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 (SEC)
- Championship Central (Mizzou)
- Updated psych sheet
- Live Results
- Heat Sheets
Shaine Casas is swimming the 200 IM as his day 2 event at the 2021 SEC Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships on Wednesday.
After swimming both of the Aggies’ relays on Tuesday, Casas had only one entry in Wednesday’s individual schedule – the 200 IM, where he’s the top seed. Even with the SEC allowing swimmers to over-enter pre-meet, he didn’t enter the 50 free, where he has the fastest 50 free in the conference this season.
His choices get more interesting as the meet goes on, with possible swims in the 400 IM, 100 fly, and 100 back on Thursday; and the 200 fly and 200 back on Friday.
He won’t see the SEC’s other biggest star in that 200 IM. Kieran Smith, who like Casas has the versatility to place in the top 3 in the conference in more than the allowed 3 events, will swim the 500 free. At last year’ SEC Championship meet, Smith won the 500 free in 4:06.32, which is the fastest time in history. He’s the 2nd seed in this week’s 500 free.
Smith has a meet-high 9 entries to choose from this week.
There were relatively-few high scratches for Wednesday’s individual events – most of the more-interesting event choices come later in the meet. Texas A&M’s Koko Bratanov opted for the 200 IM, where he’s the 5th seed, over the 50 free, where he would’ve been a pre-scratch 11 seed.
Florida’s Bobby Finke, who last year at this meet swam the fastest time ever in the 1650 free, is still entered in the 500 free for Wednesday, where he’s the 6th seed.
Pre-meet, Finke was on deck in a walking boot. The school declined to comment on his availability for the week, though the Gators didn’t include him on their 800 free relay on Tuesday evening.
That relay finished 2nd to Texas A&M, snapping an 8-year winning streak for the Gators.
That’s not damning evidence about Finke’s status; he has a best time of 1:36.85 in the 200 free from 2018, which means he probably could’ve split the 1:35-low it would’ve taken to beat the Aggies, but he wasn’t on their SEC Championship 800 free relay last season either.
Team Scores After Day 1 + Diving
Reminder: The entire diving portion of the meet was contested last week.
- Kentucky, 338
- Tennessee, 287
- Missouri, 232
- Texas A&M, 221
- Florida, 207
- Auburn, 202
- LSU, 176
- Alabama, 156
- Georgia, 152
- South Carolina, 90
Hope looms large for the BOY VOLS! Houlie in the 50…can he be 18+, Mota in the IM – Does he have the juice to contend with Casas? Ponce de Leon in the 500…them boys needs ta pour pure Tennessee mountain water into Missouri pool to make it magic water! Come on boys believe in the power of the beaver-tail hat!
No, no, and, uh, no. Good swims, but I think you’re getting a *little* ahead of yourself there.
Lol love it. Let’s go boys!
TAMU came to play this week with an impressive day one. UGA needs to get their act together after a lackluster day 1 if they want any chance to compete with A&M or Florida. 500free will be a big tell of how the rest of the meet goes.
circle seeded swimmers by school in the 500:
TAMU: 2
Florida: 5
Georgia: 7
Lackluster? UGA was about 2 seconds behind in the 800 free relay without a 1:29 or 1:31 star like TA&M and Florida to finish 3rd. Magahey almost brought them back into the conversation to win the event. (3rd, 4th, 8th fastest flying starts in the field as well)
UGA was also 4th in the 200 medley, only .5 off of winning the entire event. They also had the fastest fly and free split in the field. Are you sure we were watching the same meet last night?
Sure they didn’t win an event but they were right in the mix and couldn’t quite get there in the 200 medley. But they were certainly not lackluster.
Very hot take there that Georgia underwhelmed. I think I probably expected a bit more of Urlando’s 800 FR leadoff, but I’m not sure you could have asked much more of anybody else that they had swim last night.