2019 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, February 19 – Saturday, February 23
- Gabrielsen Natatorium, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
- Defending Champion: Texas A&M Women (3x), Florida men (6x)(results)
- Live results
- Live Video – SEC Network
- Championship Central
Individual events begin this morning at the SEC Championships, with heats of the 500 free, 200 IM and 50 free for both men and women.
The Tennessee men and Florida women lead narrowly after last night’s relay and diving events, but 11 more events tonight should add much more definition to the point standings.
In the women’s 500, Georgia’s Courtney Harnish is the top seed, though Kentucky’s Geena Freriks is the defending champion. For the men, South Carolina’s Fynn Minuth set the meet record last year, but Florida’s Khader Baqlah leads seeds into the heats. Texas A&M’s Sydney Pickrem looks to defend her SEC title in the 200 IM, while Missouri’s breakout backstroke star Nick Alexander is the top seed for the men in a 200 IM event in which 7 of the top 8 from last year are no longer in the conference. In the 50 free, it’s Tennessee’s Erika Brown looking to defend her title and challenge SEC and even American, NCAA and U.S. Open records. Alabama’s Robert Howard is the top seed for the men.
Keep refreshing this page for live, event-by-event updates of all the action from Georgia.
Women’s 500 Free – Prelims
Top 8 qualifiers:
- Braswell (FL) – 4:38.13
- Freriks (KY) – 4:39.30
- Rasmus (A&M) – 4:39.60
- Harnish (UGA) – 4:40.23
- Palsha (ARK) – 4:40.54
- Yelle (A&M) – 4:40.57
- Ault (FL) – 4:40.84
- Nunan (TN) – 4:41.29
Florida has been led all year by its freshman class, and SECs started no different. NCAA rookie Leah Braswell paced heats of the 500 free, going 4:38.13 for the top spot into tonight’s final. Braswell was a lifetime-best 4:37.8 at mid-season, and so likely has a bit more time to drop tonight.
Defending champ Geena Freriks of Kentucky sits second in 4:39.30. She went 4:37.2 last year to top Georgia then-freshman Courtney Harnish for the title. Harnish qualified fourth this morning (4:40.23) and will swim in the lane right next to Freriks tonight. Meanwhile last year’s third-placer, Claire Rasmus of Texas A&M, is third heading into tonight in 4:39.60.
Things really tightened up in the middle of the top 8, with spots four through seven separated by just over half a second. It’ll be a big event for the Aggie women with 2 A finalists. Florida also has two in the top 8.
Men’s 500 Free – Prelims
Top 8 qualifiers:
- Higgins (UGA) – 4:12.36
- Minuth (SC) – 4:15.27
- Davila (SC) – 4:16.04
- Freeman (FL) – 4:16.25
- Theall (A&M) – 4:16.79
- Baqlah (FL) – 4:17.07
- Miller (UGA) – 4:17.12
- Dannhauser (AUB) – 4:17.16
Georgia had a handful of big drops from seed, including junior Walker Higgins, who dropped from 4:15 to 4:12.36 for the top qualifying spot. Higgins was 4:14.43 back in 2017 as a freshman, but only went 4:17 at this meet last year. His swim this morning should put him well under the NCAA invite cut. He’ll be joined by 7th-place Kevin Miller, another UGA junior.
South Carolina has been powered by its distance group recently, and that trend continued even with distance coach Mark Bernardino making the jump to NC State. South Carolina took second and third with Fynn Minuth (4:15.27) and Rafael Davila (4:16.04).
Florida put two into the A final, with freshman Trey Freeman leading the way in 4:16.25. Freeman has been as fast as 4:15.0 earlier in this career, so keep an eye on him tonight. Khader Baqlah is also into the A final in 4:17.07.
The 500 was a relatively young event for the conference – four freshman put up big drops from seed to take 9th through 12th: Missouri duo Jack Dubois (4:22 to 4:17) and Jack Dahlgren (4:19 to 4:17) along with Florida’s Robert Finke (4:20 to 4:17) and Georgia’s Andrew Abruzzo (4:19 to 4:17).
Swim-off Update: in a brutal battle, Kentucky’s Hank Siefert and Georgia’s Clayton Forde swam-off for the 16th spot. In their second grueling 500 frees of the day, Forde out-touched Siefert 4:21.06 to 4:21.07 to take the final spot in the B final. Both will swim their third 500s tonight, Forde in the B heat and Siefert in the C.
