By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam
2025 SEC Championships
- Dates: Tuesday, February 18–Saturday, February 22
- Prelims: 9:30 am EST/ Finals 5:30 pm EST (Tuesday-5:00 EST)
- Location: Gabrielsen Natatorium — Athens, GA
- Defending Champions: Florida women (2x); Florida men (12x)
- Live Results
- Live Video: SEC Network+
- Championship Central
- Fan Guide (Men)
- Fan Guide (Women)
- Psych Sheets
- Teams: Alabama, Arkansas (women), Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas*, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (women)
- Live Recaps
Day 6 Distance Session Heat Sheet
Women’s 200 Backstroke — Prelims
- NCAA Record: 1:46.87 — Claire Curzan, Virginia (2024)
- SEC Record: 1:48.08 — Rhyan White, Alabama (2020)
- SEC Championship Record: 1:48.08 — Rhyan White, Alabama (2020)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50
‘A’ Finals Qualifiers:
- Bella Sims (FLOR), 1:49.99
- Josephine Fuller (TENN), 1:51.46
- Catie Choate (FLOR), 1:51.78
- Sophie Brison (TENN), 1:52.06
- JoJo Ramey (FLOR), 1:52.33
- Regan Rathwell (TENN), 1:52.42
- Lillie Nesty (TEX), 1:52.92
- Grace Frericks (KY), 1:52.99
Bella Sims has been on fire in the backstroke events at these championships. Yesterday, she reset the women’s 100 backstroke SEC record twice, eventually breaking 49 seconds for the first time leading off the 400 medley relay. This morning, she set herself up well to defend her SEC title in the 200 backstroke, clocking 1:49.99 for the fastest qualifying time.
Sims is the lone swimmer under the 1:51-mark, as 100 backstroke runner-up Josephine Fuller clocked 1:51.46 to secure lane five for tonight’s final. Fuller was the silver medalist in the 200 backstroke last season, swimming 1:49.75. She swam a 100 backstroke lifetime best yesterday as well, approaching the 50-second barrier with a 50.05.
Both Florida and Tennessee had a strong turn out in the women’s 200 backstroke, which could have significant implications in the team standings as the programs are in a close race for 2nd overall. Sims is joined in the ‘A’ final by Catie Choate (1:51.78) and JoJo Ramey (1:52.33). All three are sophomores, and Choate and Ramey each swam season-bests as they returned to the ‘A’ final for the second-straight season.
In addition to Fuller, the Vols will be represented in the ‘A’ final by Sophie Brison (1:52.06) and Regan Rathwell (1:52.42). Getting three swimmers into the ‘A’ final is a big points swing for Tennessee from this event last season, where they only had two finals qualifiers, one in the ‘A’ final and one in the ‘C’ final.
Also returning to the ‘A’ final is Kentucky junior Grace Frericks who dropped a season-best 1:52.99. Freshman Lillie Nesty qualified for the big heat as Texas’ lone ‘A’ finalist with a lifetime best 1:52.92
Men’s 200 Backstroke — Prelims
- NCAA Record: 1:35.37 — Destin Lasco, Cal (2024)
- SEC Record: 1:35.75 — Shaine Casas, Texas A&M (2021)
- SEC Championship Record: 1:36.69 — Jonny Marshall, Florida (2024)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:38.80
‘A’ Finals Qualifiers:
- Jonny Marshall (FLOR), 1:37.94
- Hubert Kos (TEX), 1:38.70
- Will Modglin (TEX), 1:39.41
- Tommy Hagar (BAMA), 1:39.77
- Ruard van Renen (UGA), 1:40.13
- Caleb Maldari (FLOR), 1:40.60
- Sam Powe (UGA), 1:40.66
- Griffin Curtis (LSU), 1:40.69
After successfully defending his title in the 100 backstroke, sophomore Jonny Marshall is looking to do the same in the 200 backstroke. He set the bar this morning by winning the first circle-seeded heat in 1:37.94, a season-best that breaks the pool record Luca Urlando swam last month at a dual meet against Emory (1:38.18).
Yesterday’s 100 backstroke podium will once again face off for the medals, as Hubert Kos and Will Modglin qualified second and third overall. Neither really showed their cards this morning, as Kos, the Olympic champion in the 200-meter event, swam 1:38.70 and Modglin checked in at 1:39.41.
