2023 SEC Championships: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2023 SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 14 – Saturday, February 18, 2023
• Rec Center Natatorium, College Station, TX
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Tennessee (1x)
  • Men: Florida (10x)
• Championship Central
• Women’s Fan Guide
• Men’s Fan Guide
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Video

It’s back on record watch for the third finals session of the 2023 SEC Championships. Jordan Crooks took down Caeleb Dressel‘s 100 fly meet record with a 44.04. He opened in a sizzling 20.04 with a long turn; if he breaks 20 seconds in the final, he’ll be just the second man to go sub-20 on a flat start 50 fly. The first of course, was Dressel, with a 19.99 opening split.

With his prelims performance, Crooks became the seventh-fastest performer all-time in the event; and it’s very likely that he could be the next to go sub-44. Josh Liendo also had a strong morning swim, posting 44.34. If anyone’s going to challenge Crooks for gold, it will be him.

In the women’s 100 fly, NCAA record holder Maggie MacNeil posted a relaxed looking 51.12 to qualify first. She’s been on fire this week and will surely take a run at Erika Brown‘s SEC record of 49.38.

We’ll see the Gator women and Aggie men show off their depth in the 400 IM–both teams put three swimmers into the ‘A’ final, including top seeds Emma Weyant (4:06.44) and Baylor Nelson (3:39.58).

WOMEN’S 400 IM — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 3:54.60, Ella Eastin (STAN) – 2018 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 3:58.23, Sydney Pickrem (TAMU) — 2019 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 3:58.35, Elizabeth Beisel (FLOR) — 2012 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 4:03.62
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 4:11.60

Top 8:

1. Emma Weyant (FLOR) – 4:01.18
2. Lauren Poole (UKY) – 4:04.62
3. Giulia Goerigk (TAMU) – 4:06.84
4. Mabel Zavaros (FLOR) – 4:07.75
5. Kathleen Golding (FLOR) – 4:07.83
6. Gillian Davey (UKY) – 4:09.21
7. Hannah Ownbey (AUB) – 4:11.65
8. Laura Goettler (SCAR) – 4:13.37

Lauren Poole set the pace early, leading after the butterfly leg in 54.81. However, unlike the morning where she was sixth at the 100-yard mark, Emma Weyant didn’t let the field get too far ahead of her, as she turned for backstroke in third with a 56.07 fly split. She slowly ate into Poole’s lead, splitting 1:00.60 on backstroke and 1:09.19 on breaststroke. As the two turned for the final 100, Weyant got the lead for the first time in the race.

She didn’t look back, motoring home in 55.32 and opening an over three second gap between her and Poole. Weyant touched in 4:01.18, taking 2.06 seconds off the previous lifetime best that she swam at 2022 NCAAs to finish fourth.

Poole touched in 4:04.62, earning silver for the second straight year.

Giulia Goerigk used a strong back half (1:10.09/56.42) to get ahead of the other Gators in the heat, Mabel Zavaros and Kathleen Golding. Golding’s time of 4:07.83 takes six-tenths of a second off her previous personal best.

Notably, Florida freshman Zoe Dixon won the ‘B’ final in 4:06.18, a new lifetime best that would have been good for the bronze medal.

MEN’S 400 IM — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 3:31.84, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2023 ASU vs Cal
• SEC Record: 3:33.42, Chase Kalisz (UGA) — 2017 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 3:35.76, Hugo Gonzalez (AUB) — 2018 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:39.16
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 3:43.50

Top 8:

1. Baylor Nelson (TAMU) – 3:38.14
2. Anze Fers Erzen (TAMU) – 3:40.10
3. Ian Grum (UGA) – 3:40.32
4. Giovanni Linscheer (FLOR) – 3:40.90
5. Landon Driggers (TENN) – 3:40.94
6. Mason Laur (FLOR) – 3:42.28
7. Andres Puente Bustamante (TAMU) – 3:43.49
8. Zane Rosely (UKY) – 3:44.33

Georgia’s Ian Grum was out fast, leading after 200 yards. However, the Aggie duo of Baylor Nelson and Anze Fers Erzen ripped 1:01.62 and 1:02.27 breaststroke splits, respectively, to surge into the lead. In fact, after the breaststroke leg, Nelson had opened up an almost two second lead over the rest of the field. He came home in 52.41 to touch at 3:38.14, taking about two-tenths off the lifetime best he swam at the Art Adamson Invite.

Fers Erzen made it a 1-2 for the Aggies as he held off Grum’s charge on freestyle, earning second in 3:40.10. Grum grabbed bronze in 3:40.32, a huge improvement from this time last year when he swam 3:43.23 for silver. He holds a lifetime best of 3:39.01 from 2022 NCAAs.

WOMEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 48.89, Maggie MacNeil (MICH) – 2021 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 49.38, Erika Brown (TENN) — 2020 SEC Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 49.38, Erika Brown (TENN) — 2020 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.92
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 52.35

Top 8:

1. Maggie MacNeil (LSU) – 48.99 (SEC + MEET RECORD)
2. Meghan Lee (AUB) – 51.01
3. Rhyan White (BAMA) – 51.47
4. Andrea Sansores (ARK) – 51.77
5. Olivia Theall (TAMU) – 51.80
6. Olivia Peoples (FLOR) – 51.81
7. Callie Dickinson (UGA) – 52.02
8. Sara Stotler (TENN) – 52.64

Maggie MacNeil just obliterated the SEC and championship records, which were set at 49.38 by Erika Brown in 2020. MacNeil dipped under 49 seconds once again, posting 48.99. She lost her NCAA record to Kate Douglass earlier this evening as Douglass blazed 48.84, so MacNeil’s time is second in the NCAA.

She was out in 23.09, coming home in 25.90, actually making up ground on Douglass’s pace (the Cavalier split 25.98 on her second 50).

Meghan Lee continued to drop time, clocking 51.01 to win silver. Prior to this meet, Lee had never been under 52 seconds, over the course of the day she’s taken 1.24 seconds off her best.

Out of lane 8, Rhyan White made it onto the podium in this event for the third straight year.

Like Lee, Andrea Sansores had never been under 52 seconds before this meet. She also shed more time from her prelims swim of 51.86, shaving nine-hundredths off for a new personal best of 51.77.

MEN’S 100 BUTTERFLY — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 42.80, Caeleb Dressel (FLOR) – 2018 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 42.80, Caeleb Dressel (FLOR) – 2018 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 44.04, Jordan Crooks (TENN) — 2023 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.82
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 45.57

Top 8:

1. Josh Liendo (FLOR) – 44.11
2. Jordan Crooks (TENN) – 44.37
3. Clement Secchi (UMIZ) – 45.08
4. Bjoern Kammann (TENN) – 45.32
5. Aidan Stoffle (AUB) – 45.93
6. Connor Foote (TAMU) – 46.07
7. Luke Brice (TENN) – 46.18
8. Harrison Lierz (TENN) – 46.23

It was a great race between Josh Liendo and Jordan Crooks for the men’s 100 fly SEC title. Crooks had the lead at the 50, opening the race in 20.13. However, the Florida freshman had an answer on the second half of the race, powering home in 23.84 compared to Crooks’ 24.24. As in prelims, Liendo went no breath on the last 25 yards, and touched in a new lifetime best of 44.11.

Crooks earned second in 44.37, off the meet record 44.04 that he swam in prelims.

Fifth-year Clement Secchi continued to shed time, knocking another .13 seconds off his lifetime best with a 45.08. That brings his overall drop on the day to .97 seconds; he broke 46 seconds for the first time during prelims.

Half of the heat wore Tennessee caps an in addition to Crooks’ second place, Bjoern Kammann took fourth (45.32), while Luke Brice and Harrison Lierz finished seventh and eighth in 46.18 and 46.23.

WOMEN’S 200 FREESTYLE — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:39.10, Missy Franklin (CAL) – 2015 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 1:41.21, Meghan Romano (UGA) — 2012 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 1:41.83, Shannon Vreeland (UGA) — 2014 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:42.84
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 1:45.42

Top 8:

1. Brooklyn Douthwright (TENN) – 1:42.64
2. Chloe Stepanek (TAMU) – 1:43.37
3. Micayla Cronk (FLOR) – 1:43.77
4. Talia Bates (FLOR) – 1:44.37
5. Polina Nevmovenko (AUB) – 1:44.39
6. Ekaterina Nikonova (FLOR) – 1:44.63
7. Izzy Gati (UKY) – 1:44.97
8. Kaitlynn Wheeler (UKY) – 1:45.18

After flipping fourth at the 50,  Brooklyn Douthwright took control of this race on the second 50, splitting 26.01–the fastest in the field–to take over the lead from Ekaterina Nikonova. She didn’t let up on the gas, swimming a field best 26.03 on the third 50. She won the race in 1:42.64, over half a second ahead of Chloe Stepanek. The time is just off the 1:42.45 she swam leading off Tennessee’s 800 freestyle relay.

Stepanek’s 1:43.37 is a season-best, bettering the 1:43.54 she posted in prelims. Last year, Douthwright and Stepanek finished 2-3; this year, they’ve both taken one step up on the podium.

