Florida’s Grant Sanders, A&M’s Jace Brown Make Big Drops in SEC Time Trials

2020 SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 18 – Saturday, February 22, 2020
• Auburn, AL – James E. Martin Aquatic Center
• Prelims/Finals: 9:30 AM/5:30 PM Wed-Sat, 10/4:20PM Tues (Central Standard Time)
• Defending Champion: Florida (7x) (results)
• Live Video – SEC Network
• Men’s Fan Guide
• Women’s Fan Guide
• Psych Sheets
• Championship Central
• Estimated NCAA Invite Times
• NCAA ‘A’ Cuts
• Live results

The 2020 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships kicked off with swimming time trials on Tuesday morning. The title events will begin late today with the 200 medley relay and 800 free relay.

The Texas A&M men, who are in the hunt for their first ever team title, got off to a good start with freshman Jace Brown swimming a 200 fly time trial. Brown hit the wall in 1:44.45, knocking over a second off his best from midseason. He’s now dropped 3 seconds since joining the Aggies. That time is fast enough to have placed 11th in last season’s finals.

The reigning SEC Champion Florida men, who are battling for their 8th-straight title, got a couple of lifetime bests in time trials. Grant Sanders, an IM finalist, broke 53 for the first time in the 100 breast. He dropped over half a second in 52.95. That’s just a few tenths away from what qualified for last season’s championship final, but he likely won’t swim that individually as he’s a returning finalist in both IMs and the 200 breast. It does bode well for his 200 breast, where he’s the reigning bronze medalist.

The Gators also saw a lifetime best swim in the 100 back. Auburn’s David Crossland was over a second faster than his former season best in 47.06, just out-touching Florida’s Tyler Silver (47.07). That’s a best for Silver by 3 tenths.

LSU’s Brittany Thompson had a breakthrough swim in the 100 fly. She hadn’t matched her best time since 2016, but she dropped 2 tenths off it today in 54.62. Tennessee’s Danika Katzer also set a personal best. Her former best was from 2014. She blew that away by over a second in 55.52 as she placed 3rd.

LSU freshman Summer Stanfield came in 2nd there in 54.91. That’s her fastest swim since 2018 and just 2 tenths shy of a best. Fellow Tiger freshman Emily Van De Wiele put up her 2nd fastest performance ever with a 23.62 in the 50 free. She set her lifetime best 23.39 back in November.

Arkansas’ Vanessa Herrmann was within a second of her best in the 200 breast. Herrmann clocked a 2:11.92 this morning. Her lifetime best is a 2:11.09 from midseason.

ADDITIONAL TIME TRIALS

• LSU’s Brian McGroarty made a huge drop in the 100 fly. His best coming in was a 51.00, but he broke 50 for the first time in 49.39. He’s now dropped nearly 4 seconds in the event throughout this season.
• Freshman teammate Isak Vikstrom took on the 200 free in 1:39.69. Vikstrom, a Swedish distance swimmer, is in his first yards season. That sets the bar as his best time.
• South Carolina’s Emma Otten was 2 tenths shy of a lifetime best in the 100 back, touching in 54.05. That’s a season best by a full second.
• Teammate Kevin Liu swam a 1:44.22 in the 200 back. Liu is a returning B finalist in that event.
• LSU swam the men’s 200 medley relay. Miguel Velasquez led them off in 22.37. Jeff Snoddy (breast- 24.32) and Michael Petro (fly- 21.22) took on the middle legs, while Cameron Karkoska anchored in 19.96. Their final time was a 1:27.87.