2023 SEC Championships: Day 4 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
• Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheets

DAY 4 FINALS HEAT SHEETS

It’s the penultimate finals session of the 2023 SEC Championships, and there’s more big races on tap. Several swimmers are looking to repeat as champions, including Rhyan White, Adam Chaney, Mona McSharry, and Derek Maas.

White and Chaney aim to defend their titles in the 100 back. White, who qualified third this morning, is aiming for a four-peat in the event. Josephine Fuller (51.48) and Eboni McCarty (51.50), went faster than White this morning, with Fuller speeding home to out-touch White for the heat win.

Chaney qualified first in a blistering prelims swim of 44.64, within three-tenths of his personal best. Chaney even split his swim with a pair of 22.32 50s, perhaps indicating that he has more front-end speed to unleash tonight. He’s already well ahead of the field, as he was the only one to break 45 seconds in the heats.

Meanwhile, McSharry and Maas look to repeat as 100 breast champions. McSharry scared her SEC record in prelims, clocking 57.37, which moves her up to second in the nation this season. She’s got more than a second on the rest of the ‘A’ final, while Maas has some work to do as he qualified in seventh.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:49.51, Ella Eastin (STAN) – 2018 Pac-12 Championships
• SEC Record: 1:51.51, Riley Gaines (UK) – 2022 SEC Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 1:51.51, Riley Gaines (UK) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:52.86
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 1:56.14

Top 8:

1. Jenna Bridges (LSU) – 1:54.18
2. Callie Dickinson (UGA) – 1:54.63
3. Sara Stotler (TENN) – 1:54.88
4. Olivia Theall (TAMU) – 1:55.17
5. Betsy Wizard (UARK) – 1:55.35
6. Amanda Ray (FLOR) – 1:55.88
7. Greta Pelzek (SCAR) – 1:56.42

DQ: Izzy Gati (UKY) — false start

In the last five strokes, Jenna Bridges surged ahead of Sara Stotler and got her hands on the wall first, touching in 1:54.18 to win the SEC title in the women’s 200 fly. According to ESPN, she is LSU’s first SEC champion in the event since 1986. Bridges was charging on the last 50, splitting a field-best 29.14.

Last year, Nichols finished 18th in 1:57.07. That was the sophomore’s lifetime best until her 1:55.14 in prelims, and she just took off another .96 seconds in this swim. Over the course of the day she took 2.89 seconds off her best.

This race was all Stotler–she led from the start through the final turn–until she tightened up in the closing yards. She still earned a medal, touching in 1:54.88 for third.

Like Bridges, Callie Dickinson came charging in the home stretch and she earned silver in a season best 1:54.63.

MEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 1:37.35, Jack Conger (TEX) – 2017 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 1:38.69, Shaine Casas (TAMU) – 2021 American Short Course Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 1:39.00, Luca Urlando (UGA) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:40.20
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 1:42.42

Top 8:

1. Clement Secchi (UMIZ) – 1:41.07
2. Joaquín González Piñero (FLOR) – 1:41.37
3. Mason Wilby (UKY) – 1:41.59
4. Martin Espernberger (TENN) – 1:41.91
5. Mateo Miceli (BAMA) – 1:42.02
6. Jan Zubik (UMIZ) – 1:42.64
7. Mason Laur (FLOR) – 1:42.80
8. Andrew Abruzzo (UGA) – 1:43.63

Fifth-year Clement Secchi lead from wire to wire in the men’s 200 fly, earning a conference title in his SEC championship debut and giving the Missouri Tigers their first 200 fly champion. Secchi was out like a rocket in lane 7, turning at the 100 in 47.67, .45 seconds ahead of Mason Wilby, who turned next at 48.12.

Both Wilby and Joaquín González Piñero made their move on Secchi in the back half of the race. González Piñero closed especially quickly, splitting 53.11 on the second 100 to get within three-tenths of Secchi. He ran out of room though, and grabbed second in 1:41.37, a new personal best.

Wilby won bronze for the second straight year, holding off Tennessee freshman Martin Espernberger for the final spot on the podium. Espernberger’s time is a personal best and vaults him up the Tennessee all-time rankings to #2. He just missed Mel Stewart‘s program record of 1:41.78.