Women’s 200 IM – Prelims
Top 8 qualifiers:
- Pickrem (A&M) / Small (TN) – 1:53.01
- —
- Barksdale (SC) – 1:53.73
- Pearl (FL) – 1:55.18
- Nero (AUB) – 1:55.54
- Cieplucha (TN) – 1:55.74
- DeBever (A&M) – 1:55.76
- Gonzalez-Hermosillo (A&M) – 1:55.82
In what should set up a fun showdown tonight, we have a tie atop the women’s 200 IM. Defending champ Sydney Pickrem of Texas A&M went 1:53.01, but will be joined in the middle lanes by Tennessee’s Meghan Small. Pickrem is a senior who went 1:52.69 at this meet last year. But Small, a junior and one of the top recruits in the nation a few years back, was 1:53.05 last year and is primed to make a run at the title tonight.
Last year’s runner-up, Kentucky junior Asia Seidt was a prelims casualty this morning, going 1:56.53 for 10th place and missing the championship final.
South Carolina’s Emma Barksdale is third, not far back at 1:53.73. She took fourth last year. Florida freshman Vanessa Pearl, arguably the top IMer in her class, went 1:55.18 for fourth this morning.
Auburn gets their first women’s A finalist under new head coach Gary Taylor, as Bailey Nero went 1:55.54. This is a new event from last year for Nero; she swam the 100 fly, 200 fly and 200 back last season at SECs.
In addition to Pickrem, A&M will have two other A finalists: McKenna DeBever and Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo. Tennessee will have Small and Tess Cieplucha.
Men’s 200 IM – Prelims
Top 8 qualifiers:
- Smith (FL) – 1:42.94
- Casas (A&M) – 1:43.21
- Alexander (MIZZ) – 1:43.81
- Walton (MIZZ) – 1:43.83
- Kovac (MIZZ) – 1:44.01
- Acevedo (UGA) – 1:44.04
- Sanders (FL) – 1:44.23
- Brown (KY) – 1:44.84
The SEC is proving to be a really young conference on the men’s side – and that’s reflected nowhere better than the 200 IM, where the top two qualifiers are freshmen. Florida’s Kieran Smith, coming off a big 800 free relay split last night, went 1:42.94 for the top spot, taking a full second off his lifetime-best. That’s a great sign for Smith, who is also an elite 400 IMer and 200 backstroker and should swim two more individual events this week.
Shaine Casas of Texas A&M is the two-seed. He went 1:43.21. Casas blasted a career-best 1:43.06 at A&M’s mid-season meet, and should have the speed to challenge the more rangy Smith for the win tonight.
Top incoming seed Nick Alexander of Missouri stuck around in the third spot, going 1:43.81. His season-best (1:43.04) should also put him in the title hunt tonight. His Missouri men have been surprisingly strong all season, and they loaded up the A final of this 200 IM to keep themselves atop our running points projections. Senior Alex Walton is fourth (1:43.83) and freshman Danny Kovac fifth (1:44.01) as Mizzou leads all programs with 3 A finalists in this event.
Georgia got junior Javier Acevedo into the A heat. Acevedo is coming off an injury-riddled regular season, but looked solid at 1:44.04 this morning. He was the SEC 100 back champ last year, but swam the 50 free instead of the 200 IM a year ago.
Florida will also put Grant Sanders into the A final, and Kentucky got Glen Brown in in eighth place.
Women’s 50 Free – Prelims
Top 8 qualifiers:
- Brown (TN) – 21.33
- Hopkin (ARK) – 21.70
- Fisch (AUB) – 21.78
- Banic (TN) / Ochitwa (MIZZ) – 21.90
- —
- Thompson (MIZZ) – 22.24
- Hynes (MIZZ) – 22.26
- Meynen (AUB) / Knight (LSU) – 22.33
Tennessee’s Erika Brown broke the first record of the day, going 21.33 to shatter the pool record (21.54 by Olivia Smoliga) and break the SEC meet record (21.34 by Ariana Vanderpool-Wallace). That’s Brown’s career-best by .06 seconds, topping her time from SECs last year.
She’ll be chased tonight by Arkansas junior standout Anna Hopkin, who was 21.70. Auburn’s Claire Fisch went 21.78. All three of those women are coming off of stellar relay splits last night: 20.9 for Brown, 21.0 for Hopkin and 21.1 for Fisch.
There were two ties in the top 8, one of which will require a swim-off. Tennessee’s Maddy Banic and Missouri’s Ann Ochitwa were both 21.90 and tied for fourth. Meanwhile Auburn’s Julie Meynen and LSU’s Haylee Knight will swim-off for eighth place after the session. Both went 22.33.
Missouri finished its second-straight event with three A finalists. Ochitwa will be joined by Sarah Thompson and Haley Hynes in the championship heat tonight. Georgia, meanwhile, just missed the cut with Veronica Burchill and Gabrielle Fa’amausili tying for 10th in 22.37.
Swim-off update: Meynen went 22.08 to top Knight (22.26) for the final spot in the championship heat tonight. Both were significantly faster than their heats swims.
