Julian Smith and Emma Sticklen Named SEC Championship Swimmers of the Meet

2025 SEC Championships

• Dates: Tuesday, February 18–Saturday, February 22
  • Prelims: 9:30 am EST/ Finals 5:30 pm EST (Tuesday-5:00 EST)
• Location: Gabrielsen Natatorium — Athens, GA
• Defending Champions: Florida women (2x); Florida men (12x)
• Live Results
• Live Video: SEC Network+
• Championship Central
• Fan Guide (Men)
• Fan Guide (Women)
• Psych Sheets
• Teams: Alabama, Arkansas (women), Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas*, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (women)
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 6
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6

Florida’s Julian Smith and Texas’ Emma Sticklen were named the 2025 SEC Swimmers of the Championship at the conclusion of the meet on Feb. 22nd. Smith won the men’s 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, breaking the NCAA record by two-hundredths in the former. He also added a fifth-place finish in the 100 freestyle.

Now a junior, Smith has been a consistent force on the Gators relays for the past two seasons, helping the team set multiple NCAA records. His breakout this season has extended from his individual events to the relays; he showed his form early in the championships by dropping the fastest 50 breaststroke split in history (22.15), then following up with a 1:29.67 200 freestyle split an hour later.

Smith was also a part of the NCAA record-setting 400 medley relay, teaming with Jonny Marshall, Josh Liendo, and Alex Painter. Fresh off setting his NCAA record in the 100 breaststroke, Smith split a 48.95 100 breaststroke, the second-fastest in history. The only other man to break 49 seconds is Leon Marchand (48.73). Finally, Smith wrapped his championships by splitting 40.76 on Florida’s second-place 400 freestyle relay.

Emma Sticklen swept her individual events at her first and last SEC Championships. She has been dropping time all season in multiple events. That trend continued in Athens, as she swam lifetime bests in the 200 IM, 100 butterfly, and 200 fly en route to her three individual gold medals. Sticklen clocked 1:52.42 to win the 200 IM, then shifted her focus to butterfly, her primary stroke.

Sticklen set a Texas record of 49.40 to win the women’s 100 butterfly title, lowering her own mark. She was dominant in the event as the only swimmer to break 50 seconds at the championships, winning by a 1.56-second margin. She set a championship record in prelims of the 200 butterfly (1:50.01) before firing off an SEC record of 1:49.17 that missed the NCAA record by a hundredth. It was her fifth sub-1:50 swim as she extended her lead as the swimmer with the most sub-1:50 efforts in their career.

Sticklen tied with Tennessee sophomore Camille Spink for the women’s Commissioner’s Trophy, awarded to the athletes who score the most individual points at the championships. Sticklen and Spink swept their individual events, earning 96 points.

After winning the 50/100 freestyle as a freshman and taking silver in the 200 freestyle, Spink upgraded to gold in all three sprint freestyle events. Spink is the first SEC swimmer since 2007 to win the 50/100/200 freestyle at the SEC Championships. She achieved the feat with three lifetime bests, swimming 21.23/46.25/1:42.06.

Texas sophomore Rex Maurer won the men’s Commissioner’s Trophy. He earned 91 points at his first SEC Championships, winning the 500 freestyle and 400 IM. Maurer swam an SEC Championship record in the latter, clocking 3:35.61 and breaking Hugo Gonzalez’s mark from 2018 (3:35.76). On the final day of the championships, Maurer earned bronze in the 1650 freestyle.

In the diving well, Florida’s Camyla Monroy and LSU’s Carson Paul were named the Divers of the Championships. Each won one event, with Monroy claiming victory in the women’s 1-meter on the opening night of the championships. She added a pair of sixth-place finishes on the 3-meter and platform as the meet continued.

Paul won the first SEC title of his career at the beginning of the championships, taking gold on the 3-meter. He was in the hunt for the platform title as well and earned the silver medal. He also took fifth on the 1-meter.

Julian Smith’s 2025 SECs Results

• 200 IM: 1:39.38 (1st)
• 100 breaststroke: 49.51 (1st) NCAA Record
• 100 freestyle: 41.34 (6th)
• 200 medley relay: Florida, 1:20.66 (2nd) — 22.15 50 breaststroke split (#1 all-time)
• 800 freestyle relay: Florida, 6:02.50 (1st) — 1:29.67 split (#6 all-time)
• 400 medley relay: Florida, 2:55.66 (1st) NCAA Record — 48.95 100 breaststroke split (#2 all-time)
• 400 freestyle relay: Florida, 2:43.60 (2nd) — 40.76 split

Emma Sticklen’s 2025 SECs Results

• 200 IM: 1:52.42 (1st)
• 100 butterfly: 49.40 (1st)
• 200 butterfly: 1:49.17 (1st) SEC Record
• 200 medley relay: Texas, 1:33.84 (1st) — 23.38 backstroke lead-off
• 200 freestyle relay: Texas, 1:25.90 (1st) — 21.07 split
• 400 freestyle relay: Texas, 3:09.26 (2nd) — 47.55 split

Camille Spink’s 2025 SECs Results

• 50 freestyle: 21.23 (1st)
• 200 freestyle: 1:42.06 (1st)
• 100 freestyle: 46.25 (1st)
• 800 freestyle relay: Tennessee, 6:49.83 (1st) — 1:41.28 split
• 200 freestyle relay: Tennessee, 1:26.49 (3rd) — 21.46 lead-off
• 400 medley relay: Tennessee, 3:25.18 (2nd) — 46.32 freestyle split
• 400 freestyle relay: Tennessee, 3:09.02 (1st) — 46.01 split

Rex Maurer’s 2025 SECs Results

• 500 freestyle: 4:07.09 (1st)
• 400 IM: 3:35.61 (1st) SEC Championship Record
• 1650 freestyle: 14:32.78 (3rd)
• 800 freestyle relay: Texas, 6:03.24 (2nd) — 1:31.70 split

Camyla Monroy’s 2025 SECs Results

• 1-meter diving: 350.45 (1st)
• 3-meter diving: 320.95 (6th)
• Platform diving: 298.60 (6th)

Carson Paul’s 2025 SECs Results

• 3-meter diving: 438.80 (1st)
• 1-meter diving: 372.30 (5th)
• Platform diving: 468.15 (2nd)