2021 W. SECs Day 3: Bonnett, Pearl, and Yager All Scratch 100 Breast for 400 IM

SEC – WOMEN SWIMMING & DIVING + MEN’S DIVING

• Wednesday, February 17 – Saturday, February 20, 2021
• W Swimming: Gabrielsen Natatorium – Athens, GA (Eastern Time Zone)
• W&M Diving: Mizzou Aquatics Center – Columbia, MO (Central Time Zone)
• Defending Champion: Tennessee (1x) (2020 results)
• Live results
• Live Video – SEC Network
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets (UPDATED)
• Friday Prelims Heat Sheet

When meets allow swimmers to be over-entered event-wise, we tend to see a lot of scratches on the second full day of college championships, where the schedule lends itself to greater event flexibility, and sure enough, there plenty of SEC swimmers scratched out of one more events tomorrow, although there were no huge surprises.

The 100 fly will take the biggest hit, in terms of losing swimmers who were seeded in the top 10. Missouri’s Sarah Thompson (4th), Georgia’s Courtney Harnish (6th), and Florida Talia Bates (9th) all scratched, as did Tennessee’s Mona McSharry (14th). Bates also scratched out of the 100 back, where she was seeded 6th.

Bates and Harnish  will instead all square off in the 200 free. Bates hold the #3 seed in that event, while Harnish took 3rd there last year. Thompson will focus on the 100 back, where she took 4th last year, and McSharry will focus on the 100 breast, where she holds the top seed.

The 100 breast and 200 free both saw a lot of top 20 swimmers scratch in favor of the 400 IM. Kentucky’s Bailey Bonnett (10th seed), Florida’s Vanessa Pearl (13th), and Tennessee’s Alexis Yager (16th) all scratched the 100 breast. Pearl and Bonnett took 2nd and 3rd in the 400 IM last year, with Yager finishing 6th.

Arkansas’ Peyton Palsha (11th) and Auburn’s Emily Hetzer (17th) scratched the 200 free for the 400 IM, while Georgia’s Portia Brown scratched as the 14th seed in the 400 IM, opting to swim the 100 back, where she’s the 12th seed.