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 4:24.06 — Katie Ledecky, Stanford (2017)
• SEC Record: 4:30.68 — Jillian Cox, Texas (2024)
• SEC Championship Record: 4:31.54 — Jillian Cox (2025)
• Pool Record: 4:33.09 — Paige Madden, Virginia (2020)
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 4:43.70

Top 8: 

1. Kennedi Dobson (UGA) — 4:35.44
2. Julie Brousseau (FLOR) — 4:37.12
3. Ella Jansen (TENN) — 4:37.66
4. Jillian Cox (TEX) — 4:38.49
5. Nikolett Padar (TEX) — 4:39.03
6. Lillie Nesty (TEX) — 4:39.39
7. Kate Hurst (TEX) — 4:40.21
8. Erin Gemmell (TEX) — 4:40.87

The women’s 500 freestyle will be a huge point-getter for the Texas women as five of their swimmers made it back for the championship final. Though this event will be contentious at NCAA championships due to the lack of a ‘B’ final, that was not necessarily the case this morning as seven of the top eight qualifiers added from their seed time.

Texas has an overwhelming presence in the championship final but the top qualifier is Georgia freshman Kennedi Dobson, who swam a 4:35.44 to win heat six. Dobson finished third in the 200 freestyle last night; this morning she was the fastest qualifier by well over a second as Florida’s Julie Brousseau swam 4:37.12 in heat five for the second-fastest overall time. Meanwhile, Ella Jansen made sure there would be a Tennessee representative with a 4:37.66, making her final woman under 4:38 this morning.

From fourth through eighth seed it’s all about the Longhorns. NCAA champion and SEC record holder Jillian Cox leads the Texas contingent with a 4:38.49 and should still be considered the favorite this evening. Olympian Erin Gemmell snuck through to the final in eighth (4:40.87) while Lillie Nesty (4:39.39) and Kate Hurst (4:40.21) upgraded from the ‘B’ final last year to the ‘A’ this year as the 6th and 7th seeds, respectively.

Finally, Nikolett Padar continued to show the impact she’s had on the Longhorn roster this season, making her second championship final of the meet with a 4:49.03. Last night, Padar finished second in the 200 freestyle (1:41.75).

Men’s 500 Freestyle — Prelims

• NCAA Record: 4:02.31 — Leon Marchand, Arizona State (2024)
• SEC Record: 4:04.45 — Rex Maurer, Texas (2024)
• SEC Championship Record: 4:06.32 — Kieran Smith, Florida (2021)
• Pool Record: 4:09.06 — Matthew Sates, Georgia (2022)
• 2026 NCAA Qualifying Time: 4:18.07

Top 8: 

1. Ahmed Jaouadi (FLOR) — 4:10.26
2. Leonardo Alcantara (BAMA) — 4:11.83
3. Rex Maurer (TEX) — 4:12.11
4. Giovanni Linscheer (FLOR) — 4:12.21
5. Sean Green (UGA) — 4:12.38
6. Koby Bujak-Upton (TENN) — 4:12.56
7. Ahmed Hafnaoui (FLOR) — 4:12.75
8. Pierre Largeron (SCAR) — 4:13.70

Rex Maurer has racked up plenty of 500 freestyle accolades in the past 18 months. He’ll still be the favorite for tonight’s final after putting up a steady 4:12.11 to win the final heat and qualify third overall.

Around him though, there were plenty of fireworks as multiple swimmers moved up the ranks in their program’s history. Florida’s Ahmed Jaouadi won the penultimate heat in 4:10.26, moving into fourth all-time in Gator history. His time held up through the final heat to make him the fastest qualifier. He’s joined by two teammates in the final as Giovanni Linscheer returns (4:12.21) and fellow Florida newcomer Ahmed Hafnaoui (4:12.75) qualified for his first individual SEC Championships ‘A’ final from heat two.

Tennessee’s Koby Bujak-Upton continued a strong meet by firing off a Volunteer program record. He dropped 3.65 seconds from his seed time with a 4:12.56 for the 6th overall seed. Earlier this season, Bujak-Upton broke onto Tennessee’s all-time top 10 in this event with a 4:16.21 for 7th place. Now, his time cracks the 4:14.90 mark Joey Tepper swam in 2024 by 2.34 seconds.

This was one of the events where Georgia was most going to feel Jake Magahey‘s graduation. It seemed they had an answer to that problem with Tomas Koski‘s breakthrough last season and the arrival of Sean Green but this event was a mixed bag for them this morning. The freshman Green posted a lifetime best 4:12.38, dropping 2.37 seconds and moving to 7th all-time in school history. Meanwhile, Koski, who finished second in this event last year (4:08.25) misfired this morning and placed 19th (4:19.33), adding over five seconds from his seed time.