Men’s 50 Free – Prelims
Top 8 qualifiers:
- Howard (AL) – 18.80
- Grassi (AUB) – 19.23
- Decoursey (TN) – 19.25
- Schreuders (MIZZ) – 19.31
- Mankus (MIZZ) – 19.40
- DiSette (AL) – 19.43
- Thibert (A&M) – 19.46
- Wetzlar (KY) / Koster (A&M) – 19.49
Alabama’s Robert Howard blew out the field this morning in the 50 free, going 18.80. That’s two full tenths faster than anyone went in finals last year – with Caeleb Dressel swimming the 200 IM instead, the SEC title went to Zach Apple in 19.08. Howard was third last year, but a huge swim this morning puts him not only in the SEC title driver’s seat, but ranks him #2 in the NCAA this season as just the second man to break 19 seconds.
Auburn’s Santiago Grassi had a huge swim, dropping to 19.23 after going just 19.67 at this meet last year. Grassi’s incoming seed this year wasn’t even under 20 seconds. (Grassi is training for new Auburn sprint coach Gideon Louw, who helped Bowe Becker come out of nowhere to become one of the nation’s top 50 freestylers at Minnesota last year).
While freshman have had a big impact on the men’s meet so far, the 50 free field is a much more veteran-centric group. Of the 9 swimmers in contention for the A final, four are seniors and four are juniors.
Tennessee’s Kyle Decoursey went 19.25 for the third spot, a tick behind Grassi. And Missouri took the next two spots with Mikel Schreuders (19.31) and Luke Mankus (19.40).
Howard will be joined by Sam DiSette for Alabama in the final, and Texas A&M put Mike Thibert into the field. His teammate Adam Koster should swim-off with Kentucky’s Peter Wetzlar for 8th place.
Alabama’s Zane Waddell, who last night put up the second-fastest 50 back in history, added two tenths to his seed and missed the A final, going 19.50 for 10th. That B final could be very fast, with Florida freshman Will Davis sitting 11th in 19.53 after his standout 18.4 split on a relay last night.
Also of note: Tennessee breaststroker Michael Houlie is listed in 50 free results at 24.14. That seems like a potential 50 breast time from Houlie, one of the more exciting sprint breaststroke prospects in the country, who split a 23.4 on the medley relay last night.
Swim-off update: Koster topped Wetzlar, giving A&M a second A finalist tonight. Koster was 19.47 and Wetzlar 19.90.
Helluva swim, Robert!
Braden are you guys going to do the chart this year with swims in the top middle and bottom going into finals. I love that chart.
Hey Braden am I on Live tweet duty tonight at SEC’s?
Yes you are.
Looks like She-Aggies and Girlie-Vols fighting for the ROSES and TEAM TITLE. ON THE MEN – Damn hard to pick But looks like Missouri/A+M/UF all fighting like crazy. Some great drops today from mid-season invites…perhaps attributed to the opportunity for more teams to WIN!!! If you aint a winner you a whiner.
Does anyone know where to find time trial or swim-off results? Unless I’m mistaken, these don’t seem to be posted along with the rest of the meet results.
Crazy situation with the swim off in the 500. Clayton Forde had a similar situation once before at SECs. Same event, same outcome.
His father, Pat Forde, is a prominent columnist for Yahoo Sports and outlined it in his thread.
https://twitter.com/yahooforde/status/1098276727715962880?s=21
2-0 in 500 free swim-offs is not too shabby.
That’s amazing. At least the pressure if off tonight. The guy who lost has to worry about 7 dudes behind him.
Oh gosh! I knew Pat Forde had swimming kids but I never put that connection together.
Adam Koster had a double swim off in the 50 free at SECs in 2017 (for 16th) and then one again today for 8th!
Also the father of the one and only Stanford Cardinal: Brooke!
What a talented family.
A 500 Free Swim-off decided by 0.01! That is AWESOME!!!!!
Is it just me or did Missou just make a few statements this morning on both sides of the program
Totally. They sniff a conference title this year, and I think they prepared accordingly. It’s a little different from their usual MO, but we shall see how the rest of the week goes and whether they can hold through to Nationals.
Why was Asia Saidt a victim of format? Seems a victim of other people going fast.
I didn’t understand that either.
I didn’t quite understand that. She was slow, nothing else to say about it.
I think the comment was made that with the circle seeds sometimes you’re in a fast heat or a slower heat and your 2nd/3rd place finish (which typically gets you into the A final) might not be enough. Today she was in the slower of those heats and she fell victim to misreading where she was in the water. Props to the other women for stepping up and making the most of their opportunity. I’m sure Asia will be putting on a show tonight but sadly it will be from the B.