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 48.74, Katharine Berkoff (NCSU) – 2022 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 50.02, Rhyan White (BAMA) – 2020 SEC Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 50.02, Rhyan White (BAMA) – 2020
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 50.89
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 52.46

Top 8:

1. Rhyan White (BAMA) – 50.92
2. Josephine Fuller (TENN) – 51.26
3. Eboni McCarty (UGA) – 51.35
4. Meredith Rees (UMIZ) – 51.59
5. Meghan Lee (AUB) – 51.90
6. Aris Runnels (FLOR) – 51.97
7. Andrea Sansores (UARK) – 52.13
8. Ellie Waldrep (AUB) – 52.73

Rhyan White attacked this race from the start. She jumped out to the lead on the first 25 and never looked back, winning her fourth consecutive title in the women’s 100 backstroke. She had a hard finish, but stopped the clock at 50.92 just off her season-best of 50.84 from midseason.

Tennessee sophomore Josephine Fuller continues to have a strong week, dropping more time off the personal best she set in prelims to take silver in 51.26. Last season, she finished sixth in 52.00. Eboni McCarty won bronze, just .09 seconds behind Fuller. Like the Vol, she also cut more time off her prelims personal best with a 51.35, which is the second-fastest time in program history.

Meredith Rees repeated her 2022 finish, this time earning fourth in 51.59, a best time by four-hundredths.

MEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 43.35, Luca Urlando (UGA) – 2022 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 43.35, Luca Urlando (UGA) – 2022 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 44.10, Zane Waddell (BAMA) – 2020
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 44.79
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 45.87

Top 8:

1. Adam Chaney (FLOR) – 44.18
2. Nate Stoffle (AUB) – 45.01
3. Michael Laitarovsky (SCAR) – 45.27
4. Bradley Dunham (UGA) – 45.44
5. Matthew Menke (BAMA) – 45.51
6. Wesley Ng (UGA) – 45.71
7. Jack Dahlgren (UMIZ) – 45.88
8. Nick Simons (TENN) – 46.03

After Adam Chaney even split his prelims swim with a pair of 22.32s, it seemed like he could have something big in store for finals. He did just that, rocketing out in 20.83 to the feet. Like White in the women’s 100 back ‘A’ final, Chaney left no doubt that he would defend his title. He blazed 44.18, the fastest time in the NCAA this year and a new lifetime best. His previous best time was 44.35 from 2022 SECs. Additionally, he just missed Zane Waddell‘s meet record of 44.10, though he’ll get another chance in the medley relay tonight.

Nate Stoffle defended his second seed, earning silver in 45.01, a new lifetime best. Last year he finished fourth in this event.

South Carolina’s Michael Laitarovsky touched third in 45.27, destroying his program record. Before the meet started, he’d set the mark at 45.92, then lowered it to 45.49 in prelims.

There were a pair of Georgia Dawgs in the ‘A’ final, and Bradley Dunham and Wesley Ng took fourth and sixth.

WOMEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 55.73, Lilly King (IU) – 2019 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 57.18, Mona McSharry (TENN) – 2022 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 57.28, Breeja Larson (TAMU) – 2014
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 58.10
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 59.87

Top 8:

1. Mona McSharry (TENN) – 57.25 (SEC MEET RECORD)
2. Zoie Hartman (UGA) – 58.65
3. Avery Wiseman (BAMA) – 58.71
4. Nina Kucheran (FLOR) – 59.12
5. Stasya Makarova (AUB) – 59.30
6. Vanessa Herrmann (UARK) – 59.39
7. Bobbi Kennett (TAMU) – 59.72
8. Diana Petkova (BAMA) – 59.92

Make that 3-for-3 as Mona McSharry became the third swimmer in as many events to defend their SEC title. McSharry repeated as the women’s 100 breast champion in style, breaking the SEC championship record that Breeja Larson set nine years ago. McSharry just dipped under that record with a season-best of 57.25. Like White and Chaney, McSharry controlled the race from the start, and finished more than a second ahead of silver medalist Zoie Hartman.

