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
The 2017 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships will come to a close tonight, as we’re get ready for the final night of action in Knoxville, Tennessee. Swimmers will compete in the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 400 free relay, while the men’s divers will compete in the platform finals. Auburn and Alabama are closely matched in the men’s team battle for 3rd. Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri are still pretty close together, so the teams will all be battling for a top 5 spot behind Texas A&M and Georgia, who sealed the deal this morning to take 1st and 2nd respectively.
Florida’s Caeleb Dressel will chase his own SEC Meet Record and Nathan Adrian’s Pool Record in the 100 free. The Kentucky women’s backstroke group, led by freshman Asia Seidt and reigning NCAA champ Danielle Galyer, will attemp a podium sweep in the 200 back, but Missouri’s Hannah Stevens and Texas A&M’s Lisa Bratton are big title threats. The men’s 200 breast is another one of the top races to watch tonight, with Auburn’s defending SEC champ Michael Duderstadt, Missouri’s Fabian Schwingenschlogl, Alabama’s Anton McKee, and South Carolina’s Nils Wich-Glasen contending.
WOMEN’S 1650 FREE
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 15:53.50
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 16:30.59
- Ashley Neidigh, Auburn, 15:56.95
- Autumn Finke, Florida, 16:06.64
- Rachel Zilinskas, Georgia, 16:10.72
Auburn’s Ashley Neidigh and Arkansas’ Ayumi Macias were locked in battle for the 1st 500 of the mile, but Neidigh pulled ahead and never looked back as she won the gold with a personal best time by nearly 20 seconds in 15:56.95. Florida’s distance star Autumn Finke charged to a 16:06.64 to give the Florida women their first individual medal of the meet, taking silver in 16:06.64. Georgia’s Rachel Zilinskas (16:10.72) made her move on the last 500 to take bronze, finishing just ahead of Kentucky’s Kendal Casey (16:11.90).
MEN’S 1650 FREE
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 14:44.43
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 15:30.39
- Akaram Mahmoud, South Carolina, 14:38.91
- Mitch D’Arrigo, Florida, 14:45.96
- Cody Bekemeyer, South Carolina, 14:49.09
South Carolina’s Akaram Mahmoud succesfully defended his SEC title in a blazing 14:38.91, clearing the NCAA ‘A’ cut by a long shot. His teammate, Cody Bekemeyer, had a big swim to give the Gamecocks 2 on the podium with his 14:49.09 behind Florida’s All-American Mitch D’Arrigo (14:45.96). Florida stacked up big points, with Andrew Brady (14:50.05) and Ben Lawless (14:51.03) taking 4th and 5th respectively.
WOMEN’S 200 BACK
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:51.95
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:59.19
- Asia Seidt, Kentucky, 1:50.22
- Danielle Galyer, Kentucky, 1:51.17
- Hannah Stevens, Missouri, 1:51.41
Kentucky freshman Asia Seidt unleashed a blistering 1:50.22 to dominate a stacked 200 back field and win her first career SEC gold. She finished nearly a full second ahead of her teammate and reigning NCAA champ Danielle Galyer (1:51.17). Missouri’s Hannah Stevens made a big move on the final 50, winning bronze in 1:51.41 ahead of Tennessee’s Meghan Small (1:51.91). Texas A&M’s defending champ Lisa Bratton wound up 5th in 1:52.08.
MEN’S 200 BACK
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:39.87
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:46.39
- Christopher Reid, Alabama, 1:39.64
- Connor Oslin, Alabama, 1:40.35
- Joe Patching, Auburn, 1:40.46
Alabama’s backstroke duo brought home a Crimson Tide 1-2, as Christopher Reid threw down a winning 1:39.64 to clear the NCAA ‘A’ cut and Connor Oslin picked up the silver with a quick 1:40.35 to out-touch Auburn’s defending SEC champ Joe Patching (1:40.46). Reid’s big move came on the back half, as he flipped with a 25.21 on the 3rd 50 and finished with a final 50 split of 24.96.
WOMEN’S 100 FREE
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 47.69
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 49.99
- Olivia Smoliga, Georgia, 47.37
- Chantal Van Landeghem, Georgia, 47.74
- Veronica Burchill, Georgia, 47.99
The Bulldogs swept the 100 free podium, with all 3 swimmers breaking the 48 second barrier. Reigning NCAA champ Olivia Smoliga led the way, winning gold and clearing the NCAA ‘A’ cut with her 47.37, followed by Chantal van Landeghem and freshman Veronica Burchill. Texas A&M’s Beryl Gastaldello finished just off the podium, touching in 48.02 ahead of LSU’s Leah Troskot (48.53).
