2024 SEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 19 – February 24, 2024
- James E. Martin Aquatic Center — Auburn, AL
- Defending Champions: Florida
- Start Times (Central Time): 9:30 am prelims/5:30 pm finals
- Day 1 (diving only): 11 am prelims/4:20 pm finals
- Day 2: 11 am prelims (diving only)/ 5 pm (relays only)
- Championship Central
- 2023 SEC Championships Box Score
- Major Conference Roster Limits and Scoring Rules
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Video (SEC+ Network)
- Day 1 Finals Recap
Day 2 Prelims Heat Sheet
The thrilling rematch of the Georgia Invite’s 500 freestyle is going to have to wait. After dueling up and down the pool for 20 lengths last November, Florida first-year Bella Sims has scratched out of the 500 and will not square off against Georgia’s Rachel Stege.
Sims, who held down the top seed with her 4:32.53 from the aforementioned meet, is also the top seed in the 4oo IM (4:01.47), 200 fly (1:54.05), and 200 back (1:51.15). Interestingly, it appears that Sims will swim the 200 IM on Day 2 of the SEC Champs.
The Florida freshman, who is also the #24 seed in the 100 free (49.20) and the #2 seed in the 200 free (1:43.04), a race she just broke the SEC record in by virtue of her 1:40.90 lead-off, has opted to appear in the very first heat of the 200 IM. Entered with No Time, Bella Sims will swim in lane three in the first of eight heats.
Joining Sims in the 200 IM is fellow Gator Isabel Ivey. In her first SEC Champs, Ivey enters as the top seed in the event (1:54.18) but will have not only Zoie Hartman and Josephine Fuller to worry about but also Sims.
To focus on the 200 IM and other events like the 100 fly(50.60) and 200 free(1:43.03) where she is the top seed, Ivey has scratched out of this morning’s 50 free, where she was the #7 seed (22.29).
Outside of the two Gators, the only other top eight to scratch an event this morning is Georgia’s Ian Grum. Grum’s scratch makes some sense as he is the #2 seed in the 400 IM (3:40.41), and he holds down the 4th seed in the 200 fly (1:43.24) and 200 back (1:38.88).
All Top-24 Scratches
- W 500 Free
- #1 Bella Sims (Florida) – 4:32.53
- #12 Chloe Stepanek (Texas A&M) – 4:42.60
- #17 Amy Riordan (South Carolina) – 4:43.82
- #24 Mia Abruzzo (Georgia) – 4:47.40
- M 500 Free
- #12 Bradley Dunham (Georgia) – 4:17.80
- W 200 IM
- #16 Abigail Ahrens (Texas A&M) – 1:59.42
- #18 Miranda Grana (Texas A&M) – 1:59.58
- #24 Olivia Theall (Texas A&M) – 2:00.21
- M 200 IM
- #8 Ian Grum (Georgia) – 1:44.15
- #23 Thomas Shomper (Texas A&M) – 1:46.25
- W 50 Free
- #7 Isabel Ivey (Florida) – 22.29
- #21 Josephine Fuller (Tennessee) – 22.63
- M 50 Free
- #12 Ruard Van Renen (Georgia) – 19.53
She is going to absolutely body that first heat dear lord
i’d like to see conference and NCAA’s in LCM during an olympic year. Better prep
I agree.At least in olympic years, but if I was in charge it would be lcm whenever possible in any year.I,m Canadian and we just had our usual menu of local clubs invitationals and provincials this week.Most of our clubs operate in 25m pools with exposure to 50m only when they travel to big meets in the city.So when they travel to the city for provincials it drives me crazy to see the host cut the pool in half and make it a 25m meet.For what?The ultimate goal is the Olympics which will always be 50m.I think it must be very beneficial to get as much 50m practice as possible.I had 3 of my kids as swimmers who trained in… Read more »
Only a handful of these swimmers will be participating in the Olympics and 95% of these swimmers are at the pinnacle meet of their careers. Training specifically for this. Dont change it up for anything else.
You could argue for SCM but I’m totallly against LCM. Short course is what NCAA swimming is all about
Bella Sims is a generational talent. Go Bella!
She’s good but generational talent might be a stretch.
Not really. She’s very versatile and can swim pretty much anything. Winning Olympic silver at 16 on a relay is also very impressive.
“Generational talent” is so overused it doesn’t mean much, but it *should* mean a talent that comes along once a generation. i.e Phelps, Ledecky, Milak, McIntosh (it looks like)
Seeing the term generational talent being used so much now is like watching a rerun of Oprah. Instead of saying “ you win a prize and you win a prize it’s you are generational and you are generational and everyone wins a generational tag.
Considering she could win all but maybe 3 events at SECs I’d says she’s a generational talent.
Gretchen Walsh is way better.
Sims was better in high school and has Walsh levels of potential
I guess we have a different opinion of what a generational talent is.
Being the best swimmer in a conference isn’t generational to me.
Being extremley versatile isn’t generational to me.
Breaking NCAA records and winning individual medals at the Olympics at a young age is what a generational talent does. It’s unlikely she’ll ever break an NCAA record, win an individual Olympic Gold, let alone break a WR.
Wont be shocked if she breaks an NCAA record along the way
What NCAA record do you think she has the best chance at breaking – maybe the 2 back?
Anyone know Bella’s PB in the 2 IM?
1:52.73 from December 2022
152.73
Cool move. Gather data pre NCAA.