Florida Gators Extend Their Reign With 11th Straight Men’s SEC Swimming & Diving Title

2023 SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 14 – Saturday, February 18, 2023
• Rec Center Natatorium, College Station, TX.
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Tennessee (1x)
  • Men: Florida (10x)
• Championship Central
• Women’s Fan Guide
• Men’s Fan Guide
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Video

Final Scores

1. Florida – 1488.5
2. Auburn – 1089.5
3. Tennessee – 1035.5
4. Texas A&M – 1018
5. Georgia – 828.5
6. Missouri – 725.5
7. Alabama – 667
8. Kentucky – 514
9. South Carolina – 458.5
10. LSU – 337

The streak continues for the Florida men, as they won their 11th consecutive SEC championship in College Station.

This victory is a little different than the others though, as the Gators also won the women’s SEC conference title. This is the first time since Auburn in 2008 that the same school has won both SEC titles. It’s the ninth time the Gators have achieved the feat, but first since 1993. (In case you were wondering yes, head coach Anthony Nesty jumped in the pool twice.)

It’s the 44th conference championship for Florida men, which widens the gap between them and Auburn for the most conference titles in conference history. That said, Auburn still owns the longest streak of consecutive titles: they won 16 titles from 1997 through 2012.

This year, Florida beat Auburn by 399 points, which is the second-largest margin of victory in their 11 year streak. They set the record last year, with a margin of victory of 476 points, though they were missing Hillis and distance ace Bobby Finke because of COVID-19 protocols.

They cracked 1400 points for the fourth time in their 11-year streak, the start of which coincides with the SEC’s expansion to ‘C’ final scoring. The team also scored more points than they did last year, even though they did not sweep the relays and were without the talents of Finke, Kieran Smith, and Trey Freeman. In fact, this is the most points that the Gators have accumulated during their run.

This is Nesty’s fifth conference title in five years as head coach of the Florida men.

Gator Event Winners:

• 800 Freestyle Relay: Macguire McDuff, Julian Smith, Alfonso Mestre, Jake Mitchell, 6:08.64
• 200 Freestyle Relay: Macguire McDuff, Josh Liendo, Adam Chaney, Alberto Mestre, 1:14.19 (Championship Record)
• 500 Freestyle: Jake Mitchell, Junior, 4:09.85
• 100 Butterfly: Josh Liendo, Freshman, 44.11
• 100 Backstroke: Adam Chaney, Junior, 44.18
• 100 Breaststroke: Dillon Hillis, Fifth-Year, 51.02
• 400 Medley Relay: Adam Chaney, Dillon Hillis, Josh Liendo, Macguire McDuff, 2:59.48 (SEC and Championship Record)
• 200 Breaststroke: Aleksas Savickas, Freshman, 1:50.08 (SEC and Championship Record)

The Gators performed well across the board. Their newcomers provided a huge boost to the team as Josh Liendo, Jake Mitchell, and Aleksas Savickas all notched individual wins.

After pulling out of the 2022 meet due to COVID-19 protocols, fifth-year Dillon Hillis found his way back to the top of the podium, out-touching Savickas for the 100 breaststroke title.

Adam Chaney continues to be a key piece for the Gators: he lowered his own school record in the 100 backstroke twice, and contributed 81 individual points, third-most on the team.

Hillis is the only swimmer in the Gators’ top 10 highest scorers that won’t return next season; the other nine are all underclassmen, including Liendo, their highest individual point scorer.

Next, the Florida Gators head to NCAAs, which take place in Minneapolis, MN from March 22-25. The battle for a spot in the top 5 will be tighter than ever with ASU joining the conversation, but the Gators have positioned themselves well to be right in the middle of the hunt for a top 3 finish.

Gator Individual Scorers:

1. Josh Liendo, Freshman – 88 points
2. Dillon Hillis, Fifth-Year, 85 points
3. Adam Chaney, Junior – 81 points
4. Macguire McDuff, Sophomore – 78 points
5. Jake Mitchell, Junior – 73 points
6. Julian Smith, Sophomore – 69 points
7. Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero, Sophomore – 67 points
8. Giovanni Linscheer, Freshman – 66 points
9. Eric Brown, Freshman – 65 points
10. Aleksas Savickas, Freshman – 60 points
11. Tyler Watson, Senior – 58 points
12. Alfonso Mestre, Senior – 57 points
13. Mason Laur, Sophomore – 47 points
14. Kevin Vargas, Senior – 40 points
15. Oskar Lindholm, Sophomore – 39 points
16. Jace Crawford, Junior – 35 points
17. Ed Fullum-Hout, Freshman – 32.5 points
18. Leonardo Garcia, Senior – 27 points
19. Alberto Mestre, Fifth-Year – 25 points
20. Eric Friese, Senior – 13 points