2021 SEC MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, February 23 – Friday, February 26, 2021
- Columbia, MO – University of Missouri
- Prelims/Finals: 10 AM/5 PM Tues, 10 AM/6 PM Weds-Fri (Central Standard Time)
- Defending Champion: Florida (8x) (results)
- Live Video – SEC Network
- Championship Central
- Updated psych sheet
- Live Results
The Florida men came out and asserted themselves as the team to beat early at the SEC Championships, and that lead held up despite a late push from Georgia, as the Gators claim their ninth consecutive men’s SEC conference championship title.
This is their third title under head coach Anthony Nesty, who took over for Gregg Troy beginning in the 2018-19 campaign.
The Gators totalled 1,401 points, topping runner-up Georgia (1,324.5) by 76.5.
After winning the 200 medley relay on opening night, Florida particularly had a very strong showing on Wednesday, highlighted by Kieran Smith‘s record-tying performance in the 500 freestyle.
Smith would go on to add a win the 400 IM and a third-place finish in the 100 free, scoring a team-high 91 individual points.
Freshman Adam Chaney was a revelation, scoring 86 points including an individual win in the 50 free, and Bobby Finke had 85, including a third straight dominant win in the 1650 free.
Prior to the meet, Finke was spotted in a walking boot, so the fact that he not only competed but was one of the top scorers, is even more impressive.
The other individual winner for the Gators was junior Dillon Hillis, who pulled off the 100 breast win after taking third last year. Hillis’ versatility was a valuable asset, as he also made ‘A’ finals in the 200 IM and 200 fly.
Below, check out all of Florida’s individual scorers (swimming only):
- Kieran Smith, 91
- Adam Chaney, 86
- Bobby Finke, 85
- Dillon Hillis, 79
- Eric Friese, 75
- Trey Freeman, 66.5
- Clark Beach, 66
- Alfonso Mestre, 64.5
- Kevin Vargas, 63
- Tyler Watson, 55
- Miguel Cancel, 53
- Brennan Gravley, 37
- Jack VanDeusen, 36
- Isaac Davis, 31
- Jace Crawford, 29
- Amro Al-Wir, 27
- Ethan Beach, 24
- Will Davis, 23
- Mateusz Dubas, 16
- Trevor McGovern, 3
The Gators also received 207 points from diving, including a seventh-place finish from freshman Leonardo Garcia on 1-meter, and seventh and eighth-place finishes from sophomore Anton Svirskyi and Garcia on Platform.
On top of the individual prowess, Florida won three out of five relays, and placed second in the ones it didn’t win. The Gators totalled 304 relay points compared to Georgia’s 266.
The all-time record for consecutive SEC men’s title victories belongs to Auburn, who recorded 16 straight wins from 1997-2012 before the Gators ended the run in 2013. Florida’s all-time high is 13 in a row, winning consecutive titles rom 1956 until 1968.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
- Florida, 1,401
- Georgia, 1,324.5
- Tennessee, 850.5
- Texas A&M, 843
- Alabama, 841.5
- Missouri, 802
- Kentucky, 759
- Auburn, 671
- LSU, 427.5
- South Carolina, 232
My how Auburn has fallen…
Congrats to Florida on winning the team title again, they always bring it at SECs. Georgia did a great job too, kept it close and are much better than last year. Freshman studs Chaney and Magahey really popped off. UF and UGA were further ahead than the other teams than last year.
Tennessee pulled a mild upset over A&M and Bama for 3rd (I knew it was going to be close). They were only 6th last year.