2026 SEC Championships
- Dates: Monday, February 16–Saturday, February 21
- Location: Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, Knoxville, TN
- Defending Champions: Texas (1x)
- Live Results
- Live Video: SEC Network+
- Psych Sheet (UPDATED)
- Schedule of Events
- Championship Central
- Teams: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (women only), Arkansas (women only)
- Live Recaps
The Texas women have taken over the lead in the team standings from Tennessee, but the home team still had plenty to cheer about at the close of night three at the 2026 SEC Championships. The quartet of Jillian Crooks, McKenzie Siroky, Mizuki Hirai, and Camille Spink won the women’s 400 medley relay title in conference record time, combining for a 3:24.58.
The swim broke the 3:24.78 mark that Florida’s Bella Sims, Anita Bottazzo, Olivia Peoples, and Micayla Cronk swam at the 2025 SEC Championships.
Yesterday, Crooks swam a big lifetime best to win the women’s 100 backstroke conference title. Today, she led off the relay in 51.11, putting the Volunteers in second-place heading into the breaststroke leg. Siroky, the 100 breaststroke silver medalist, split 57.23, keeping the team in second-place as Florida surged into the lead off Bottazzo’s breaststroke split.
Hirai split 50.52, just off the 50.46 she swam to win silver in the women’s 100 butterfly earlier this session. Her split gave Tennessee their first lead of the race as she touched in 2:38.86, narrowly ahead of Florida (2:38.95). Camille Spink has been Tennessee’s go-to sprinter throughout her collegiate career and she delivered again this evening, fresh off defending her 200 freestyle title. Spink anchored the relay in 45.72, stopping the clock at 3:24.58. Her split falls just outside the all-time top 10 (Taylor Ruck currently holds the 10th fastest time in 45.65).
Split Comparison
| New SEC Record — Tennessee (2026) | F0rmer SEC Record — Florida (2025) | ||
| Jillian Crooks | 51.11 | Bella Sims | 48.97 |
| McKenzie Siroky | 1:48.34 (57.23) | Anita Bottazzo | 1:46.52 (57.55) |
| Mizuki Hirai | 2:38.86 (50.52) | Olivia Peoples | 2:37.12 (50.60) |
| Camille Spink | 3:24.58 (45.72) | Micayla Cronk | 3:24.78 (47.66) |
Sims’ 100 backstroke lead-off was a huge swim for the record-setting Florida team. This year’s Tennessee team were off the well off record pace at the first exchange but steadily ate away at the record pace. The three following splits were all faster than the former record, though it took until the freestyle leg for the Volunteers to move ahead of Florida’s record-line.
Um can we have a moment for that free split by spink?
Sure. Exact same split as Okaro.
Wow bitter much?
45s are becoming insanely commonplace at this point