University of Florida sophomore Caeleb Dressel has been named the 2016 SEC Male Swimmer of the Year after setting the American, NCAA, and U.S> Open Records in the 50 yard free (18.20) and 100 yard free (40.46) at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Dressel finished the most electric season a swimmer has had in short course yards since at least 2009 with the 6-fastest 50 yard freestyle times in history, and three of the 5-fastest 100 yard freestyle times in history.
Combined with a runner-up finish in the 100 fly, that was under-the-radar as the third-best swim in the history of that event, Dressel scored 57 total individual points in addition to his four relay swims.
That 50 free, though, in an event that always captures the attention of the fan-base, is the one that won the headline battle at the men’s NCAA Championships.
The new top 10 after Dressel’s record-book destruction during the months of February and March:
- Dressel 18.20, 2016 NCAA individual finals
- Dressel, 18.23, 2016 SEC individual finals
- Dressel, 18.24, 2016 NCAA relay finals
- Dressel, 18.29, 2016 NCAA individual prelims
- Dressel, 18.32, 2016 NCAA relay prelims
- Dressel, 18.39, 2016 SEC individual prelims
- Cesar Cielo, 18.47, 2008
- Cesar Cielo, 18.52, 2008
- Matt Targett, 18.52, 2009
- Vlad Morozov, 18.63, 2013
Besides Dressel, the conference also handed out awards to freshman of the year, scholar athletes of the year, and divers of the year on Thursday:
- Male Freshman of the Year – Laurent Bams, Alabama
- Male Diver of the Year – Mauricio Robles, Tennessee
- Male Freshhman Diver of the Year – Sam Thornton, Texas A&M
- Co-Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year – Connor Oslin, Alabama and Ty Stewart, Georgia
