Harnish Continues Georgia Mid-D Legacy, Alabama Claims Historic Sprint Wins

SEC – WOMEN SWIMMING & DIVING + MEN’S DIVING

  • Wednesday, February 17 – Saturday, February 20, 2021
  • W Swimming: Gabrielsen Natatorium – Athens, GA (Eastern Time Zone)
  • W&M Diving: Mizzou Aquatics Center – Columbia, MO (Central Time Zone)
  • Defending Champion: Tennessee (1x) (2020 results)
  • Live results
  • Live Video – SEC Network
  • Championship Central
  • Psych Sheets (UPDATED)

With day two of the SEC Championships wrapped, Courtney Harnish has continued the legacy of great Georgia mid-distance freestylers.

With names like Allison Schmitt, Shannon Vreeland, Morgan Scroggy, Melanie Margalis, Hali Flickinger and many more, Georgia has been nothing short of a powerhouse for the 200 and 500 free events especially.

Harnish, tonight, won her third-consecutive SEC title in the 500 free.

Harnish has been steady for the Bulldogs during her collegiate career. Since 2006, Harnish is the only Georgia swimmer to win more than one 500 free in consecutive years, though, and the UGA women have taken the 500 free title 12 of the last 16 years.

The surprising swimmer to have not accomplished back-to-back titles in the event is Allison Schmitt, because she won 3 straight NCAA titles in the 500 free from 2009 through 2011. She won the 500 free at SECs in 2009 as a freshman, but in 2010 was upset by Wendy Trott (a mile specialist) by .12 seconds at SECs, and in 2011 she was upset by Shannon Vreeland at SECs.

Despite DQ’ing their 200 medley relay, Georgia has climbed back into second place in the team standings, just behind Florida.

Meanwhile, we saw a ‘would’ve won’ scenario, where Missouri senior Sarah Thompson posted the quickest time of the night out of the 50 free B-final. Her 21.57, nearly a best, would’ve taken the 50 by over a tenth; she slipped off the wall on her turn during prelims.

Alabama went 1-2 in the A-final, with junior Kalia Antoniou (21.69) climbing from t-13th last year to the win ahead of teammate and Indiana transfer Cora Dupre (21.82) as both went bests.

For Alabama, Antoniou was the first member of the Crimson Tide to win the 50 free since 1983. In the 200 free relay, she helped ‘Bama to another SEC title, which is their first also since 1983. Interim head coach Ozzie Quevedo has the Crimson Tide looking strong at third in the team standings so far.

Alabama and Mizzou were the only teams with more than two women breaking 22, slower than last year, which saw Auburn put together an SEC record relay (1:25.41) that would’ve won tonight’s final by over 1.5 seconds. Auburn had three 21’s and a 20.9 split on that relay.

This year, the Auburn relay touched second-to-last, gaining six seconds with a 1:31.80. While the 2020 Auburn team averaged 21.3s, the 2021 relay averaged 22.9s.

Check out all splits for the 200 free relay below, with lead-off legs demarcated:

200 FREE RELAY SPLITS

Alabama Cora Dupre 21.43
Alabama Morgan Scott 21.56
Missouri Sarah Thompson 21.65 *lead-off*
Georgia Maxine Parker 21.65
Tennessee Bailey Grinter 21.68
Florida Talia Bates 21.68
Kentucky Riley Gaines 21.75
Arkansas Kobie Melton 21.76
Missouri Megan Keil 21.77
Alabama Kalia Antoniou 21.82 *lead-off*
Missouri Amy Feddersen 21.85
South Carolina Janie Smith 21.88
Georgia Zoie Hartman 21.9
Tennessee Megan Sichterman 22.02
Florida Katie Mack 22.04 *lead-off*
Tennessee Mona McSharry 22.07 *lead-off*
Missouri Alex Moderski 22.09
Florida Gabrielle Hillis 22.10
Georgia Gabi Fa’Amausili 22.13 *lead-off*
Alabama Flora Molnar 22.21
Tennessee Natalie Ungaretti 22.23
Kentucky Kaitlynn Wheeler 22.43
South Carolina Mari Kraus 22.46
LSU Olivia Taylor 22.48
Kentucky Sophie Sorenson 22.48
Arkansas Bella Cothern 22.50
LSU Katarina Milutinovich 22.51 *lead-off*
Arkansas Emily Barclay 22.59 *lead-off*
LSU Natalie Kucsan 22.59
Texas A&M Emma Stephenson 22.63
Auburn Emma Steckiel 22.68 *lead-off*
Florida Kathleen Golding 22.68
Auburn Val Tarazi 22.71
Arkansas Molly Moore 22.74
South Carolina Emma Walker 22.81
Auburn Abigail Gibbons 22.84
Texas A&M Bobbi Kennett 22.89 *lead-off*
Texas A&M Olivia Theall 22.91
Georgia Danielle Dellatorre 22.93
Kentucky Izzy Gati 23.03 *lead-off*
Texas A&M Jing Quah 23.04
South Carolina Aubrey Chandler 23.05 *lead-off*
LSU Summer Stanfield 23.07
Vanderbilt Chantal Jordan 23.19
Vanderbilt Gabriela Pierobon Mays 23.22
Vanderbilt Tonner Debeer 23.38
Vanderbilt Eleanor Beers 23.46 *lead-off*
Auburn Elyssa Pardus 23.57

TEAM SCORES

Through day two finals (UPDATED TO INCLUDE DIVING)

  1. Florida 448
  2. Georgia 365
  3. Alabama 357
  4. Tennessee 348
  5. Kentucky 343
  6. Texas A&M 334
  7. Arkansas 325
  8. Mizzou 253
  9. LSU 198
  10. Auburn 188
  11. South Carolina 145
  12. Vanderbilt 94

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Whoa
3 years ago

How do you gain six seconds in a 200 FR in one year?

swimapologist
Reply to  Whoa
3 years ago

3 graduations and a transfer.

I wonder if some of the Auburn swimmers/parents who were on here fighting for Gary are going to have a different song now that the results aren’t coming. Not passive-aggressively curious, but genuinely curious how their emotions have changed. Will their “great experience” turn into a “less great experience” just because the results have changed?

I wonder if this is what the Auburn swimmers were referring to this week when they said “Gary hasn’t had the chance to recruit his own swimmers yet”? The swimmers he had success with last year were mostly ones he didn’t recruit…now that they’re gone…

SwimFani
3 years ago

Kudos go to BAMA for stepping up and competing as warriors! Exciting to see the zip to their starts and walls. UF is tough, UGA after the DQ is in good position, UK is sneaky good on day 3. WOW what a team race. What happened to the defending champions?

VFL
Reply to  SwimFani
3 years ago

They lost the highest scoring class in the entire NCAA last year and are still in a position for a top-3 finish. Get your laughs in now though. Next year Tennessee will have:

Jasmine Rumley (21.7 relay split)
AJ Kutsch (21.1 relay split)
Emma Carlton (22.5/49.3/52 back and fly)
Julia Mrozinski (22.4, 48.2, 1:43)
Brooklynn Douthwright (22.9/49.2/1:45.6)
Cory Shanks (22.6/49.2)

And that’s just our sprint freestylers. 😉

About Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon

Karl Ortegon studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, graduating in May of 2018. He began swimming on a club team in first grade and swam four years for Wesleyan.

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