MEN’S 100 FREE
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 42.25
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 44.29
- Caeleb Dressel, Florida, 41.24
- Michael Chadwick, Missouri, 41.95
- Kyle Decoursey, Tennessee, 42.07
Florida’s Caeleb Dressel was just over a tenth shy of his own Meet Record, but cleared Nathan Adrian’s Pool Record with his winning time of 41.24. Missouri’s Michael Chadwick blazed to a 41.95 for 2nd place, while Tennessee’s Kyle Decoursey nearly cleared the 42 second barrier himself to take bronze in 42.07.
Alabama’s Laurent Bams collected a 4th place finish with his 42.75, while Auburn teammates Zach Apple and Peter Holoda tied for 5th in 42.78. Notably, Alabama’s Zane Waddell turned in a 42.30 ti win the B-final, which was the 4th fastest time of the night.
WOMEN’S 200 BREAST
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 2:07.33
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 2:15.99
- Sydney Pickrem, Texas A&M, 2:06.65
- Ashley McGregor, Texas A&M, 2:07.54
- Bethany Galat, Texas A&M, 2:08.09
The Aggies came right back with a podium sweep of their own, led by Sydney Pickrem with an NCAA ‘A” cut and new best time of 2:06.65.
MEN’S 200 BREAST
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 1:52.99
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 1:59.79
- Anton McKee, Alabama, 1:52.22
- Nils Wich-Glasen, South Carolina, 1:52.41
- Fabian Schwingenschlogl, Missouri, 1:52.61
The men’s 200 breast came down to the final 50, with 4 men all within a couple of tenths of each other. Auburn’s defending SEC champ Michael Duderstadt held the lead, but Alabama’s Anton McKee made a big move on the final 50 to claim the SEC title in 1:52.22, just out-touching South Carolina’s Nils Wich-Glasen (1:52.41). Narrowly behind was Missouri’s Fabian Schwingenshlogl, taking bronze in 1:52.61. Auburn’s Duderstadt held on for 4th place in 1:53.22.
MEN’S PLATFORM DIVING
- Juan Celaya Hernandez, LSU, 496.55
- Scott Lazeroff, Auburn, 461.00
- Tyler Henschel, Texas A&M, 435.40
LSU freshman Juan Celaya Hernandez secured the men’s platform title with an SEC Record score of 496.55. Rounding out the podium were Auburn’s Scott Lazeroff and Texas A&M’s Tyler Henschel, while Kentucky’s Sebastian Masterton just missed the top 3 with a score of 423.05.
WOMEN’S 400 FREE RELAY
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 3:15.78
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 3:17.11
- Georgia, 3:12.19
- Texas A&M, 3:13.37
- Auburn, 3:14.84
Olivia Smoliga got the Bulldogs going with a 47.93 leadoff split, and teammate Chantal Van Landeghem brought it home with a 47.26 anchor split to win the race for Georgia. Texas A&M followed with Beryl Gastaldello clocking a 48.07 anchor split, while Auburn rounded out the medals, highlighted by a 48.31 split on the 2nd leg from freshman Julie Meynen.
MEN’S 400 FREE RELAY
- NCAA ‘A’ cut: 2:52.45
- NCAA ‘B’ cut: 2:53.68
- Florida, 2:47.09
- Alabama, 2:49.68
- Auburn, 2:50.54
Florida’s Caeleb Dressel came up with a huge 40.20 split to give the Gators the lead on the 3rd leg, with Jan Switkowski bringing it home to complete the Florida men’s relay sweep. Alabama picked up the silver with a 42.25 from Christopher Reid on the 3rd leg, while Auburn brought home bronze after a 42.03 anchor split from Kyle Darmody.
Missouri’s Michael Chadwick had the 2nd fastest split of the field, throwing down a 41.48 on the 2nd leg.
FINAL WOMEN’S TEAM SCORES
1. Texas A&M University 1304 2. Georgia, University of 1113 3. Kentucky, University of 938 4. Tennessee, University of, Knox 855 5. Auburn University 849 6. Missouri, University of 786 7. Florida, University of 624 8. Louisiana State University 550 9. South Carolina, University of, 505 10. Alabama, University of 464 11. Arkansas, University of, Fayet 284 12. Vanderbilt University 104
FINAL MEN’S TEAM SCORES
1. Florida, University of 1271.5 2. Georgia, University of 985 3. Auburn University 925.5 4. Alabama, University of 897 5. Missouri, University of 771 6. Tennessee, University of, Knox 770.5 7. Texas A&M University 759 8. South Carolina, University of, 696 9. Louisiana State University 641 10. Kentucky, University of 481.5
*Editor’s Note: Auburn’s Ashley Neidigh is the sister of author Lauren Neidigh.
Saturday’s highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtVxfEcefbg
No exchange transition time… No DQ’s in any relays after they turned off the timing system. The 40.2 is tainted. Sad.
