2024 SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
It’s time for our first individual finals at the 2024 SEC Championships. After a diving and relays on the first days, today we’ve got finals of the 500 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, and men’s 3-meter diving. Additionally, the 200 free relay final starts the session.
Abby McCulloh swam a personal best 4:37.43 for the top seed in the women’s 500 freestyle, securing an NCAA ‘A’ cut in the process. She’s followed by Emma Weyant (4:38.43) and last year’s champion Rachel Stege (4:39.10) who qualified 2nd and 3rd after winning their prelims heats. Hayden Miller joined the three under the 4:40 barrier for the first time in her career.
At 2023 SECs, the men’s 500 freestyle was the battle of the Jakes as Jake Mitchell and Jake Magahey faced off in the championship final. They’re both back, but neither are the top qualifier. Lane 4 belongs to Auburn’s Mason Mathias who has made consistent progress in this event over the last year. Magahey qualified just a tenth behind Mathias, while Mitchell qualified in 7th. Another swimmer to keep an eye on here is Charlie Hawke, who swam a big PB of 1:30.75 leading off Alabama’s 800 freestyle relay.
The only 2023 SEC champion who won’t be defending their title this year is the now-graduated Maggie MacNeil. Zoie Hartman, Baylor Nelson, and Jordan Crooks are all looking for back-to-back golds. Hartman has a tough task ahead of her in the women’s 200 IM. Not only is there Josephine Fuller who owns the top qualifying time with a PB 1:53.59 but there’s a trio of Gators lurking.
Bella Sims was in front of SEC record time through the first half of her 200 IM from heat 1. She won’t have as much clean water tonight, but she should have more in store than her 1:55.12. Then there are her teammates Zoe Dixon and Isabel Ivey, who are separated by just .12 seconds as the 3rd and 4th seeds.
Sophomore Baylor Nelson aims for a repeat men’s 200 IM title. He looked comfortable in his morning swim–1:42.82 for 3rd seed. Joaquín González Piñero swam a PB to lead a championship final that will be half Gators.
Crooks is the final returning champion. Last year, he roared to a 17.93 for the title, becoming just the second man to get under the 18 second barrier. He swam a 18.30, improving his NCAA-leading time by a tenth. He’s followed by five other men who went sub-19 in prelims including Josh Liendo (18.77), Macguire McDuff (18.87), Gui Caribe (18.88), Adam Chaney (18.96), and Jere Hribar (18.99)
TEAM SCORES THRU DAY 1
WOMEN:
- Auburn — 167
- Florida — 160
- Tennessee — 147
- LSU — 146
- Georgia — 134
- Texas A&M — 129
- Alabama — 127
- Missouri — 107
- South Carolina — 99
- Kentucky — 98
- Vanderbilt — 62
MEN:
- Texas A&M — 199
- Florida — 180
- Tennessee — 155
- Georgia — 150
- Auburn — 127
- Alabama — 116
- Missouri — 111
- LSU — 106
- Kentucky — 101
- South Carolina — 93
WOMEN’S 200 FREE RELAY — Final
- NCAA Record: 1:23.87, Virginia – 2023 ACC Championships
- SEC Record: 1:25.41, Auburn – 2020 SEC Championships
- SEC Championship Record: 1:25.41, Auburn (2020)
- 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:28.43
- 2024 NCAA ‘B’ Standard: 1:29.21
Top 8:
- Florida (Sims, Ivey, Peoples, Cronk) — 1:26.51 (NCAA ‘A’ Standard)
- Tennessee (McSharry, Spink, Myers, Rumley) — 1:26.87 (NCAA ‘A’ Standard)
- Auburn (Mulvihill, Steckiel, Ficken, Klevanovich) — 1:27.46 (NCAA ‘A’ Standard)
- Alabama — 1:27.85 (NCAA ‘A’ Standard)
- Georgia — 1:28.31 (NCAA ‘A’ Standard)
- LSU — 1:28.64
- Missouri — 1:28.78
- Arkansas — 1:28.81
Florida’s quartet of Bella Sims, Isabel Ivey, Olivia Peoples, and Micayla Cronk kept the Gator women perfect in the relays so far this meet with a win in the 200 freestyle relay. Sims led-off with a personal best 21.88, breaking 22 seconds for the first time in her career. That time would’ve easily qualified her for the 50 free…
This article was originally published by a swimswam.com . Read the Original article here. .