The race for the medals seems like it’s between those three swimmers, but Alabama sophomore Tommy Hagar joined the trio under the 1:40 barrier this morning, asserting himself as an interesting dark horse candidate for tonight’s ‘A’ final. The swim is a lifetime best for Hagar, slicing .11 seconds off the 1:39.88 he put up earlier this season.
The 200 backstroke has been a strong event for Georgia the past few seasons and though they graduated some of their firepower in the event, the team still put two swimmers into the ‘A’ final as Ruard van Renen (1:40.13) and Sam Powe (1:40.66) qualified fifth and seventh overall.
Women’s 100 Freestyle — Prelims
- NCAA Record: 44.83 — Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
- SEC Record: 45.83 — Erika Brown, Tennessee (2020)
- SEC Championship Record: 45.83 — Erika Brown, Tennessee (2020)
- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.10
‘A’ Finals Qualifiers:
- Camille Spink (TENN), 47.03
- Brooklyn Douthwright (TENN), 47.73
- Erin Gemmell (TEX), 47.94
- Chloe Stepanek (TAMU), 47.98
- Cadence Vincent (BAMA), 48.05
- Zara Zallen (UMIZ), 48.14
- Jada Scott (BAMA), 48.19
- Lisa Klevanovich (AUB), 48.29
Camille Spink is aiming to sweep the sprint freestyle events at these championships. She’s already won the 50 and 200 freestyle and now has her sight set on defending her 100 freestyle title from her freshman season. She looked strong in prelims this morning, clocking a 47.03 to lead prelims by seven-tenths. Spink has been as fast as 46.61 this season, which currently puts her second in the NCAA.
This was another strong event for Tennessee’s hopes in the team race as not only are there no Gators in the ‘A’ final, the Vols have the top two qualifying times. Brooklyn Douthwright will swim next to her teammate Spink this evening after breaking her lifetime best by two-hundredths with a 47.93.
The other swimmers to break 48 seconds this morning were Erin Gemmell and Chloe Stepanek. Gemmell clocked 47.94 and Stepanek a 47.98 as both broke that barrier for the first time this season. Just behind them, Alabama sophomore Cadence Vincent sliced five-hundredths from her lifetime best with a 48.05, moving through to the ‘A’ final as the fifth seed. She’s joined by her teammate Jada Scott, who has had a strong year since returning from injury at the beginning of the season. Scott, like Vincent, swam a lifetime best in the 50 freestyle earlier in the meet and hit one here in the 100 freestyle prelims. Her time of 48.19 is a lifetime best by two-hundredths.
Zara Zallen‘s time of 48.14 is a huge lifetime best for her, dropping .44 seconds from her previous mark.
Men’s 100 Freestyle — Prelims
- NCAA Record: 39.90 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
- SEC Record: 39.90 — Caeleb Dressel, Florida (2018)
SEC Championship Record: 40.82 — Josh Liendo, Florida (2024)- NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.34
‘A’ Finals Qualifiers:
- Jordan Crooks (TENN), 40.58 CR
- Josh Liendo (FLOR), 40.83
- Chris Guiliano (TEX), 41.13
- Gui Caribe (TENN), 41.21
- Jere Hribar (LSU), 41.31
- Julian Smith (FLOR), 41.68
- Alex Painter (FLOR), 41.81
- Nikoli Blackman (TENN), 41.87
This might be the most stacked final of the SEC Championships so far. Six of the men in this final have broken at least one NCAA record this week, plus Chris Guiliano helped set an American record.
Jordan Crooks leads the way in to the final after a blistering prelims swim of 40.58 that takes .24 seconds off the SEC Championship record Josh Liendo swam last year. Crooks set a lifetime best 40.26 at the Tennessee Invite this season, and this swim slots into the all-time performances list at 12th, per USA Swimming’s database.
Crooks, Gui Caribe (41.21), and Nikoli Blackman were all part of the NCAA record-setting 200 freestyle relay from Tennessee earlier in the meet. Caribe is the defending bronze medalist in this event at the SEC Championships, while Blackman swam in the ‘C’ final last year. This event is another example of him taking huge strides in his sophomore season, as his 41.87 is a .37-second drop and his first time breaking 42 seconds.
Liendo looked strong this morning as well, coming a hundredth off his now former championship record with a 40.83. Like Crooks, Liendo didn’t race individually yesterday. He used his extra rest to drop a dizzying 42.12 100 butterfly split on Florida’s NCAA record-setting 400 medley relay yesterday, which Julian Smith and