By Sean Cartell
The Auburn men and Georgia women continue to hold the lead following the second day of the Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, which took place Wednesday in front of 1,289 fans at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
The Georgia women have won each of the seven events that have been contested so far at the SEC Championship and have tallied 577 total team points. Florida is second with 421 points, while Texas A&M is third with 417 points.
The Auburn men are currently in first place with 574 total team points, while Florida is second with 451.5 and Georgia is third with 414.
Georgia’s Brittany MacLean captured the women’s 500-yard freestyle event, doing so in an SEC meet-record time of 4:34.63. She broke the previous meet record of 4:34.87, set by former Florida standout Caroline Burckle in 2008. It was the second title for Georgia in that event in the last three years, as Amber McDermott won in 2012. It was a 1-2-3 finish for Georgia in the event, as Shannon Vreeland was second in 4:34.73 and McDermott was third in 4:35.00.
Florida’s Dan Wallace won the men’s 500-yard freestyle with a school record and SEC meet-record time of 4:10.73. His time shattered the previous SEC meet record of 4:11.36, set by Florida’s Conor Dwyer in 2011. It was the first title for the Gators in the event since Dwyer won back-to-back in 2010 and 2011. Florida’s Mitch D’Arrigo was second in 4:12.73, while Georgia’s Matias Koski, the 2013 SEC Champion in the event, was third in 4:14.96.
Georgia’s Melanie Margalis broke her own SEC meet record en route to winning the women’s 200-yard individual medley in a time of 1:52.87. It bested her time of 1:54.55 that previously set the SEC record last year. Georgia has won three of the last four SEC women’s 200-yard IM titles. Florida’s Elizabeth Beisel, the 2012 champion in the event, was second in a school-record time of 1:54.26, while Texas A&M’s Erica Dittmer was third in 1:55.58.
Florida’s Sebastien Rousseau captured the men’s 200-yard individual medley in 1:42.22, giving the Gators their eighth SEC title in the last 10 years in that event. For Rousseau, it was his first career SEC title. Teammate Marcin Cieslak was second in 1:42.34, while Georgia’s Chase Kalisz was third in 1:42.53.
Georgia’s Olivia Smoliga claimed the women’s 50 freestyle event in a time of 21.54. Teammate Maddie Locus was second in 21.67, while Tennessee’s Faith Johnson was third in 21.84.
Florida’s Bradley deBorde took home the men’s 50 freestyle crown, winning in 18.88, giving him his second title in that event in the last three years. He became the first Florida athlete to break 19 seconds in the event. Auburn’s Marcelo Chierighini, the 2013 SEC Champion in that event, was second in 19.18, while Auburn’s Kyle Darmody was third in 19.21.
Auburn’s John Santeiu captured the program’s first 1-meter diving SEC title since Kelly Marx did so in 2010. Santieu recorded a winning score of 395.25. Tennessee’s Mauricio Robles was second at 395.20, while Auburn’s Fraser McKean was third at 390.45.
Georgia defended its SEC title in the women’s 200-yard freestyle relay, clocking a winning time of 1:27.09 with the quartet of Olivia Smoliga, Maddie Locus, Jessica Graber and Chantal Van Landeghem. Tennessee was second in 1:28.37 and Texas A&M was third in 1:28.48.
Auburn won its 12th consecutive SEC men’s 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:15.98, using the quartet of Marcelo Chierighini, James Disney-May, TJ Leon and Kyle Darmody. Alabama was second in 1:16.26, while Florida was third in 1:16.88.
Day three of the 2014 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships begins on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET with the prelims and 6 p.m. ET with the finals. Wednesday’s final events will be streamed live at GeorgiaDogs.com.
For all of the latest information on SEC Swimming and Diving, please log on to www.SECDigitalNetwork.com.
2014 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships: Day Two (February 19, 2014 – Athens, Ga.)
Wednesday Finals Results
Men’s Team Scores (through 8 events): 1. Auburn 574; 2. Florida 451.5; 3. Georgia 414; 4. Texas A&M 296; 5. Tennessee 289; 6. Alabama 285; 7. Missouri 266; 8. South Carolina 251; 9. Kentucky 239; 10. LSU 208.5
Women’s Team Scores (through 7 events): 1. Georgia 577; 2. Florida 421; 3. Texas A&M 417; 4. Tennessee 312; 5. Arkansas 217; 6. Missouri 199; 7. LSU 191; 8. Alabama 183; 9. Auburn 181; 10. Kentucky 156; 11. South Carolina 109; 12. Vanderbilt 94.
