2018 Men’s & Women’s SEC Championships
- Wednesday, February 14 – Sunday, February 18
- Rec Center Natatorium, Texas A&M, College Station, TX (Central Time Zone)
- 25y course, prelims/finals, invitational format
- Live results
- Live Video – SEC Network
- Championship Central
- Psych Sheet
In the best news that swim nerds have heard in a long time, Florida senior Caeleb Dressel will swim the 200 IM on Thursday at the 2018 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships, and not the 50 free. While no official heat sheets have been posted online, they have been uploaded to Meet Mobile, and Dressel is not entered in the 50 free, and is entered in the 200 IM.
There is a long-held curiosity about what Dressel, the best active sprinter in the world and fastest short course yards sprinter in history, can do in other events. That curiosity is driven largely by flashes of brilliance, but tampered by a reversion to his traditional 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly schedule at major meets.
He swam the 200 IM at Florida’s mid-season Purdue Invite, however, and posted a 1:40.61, which is the fastest time in the country, faster than what it took to win NCAAs last year, and enough to make him the 9th-fastest swimmer in the history of the event.
Now he’ll race the event again at SECs (with little to lose – he’s already easily qualified for NCAAs in both events). From a scoring perspective, this won’t be a positive for the Gators, even though he’s a favorite in both events. Now their only seeded swimmer in the top 24 of the 50 free is 6 seed Enzo Martinez Scarpe, while his teammates Mark Szaranek and Jan Switkowski could have won the 200 IM in Dressel’s stead.
The Gators, though, are banking on the meet not being close enough where those handful of points will impact the outcome of team scoring.
realistically, I think this is the best/only opportunity for him to get the record in the 200 IM, and doesn’t want to change up his NCAA line-up. He’s familiar with the NCAA races and what those events tax on his body to get ideal results. He’s probably close to being 100% race shape and already has a good seed time in the 50
historically he’s gotta want to go 4 in a row at the 50 (and chase 18.0 flat start),
I imagine he’ll want a couple of chances to break 40.0 in the 100
from what I can tell he’s a hyper-competitive guy and wants to defend his title in the 100 fly to schooling (and santo)… Read more »
He will have to get out a lot faster than he did at the Purdue invite if he wants to break the record.The Nolan ghost will be out in 45.9. I think he goes 21.6, 25.1, 28.8, and 23.3 for a total time of 1:38.9
That was a mid-season meet when he went 18.6 in the 50 so I think safe to say he has a lot more in the tank… if he swam this at NCAAs I think he’d go way under, but todaym with Florida not rested all the way, should be close.
I’m drooling… just realized for me, he’s the most exciting swimmer since Phelps 2003 to 2007 when he branched out and you had no idea what the limits were
Totally agree. I feel like I did when Phelps did so much in 2007. When dropped the world record in the 2 free and almost got the 100 back world record at IUPUI.
Caleb’s 100 fly this summer shocked me. I never thought he would do that. Being shocked by a swim is an awesome feeling.
I am done underestimating Caleb Dressel!
Haha agreed. After NCAA I was thinking “you know, he might be able to go a 51 low this summer”….49.8
What’s up with Beryl Gastaldello? No Relay tonight and no 50 free tomorrow. Hopefully she’ll be back for her 100 fly specialty. Wish she would’ve swam 100 back as well that is arguably her best event compared to the 100 fly.
This is gonna be fun guys. Caeleb is going after David Nolan’s 200 IM record.
I’m Yellin Timber
Anyone think he will also do the 2 free? I wouldn’t be surprised, but I bet we see him do it in a time trial or last chance meet instead (I recall him doing a 1:42 or 1:43 200 IM 2 different years at last chance meets)
YES! Can’t wait!
Dressel is swimming the 500 because he thinks he can go under 4:00.
I feel like he could actually be close to 4:10 though realistically. I mean he swims for Florida, everyone at Florida puts down yardage in practice.