Tennesse’s Small Takes Down 200 IM SEC Record

2019 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, February 19 – Saturday, February 23
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (Eastern Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Texas A&M Women (3x), Florida men (6x)(results)
• Live results
• Live Video – SEC Network
• Championship Central
• Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet

On Day 2 of the SEC Championships, the 2018 SEC record and 2014 UGA pool record in the women’s 200 IM was taken down by Meghan Small with a 1:51.66.

The race was down to former SEC record-holder Sydney Pickrem of Texas A&M and Tennesse’s  Meghan Small. Both Pickrem and Small were 1:53.01 in prelims, so a close race was bound to happen. After Pickrem’s push in the breast, the duo were dead even throughout the last 50 yards of the race. But Small took out Pickrem by 0.04 seconds and wrote her name on the record.

Originally reported by James Sutherland.

WOMEN’S 200 IM FINAL

• SEC Meet Record: 1:52.69, Sydney Pickrem (Texas A&M), 2018
• Pool Record: 1:52.87, Melanie Margalis (Georgia), 2014
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:54.31

1. Meghan Small, TENN, 1:51.62
2. Sydney Pickrem, TA&M, 1:51.66
3. Emma Barksdale, SCAR, 1:53.27

Meghan Small came out on top in what was an epic duel with Sydney Pickrem in the women’s 200 IM, with Small building a lead of six-tenths on the front half and then Pickrem closing that gap on the breast leg. The two turned just .02 apart heading into the free leg, where Small (26.50) narrowly outdid Pickrem (26.52) to get the victory in 1:51.62.

She smashes Pickrem’s SEC Championship Record of 1:52.69 set last year, along with the Pool Record of 1:52.87 set by Melanie Margalis in 2014, and also lowers the best time she set in the prelims (1:53.01). Pickrem also went a best time for 2nd in 1:51.66, eclipsing the 1:52.35 she went at NCAAs last season.

Small and Pickrem now rank 3rd and 4th all-time in the event, trailing only Ella Eastin (1:50.67) and Kathleen Baker (1:51.25).

Both Emma Barksdale and Vanessa Pearl set best times in the prelims like Small, and followed up by going faster tonight as well. Barksdale was 3rd in 1:53.27, under her 1:53.73, while Pearl, a freshman, got all the way down to 1:53.98 after going 1:55.18 in the morning.

Kentucky’s Asia Seidt, an NCAA ‘A’ finalist last season, won the ‘B’ final in 1:54.39.