Hartman was second at the 50, but by the 75 yard mark, both Avery Wiseman and Nina Kucheran had passed her. The UGA senior closed strong, splitting 15.41 on the final 25 to reclaim second place. Wiseman earned bronze just six-hundredths behind Hartman, while Kucheran finished fourth in 59.12.

Kucheran is a fifth-year transfer to the Florida Gators, and this is just the impact that they were hoping she would have. Last year, their highest placed finisher in the event was Olivia Peoples at 21st.

MEN’S 100 BREASTSTROKE — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 49.69, Ian Finnerty (IU) – 2018 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 50.03, Caeleb Dressel (FLOR) – 2018 SEC Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 50.03, Caeleb Dressel (FLOR) – 2018
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 51.40
• 2022 NCAA Invite Time: 52.20

Top 8:

1. Dillon Hillis (FLOR) – 51.02
2. Aleksas Savickas (FLOR) – 51.07
3. Reid Mikuta (AUB) – 51.22
4. Ben Patton (UMIZ) – 51.54
5. Derek Maas (BAMA) – 51.82
6. Julian Smith (FLOR) – 51.83
7. Andres Puente Bustamante (TAMU) – 51.96
8. Michael Houlie (TENN) – 52.28

After prelims, teammates Aleksas Savickas and Dillon Hillis were separated by .17 seconds, with both going lifetime bests. It was even closer here in the final, as the two were separated by just a hundredth at the final turn, and Hillis took the win in 51.02, just .05 seconds ahead of Savickas.

In his post-race interview, Hillis credited both Savickas and Julian Smith (who finished sixth), saying that the two beat him in practice all the time and that he wouldn’t be here without them.

Though Derek Maas did not repeat as SEC champion, both Reid Mikuta and Ben Patton repeated their third and fourth place finishes from last season.

WOMEN’S PLATFORM DIVING — FINALS

• SEC Record: 356.10, Victoria Lamp (TENN) – 2014 SEC Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 356.10, Victoria Lamp (TENN) – 2014 SEC Championships

Top 8:

1. Monsterrat Lavenant (LSU) – 293.50
2. Kyndal Knight (UKY) – 285.45
3. Maggie Buckley (LSU) – 268.45
4. Tanesha Lucoe (TENN) – 266.45
5. Gretchen Wensuc (AUB) – 262.90
6. Meghan Wenzel (UGA) – 255.40
7. Carina Lumia (FLOR) – 247.00
8. Grace Cable (TENN) – 216.05

Monstserrat Lavenant gave the LSU women their second championship of the night with her win on the platform. Earlier in the meet, she took fourth on the 1-meter and eighth on the 3-meter. She won by less than ten points, beating out Kentucky fifth-year Kyndal Knight.

Maggie Buckley finished third, making it two LSU Tigers on the podium.

Last year’s champion Tanesha Lucoe placed fourth. Lucoe transferred to Tennesee for this season, a big boost for the VOls as this was their weakest event last year.

WOMEN’s 400 MEDLEY RELAY — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 3:22.34, Virginia (G. Walsh, Wenger, A. Walsh, Douglass) – 2022 ACC Championships
• SEC Record: 3:26.64, Alabama (White, Wiseman, Scott, Dupre) — 2022 SEC Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 3:26.64, Alabama (White, Wiseman, Scott, Dupre) — 2022 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:31.38

Top 8:

1. Alabama (White, Wiseman, Jones, Antoniou) – 3:28.46
2. Tennessee (Fuller, McSharry, Stotler, Douthwright) – 3:28.78
3. Florida (Runnels, Kucheran, Peoples, Cronk) – 3:29.98
4. Georgia – 3:31.01
5. Kentucky/Arkansas – 3:31.74
6. (tie)
7. Texas A&M – 3:31.89
8. LSU – 3:32.08
9. Missouri – 3:32.90
10. Auburn – 3:33.65
11. South Carolina – 3:33.87
12. Vanderbilt – 3:41.22

Alabama was missing the back half of their SEC record-setting team from last season, but they still defended their title. Rhyan White led-off in 51.05, just off the 50.92 she went to win the individual 100 back, giving the Crimson Tide the lead by just over a second.