He was slow on the exchange. What you are really saying is no relay split ever was legal before the take off pads.
Just saying that turning a system off on purpose because you don’t like that your swimmers are getting caught departing early is sad. I didn’t see the swim, but turning the system off is sketchy at best and is certainly a poor reflection on the SEC and meet committee.
You didn’t watch it! Then you didn’t see his take-off which was slow…. and I suppose under your rationale that any relays which didn’t use some sort of electronic system are tainted as well? There has been/is debate as to whether such systems are accurate. Personally I don’t like them. I also take issue with your assumption of motivation for using or not using the system. I doubt you were privy to the discussions regarding the decision.
I never made a claim that I saw his exchange. It could have been slow or fast, we’ll never know. I would question all relays where the meet committee decides to turn off the primary mechanism designed to prevent cheating.
The NCAA has the authority to nullify the relay times for entry purposes at the 2017 Championship. and they should strongly consider that option.
I was at the SEC’s and the system was flawed. They spent 30 minutes after the women’s 200 medley because the system said 5 teams DQ’d. Coaches had video and photo proof that these were not false starts. The officials would not agree to look at video because they didn’t want to do it the rest of the week! The decision to turn off a system that was not working was the best decision that was made all week in a very poorly run meet.
Then the coaches can post the video. The officials were correct to not review the video if video review is not identified in the Meet Book. It’s not that they didn’t want to, they are not permitted to. At least someone was following a rule or two…
So now you are saying the officials were the only ones following the rules after you ripped them for modifying the rules. I don’t know what all the rules are, but what I stated is what the officials told my son’s coach. So maybe the officials didn’t know if they could or not. They answer our coach got was they didn’t want to start reviewing videos and pictures because it would “open up a can of worms they didn’t want to open and have it be an issue all week”. That answer doesn’t sound official to me but was the answer we got from the official. This meet had so many issues this was just one of many.
The meet committee, meet director, or the conference had to make that decision to remove the timing system. The officials just interpret the rules based upon the USA swimming and NCAA rule book as well as the Meet Book defining specifics for the meet. The Meet Book should reference the timing system utilized for the championship, so a change to the Meet Book was a decision above the deck officials in the decision making process. DQ’s are not unusual at conference meets on relays. Five in one event is unusual, but not out of the rhelm of possibilities for a sprint relay.
If no action is taken against the SEC, all other conferences yet to compete should also disable the… Read more »
Why is your assumption that the system was working correctly? Why would the decision to turn it off be made if it was working correctly. Why would you penalize every swimmer there for having to compete against a flawed system? We were told it was a new system and it was obvious it wasn’t working. Your statement that “they” turned it off because they didn’t like their swimmers getting DQ’d sounds like you are pointing a finger at Tennessee and they weren’t DQ’d. So to say the other four coaches have that power is ridiculous. How do you know that at other meets in the past that this hasn’t been done? I haven’t heard of it and if it did… Read more »
Post it where and to what effect? If video cannot be used to overturn a call or to make a call (as you said and I’m not saying it could have been used), posting a video someplace for the public like you to view is useless other than to assuage your complaint. If instead they showed video to the meet director and the committee to have the system turned off to prevent wrong calls, then it served its purpose. I don’t know if this is what happened, but this assumption is just as valid as yours. Personally I find your complaint is misplaced and without merit.
Post the video to defend the decision to turn off the timing system and protect the integrity of the SEC. Send it to SwimSwam, I’m sure they would be happy to post it.
Posting video for public to see is useless?
Or…transparent. Either way.
What’s sad is a person making a statement like this without any proof to back it up. I hope you’re around to watch when Caeleb Dressel flat starts below 40. But, I think you would probably try and invent someway to invalidate that as well. ?
I hope he does go sub-40, but that has nothing to do with the decision to turn off a system that prevents cheating on relays. The proof is that the results show “NRT” instead of a transition time.
Mr Grumpy….here’s the 400 free video so that you can view the race and clearly see that just as Rowdy Gaines said… Dressel was extra cautious on his start.
https://youtu.be/As-7eFuAYhw
FYI, the Gator relay had the lead before Caeleb’s awesome third leg.
Tennessee women 4th, men 6th. They’ve seemed a bit off this year…
Tennessee men finished the same place they did last year at SECs…
Anton McKee
Connor Oslin
I would like to say that LSU’s Juan Celaya Hernandez, not only won the platform but set a SEC record
Oh and he’s only a freshman
No clue why this is getting downvoted that’s awesome
He did such a great job!!!☺
So happy to see the Kentucky women doing so well. Lars is a fantastic coach, and he has completely turned that team around. I’m sure it’s gotta be a bit of vindication for him too beating Tennessee.