2017 SEC Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2017 SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 14 – Saturday, February 18
• Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, Knoxville, TN (Eastern Time Zone)
• Prelims 10AM / Finals 6PM
• Defending Champion: Florida men (4x), Texas A&M women (results)
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheet
• Live results
• Live Video

SEC swimming fans’ eyes are on Knoxville, Tennessee toight, as day 3 finals of the 2017 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships are underway. Tonight’s finals brings competition in the 400 IM, 100 fly, and 200 free for the men and women. Georgia’s Chase Kalisz and Florida’s Mark Szaranek highlight the men’s 400 IM, while a rematch between Texas A&M’s Sydney Pickrem and Tennessee’s Meghan Small looms on the women’s side. Florida’s Caeleb Dressel and Texas A&M’s Sarah Gibson will each be aiming for their 3nd individual SEC titles of the meet in the 100 fly. In the 200 free, Florida’s Maxime Rooney will be seeking his first SEC title as a freshman.

WOMEN’S 400 IM

1. Sydney Pickrem, Texas A&M, 4:02.25
2. Bethany Galat, Texas A&M, 4:03.88
3. Meghan Small, Tennessee, 4:04.93

Texas A&M’s Sydney Pickrem (4:02.25) lowered her personal best by 2 seconds en route to back-to-back SEC titles in the 400 IM. Pickrem took off on the backstroke leg to pass teammate Bethany Galat, never looking back to win the gold. Galat wound up 2nd, while Tennessee’s 200 IM champ Meghan Small touched 3rd. All 3 swimmers cleared the NCAA ‘A’ cut.

South Carolina’s Emma Barksdale had a big swim to take 4th in a personal best 4:06.07. She was just shy of the NCAA ‘A’ cut, but should still easily get an invite to the big meet. Georgia’s Emily Cameron followed to round out the top 5 in 4:07.69.

MEN’S 400 IM

1. Chase Kalisz, Georgia, 3:36.21
2. Mark Szaranek, Florida, 3:36.54
3. Jay Litherland, Georgia, 3:40.84

Georgia’s Chase Kalisz and Florida’s Mark Szaranek were stroke-for-stroke again in tongiht’s IM rematch.Szaranek once again thundered home, posting a 24.57 on the final 50 split, but Kalisz was able to hold him off, winning the race by 3 tenths. Kalisz’s time was a new SEC Meet Record. Szaranek’s time was a new personal best by almost 3 full seconds and a new Florida school record. Georgia’s defending champ Jay Litherland wound up 3rd in 3:40.84.

Auburn’s Joe Patching, the 2016 bronze medalist, was just off the podium tonight with a 4th place finish in 3:42.60, followed by South Carolina’s Tom Peribonio (3:43.45).

WOMEN’S 100 FLY

1. Sarah Gibson, Texas A&M, 50.71
2. Chelsea Britt, Georgia, 50.93
3. Maddy Banic, Tennessee, 51.50

Texas A&M’s Sarah Gibson and Georgia’s Chelsea Britt were neck-and-neck into the finish, but Gibson got her hands on the wall first to win back-to-back titles in 50.71 ahead of Britt’s 50.93. That time for Gibson was a new SEC Meet Record. Tennessee’s Maddy Banic earned the final podium spot in 51.50.

Auburn’s Haley Black (51.80) and Texas A&M’s Beryl Gastaldello (50.82) were also sub-52 to place 4th and 5th respectively.

MEN’S 100 FLY

1. Caeleb Dressel, Florida, 44.21
2. Jan Switkowski, Florida, 45.59
3. Andrew Sansoucie, Missouri, 45.82

Florida’s Caeleb Dressel unleashed the 4th fastest performance of all time to lower his own meet record and win the gold with a lightning fast 44.21. Teammate Jan Switkowski secured the Gator 1-2, taking silver in 45.59 ahead of Missouri’s bronze medalist Andrew Sansoucie (45.82).

MEN’S 3-METER DIVING

1. Tyler Henschel, Texas A&M, 478.40
2. Juan Celaya-Hernandez, LSU, 469.95
3. Liam Stone, Tennessee, 442.90

Texas A&M’s Tyler Henschel set a new SEC Record en route to his 3-meter diving gold, winning with a score of 478.40. LSU’s Juan Celaya-Hernandez was also under the former SEC Record with a score of 469.95 for 2nd place. Tennessee’s Liam Stone (442.90) edged out Florida’s Samuel Smith (440.20) to take bronze.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE

1. Geena Freriks, Kentucky, 1:44.26
2. Claire Rasmus, Texas A&M, 1:44.51
3. Meaghan Raab, Georgia, 1:44.57

Geena Freriks earned the first gold medal of the meet for the Kentucky women, throwing down a 1:44.21 to outpace Texas A&M’s Claire Rasmus (1:44.51) and Georgia’s Meaghan Raab (1:44.57). Auburn’s Erin Falconer reached in at 4th in 1:45.96, while Kentucky’s Kendal Casey rounded out the top 5 with a 1:46.50.

MEN’S 200 FREE

1. Maxime Rooney, Florida, 1:32.18
2. Khader Baqlah, Florida, 1:33.65
3. Fynn Minuth, South Carolina, 1:33.67

Florida freshman Maxime Rooney shattered his own 17-18 NAG Record of 1:33.05 from prelims, lowering his best time by almost a full second to win gold in 1:32.18. He finished a second and a half ahead of the field, as teammate Khader Baqlah (1:33.65) out-touched South Carolina’s Fynn Minuth (1:33.67) for the silver.

MEN’S TEAM SCORES THROUGH DAY 3

  1. Florida, University of          759.5   2. Georgia, University of            537
  3. Auburn University               495.5   4. Alabama, University of          415.5
  5. Texas A&M University              414   6. Tennessee, University of, Knox  409.5
  7. South Carolina, University of,    380   8. Louisiana State University        340
  9. Missouri, University of         326.5  10. Kentucky, University of         248.5

WOMEN’S TEAM SCORES THROUGH DAY 3

  1. Texas A&M University              729   2. Georgia, University of            601
  3. Auburn University                 493   4. Tennessee, University of, Knox    454
  5. Missouri, University of           430   6. Kentucky, University of           406
  7. Florida, University of            331   8. Louisiana State University        291
  9. South Carolina, University of,    248  10. Alabama, University of            221
 11. Arkansas, University of, Fayet    146  12. Vanderbilt University              30