Mona McSharry, the 100 breast individual champion, ate into that lead, splitting 57.27 to Avery Wiseman‘s 58.58. On the third leg, it was Sara Stotler (52.05) against Emily Jones (51.75), and Kalia Antoniou dove in just one-hundredth ahead of Brooklyn Douthwright. It looked liked 200 free champion Douthwright might make a charge on the last 25, but the sprinter Antoniou (47.08) actually extended her lead, giving Alabama the win in 3:28.46 to Tennessee’s 3:28.78.

This was the same lineup that Alabama swam for their gold-medal 200 medley relay.

Out of the first heat, Florida’s squad of Aris Runnels (52.15), Nina Kucheran (58.96), Olivia Peoples (51.67), and Micayla Cronk swam 3:29.98, which held up for the bronze medal. As has been the trend for the Gators this week, this relay made a big improvement from last year when they finished seventh.

Notably, Maggie Macneil split a 48.76 100 fly for LSU.

Men’s 400 MEDLEY RELAY — FINALS

• NCAA Record: 2:59.22, Texas (Shebat, Licon, Schooling, Conger) – 2017 NCAA Championships
• SEC Record: 3:01.00, Florida (Chaney, Hillis, Friese, Smith) — 2022 NCAA Championships
• SEC Championship Record: 3:02.17, Alabama (Waddell, Bell, Sesvold, Berneburg) — 2020 SEC Championships
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 3:04.96

Top 8:

1. Florida (Chaney, Hillis, Liendo, McDuff) – 2:59.48 (SEC + MEET RECORD)
2. Tennessee (Lierz, Houlie, Crooks, Caribe) – 3:02.51
3. Auburn (N. Stoffle, Mikuta, A. Stoffle, Makinen) – 3:03.03
4. Missouri – 3:03.14
5. Texas A&M – 3:04.95
6. LSU – 3:07.02
7. Georgia – 3:07.41
8. South Carolina – 3:08.32

The Florida Gators just obliterated the SEC record, breaking three minutes in a scorching 2:59.48. They scared the NCAA record of 2:59.22, set in 2017 by Texas. Adam Chaney led them off in 44.17, knocking a hundredth off the lifetime best he swam for the win in the individual 100 back. He handed it off to Dillon Hillis, who split 50.63 on breaststroke. Then, Josh Liendo dove in and split a scorching 43.35, just a hundredth off the fastest 100 fly split of all-time, which belongs to Joseph Schooling at 43.34. Finally, Macguire McDuff brought it home for the Gators, anchoring in 41.33.

Last year, the team of Chaney, Hillis, Eric Friese, and Kieran Smith went 3:01.00 at NCAAs for the SEC record, a mark that this squad just undercut by 1.52 seconds.

Tennessee earned second in 3:02.51, passing Auburn with the strong back half of Jordan Crooks and Gui Caribe. Harrison Lierz (45.70) and Michael Houlie (51.33) got things started for the Vols, and Crooks split 44.78 on fly. It was Gui Caribe‘s 40.70 anchor that launched them into second, as Caribe overtook Auburn.

The Tigers put together a strong swim for third, with Nate Stoffle leading off in 44.89, a new lifetime best and faster than he went to earn silver in the 100 back earlier in the session. Reid Mikuta actually closed the gap to Florida a bit, splitting a field-best 50.50 on breaststroke. Aidan Stoffle split 45.61 on fly, and freshman Kalle Makinen anchored in 42.03. That wasn’t enough to keep them ahead of a flying Caribe, but they still captured bronze by over a second ahead of Missouri.

SCORES THRU DAY 4

Women:

1. Florida – 962
2. Tennessee – 709.5
3. Kentucky – 698
4. LSU – 624
5. Georgia – 577.5
6. Alabama – 560
7. Auburn – 499
8. South Carolina – 489
9. Texas A&M – 470
10. Arkansas – 415
11. Missouri – 312
12. Vanderbilt – 135

Men:

1. Florida – 1056.5
2. Auburn – 774.5
3. Texas A&M – 765
4. Tennessee – 727.5
5. Georgia – 584.5
6. Missouri – 517.5
7. Alabama – 464
8. Kentucky – 369
9. South Carolina – 366.5
10. LSU – 240