The Gators put three women into the ‘A’ final, and while they were running 1-2-3 after the first 50, they finished third, fourth, and sixth. Micayla Cronk earned bronze in 1:43.77, improving on the personal best she swam in prelims. She came into the meet with a 1:45.22 best, which she’s cut 1.45 seconds from over these two swims.

MEN’S 200 FREESTYLE — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:29.15, Dean Farris (HARV) – 2019 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 1:29.48, Kieran Smith (FLOR) — 2021 SEC Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 1:29.48, Kieran Smith (FLOR) — 2021 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:31.98
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 1:33.08

Top 8:

1. Charlie Hawke (BAMA) – 1:31.20
2. Jack Dahlgren (UMIZ) – 1:31.34
3. Macguire McDuff (FLOR) – 1:32.34
4. Max Berg (UKY) – 1:33.00
5. Brooks Curry (LSU) – 1:33.15
6. Kaique Alves (BAMA) – 1:33.73
7. Bradley Dunham (UGA) – 1:33.76
8. Koko Bratanov (TAMU) – 1:33.93

It came down to the touch in the final race of the night between sophomore Charlie Hawke and ffith-year Jack Dahlgren. Hawke got his hand on the wall first in 1:31.20, a new lifetime best by three-tenths. Dahlgren finished .14 seconds behind Hawke and just off the lifetime best 1:31.17 he swam leading off Missouri’s 800 freestyle relay. Last year, Dahlgren finished fifth in this event.

Kentucky’s Max Berg swam a bold race, flipping at the 100 in 44.06, over a half-second up on the rest of the field. Over the next 100 yards, Hawke, Dahlgren, and Macguire McDuff all passed him, but he still held on for fourth in a personal best 1:33.00. For his part, McDuff also swam a lifetime best, dropping .11 seconds off his morning swim to earn bronze in 1:32.34.

In the ‘B’ final, we got the battle of the Jakes again, as Jake Magahey and Jake Mitchell faced off. Magahey, who finished fourth last year, won the heat in 1:32.43, a time which would’ve earned him another fourth place if he’d swum it in the ‘A’ final. Mitchell was just behind in 1:32.69, a new personal best.

MEN’s 3-METER DIVING — FINALS

• SEC Record: 495.15, Zhipeng (Colin) Zheng (TENN) — 2018 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 483.15, Zhipeng (Colin) Zheng (TENN) — 2019 SEC Championships

Top 8:

1. Bryden Hattie (TENN) – 429.20
2. Victor Povzner (TAMU) – 412.65
3. Takuto Endo (TAMU) – 400.35
4. Conner Pruitt (AUB) – 394.85
5. Manny Vazquez Bas (SCAR) – 391.90
6. Rhett Hensley (TAMU) – 375.40
7. Charley Bayer (SCAR) – 317.10
8. Sam Duncan (UKY) – 288.10

Junior Bryden Hattie earned the win on the 3-meter, collecting big points for the Vols. In fact, the top three schools in the team race were well represented here, taking the top four spots.

1-meter champion Victor Povzner earned second, while his Aggie teammates Takuto Endo and Rhett Hensley took third and sixth, meaning that it’s Texas A&M that earned the most points from this event.

South Carolina also had multiple representatives in the ‘A’ flight, with senior Manny Vazquez Bas and freshman Charley Bayer finishing fifth and seventh.

Team Scores Thru Day 3

Women

1. Florida – 760
2. Tennessee – 483
3. Kentucky – 452
4. LSU – 439
5. Georgia – 391
6. South Carolina – 385
7. Alabama – 364
8. Auburn – 326
9. Texas A&M – 319
10. Arkansas – 245
11. Missouri – 217
12. Vanderbilt – 94

Men

1. Florida – 810.5
2. Texas A&M – 628
3. Auburn – 560
4. Tennessee – 537
5. Georgia – 424.5
6. Alabama – 354
7. Missouri – 297.5
8. South Carolina – 270.5
9. Kentucky – 266
10. LSU – 177

Florida is still solidly in control of both the women’s and men’s meets. On the women’s side, LSU could not fend off Tennessee and Kentucky’s depth any more, and both teams passed the Tigers in the standings. Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama all outscored their projected totals for the day.

Texas A&M was projected to take sole ownership of second place during finals, but only by a half point over Tennessee. Those projections did not include diving, and thus, they were missing an important part of the story. The Aggies diving crew has shown up at this meet, and went 2-3-6 on the 3-meter today to rake in points. Thus, Texas A&M has a solid grip on second place as they’re 68 points up on Auburn.