Women’s 500 Freestyle (A final)
1. Brittany MacLean, UG (4:34.63); 2. Shannon Vreeland, UG (4:34.73); 3. Amber McDermott, UG (4:35.00); 4. Cammile Adams, AM (4:35.67); 5. Sarah Henry, AM (4:36.53); 6. Danielle Valley, UF (4:39.00); 7. Rachel Zilinskas, UG (4:39.31); 8. Jessica Thielmann, UF (4:41.89).
Men’s 500 Freestyle (A final)
1. Dan Wallace, UF (4:10.73); 2. Mitch D’Arrigo, UF (4:12.73); 3. Matias Koski, UG (4:14.96); 4. Will Freeman, UG (4:17.10); 5. Marwan El Kamash, SC (4:17.41); 6. Andrew Gemmell, UG (4:17.69); 7. Arthur Frayler, UF (4:18.17); 8. Zane Grothe, AU (4:19.01).
Women’s 200 Individual Medley (A final)
1. Melanie Margalis, UG (1:52.87); 2. Elizabeth Beisel, UF (1:54.26); 3. Erica Dittmer, AM (1:55.58); 4. Annie Zhu, UG (1:57.47); 5. Ashley McGregor (1:57.49); 6. Lindsey McKnight, UF (1:58.61); 7. Hali Flickinger, UG (1:58.63); 8. Ashlee Lin, UF (1:58.70).
Men’s 200 Individual Medley (A final)
1. Sebastien Rousseau, UF (1:42.22); 2. Marcin Cieslak, UF (1:42.34); 3. Chase Kalisz, UG (1:42.53); 4. Nic Fink, UG (1:43.03); 5. Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez, UF (1:43.24); 6. Ty Stewart, UG (1:44.03); 7. Tristan Slater, UT (1:44.84); 8. Simon Frank, AM (1:45.85).
Women’s 50 Freestyle (A final)
1. Olivia Smoliga, UG (21.54); 2. Maddie Locus, UG (21.67); 3. Faith Johnson, UT (21.83); 4. Natalie Hinds, UF (21.91); 5. Erica Dittmer, AM (21.98); 6. Lilli Ibanez Lopez, AM (22.07); 7. Allyx Purcell, AU (22.15); 8. Ellese Zalewski, UF (22.30).
Men’s 50 Freestyle (A final)
1. Brad deBorde, UF (18.88); 2. Marcelo Chierighini, AU (19.18); 3. Kyle Darmody, AU (19.21); 4. Kristian Gkolomeev, UA (19.23); 5. BJ Hornikel, UA (19.45); 6. Luke Percy, UT (19.52); 7. TJ Leon, AU (19.60); 8. James Disney-May, AU (19.69).
Men’s 1-Meter Diving
1. John Santeiu, AU (395.25); 2. Mauricio Robles, UT (395.20); 3. Fraser McKean, AU (390.45); 4. Ford McLiney, AM (389.65); 5. David Bonuchi, MU (389.40); 6. Greg Ferrucci, UK (384.50); 7. Clark Thomas, MU (377.25); 8. Cole Miller, SC (367.85); 9. Adam Ruiz, AM (323.30).
Women’s 200 Freestyle Relay
1. Georgia (1:27.09) – Smoliga, Locus, Graber, Van Landeghem; 2. Tennessee (1:28.37) – Thompson, Johnson, Bruens, Gendron; 3. Texas A&M (1:28.48) – Ibanez Lopez, Larson, Bosma, Dittmer; 4. Auburn (1:28.63) – Bos, Purcell, Fonteno, Peacock; 5. Florida (1:28.70) – Zalewski, Russell, McKnight, Hinds; 6. Alabama (1:29.96) – Vourna, Scott, Panian, Kinsey; 7. Missouri (1:30.35) – Patterson, Barbiea, Doucette, Hammond; 8. Arkansas (1:30.54) – White, Drolc, Monroe, Cox; 9. LSU (1:31.34) – Carter, Troskot, Stirrat, White; 10. Kentucky (1:31.59) – Bechtel, Myers, Contino, Wilson; 11. South Carolina (1:33.29) – Raczkowski, Elliott, Vincent, Brown; 12. Vanderbilt (1:33.59) – Wang, Moran, Thomas, Martin.
Men’s 200 Freestyle Relay
1. Auburn (1:15.98) – Chierighini, Disney-May, Leon, Darmody; 2. Alabama (1:16.26) – Gkolomeev, Hornikel, Caciuc, Walsh; 3. Florida (1:16.88) – deBorde, Main, Werner, Curby; 4. Tennessee (1:17.11) – Percy, Rairden, Aberg Ledjstromstav, Tillman; 5. Texas A&M (1:17.32) – Troskot, Lindau, Bolleter, Schweitzer; 6. LSU (1:18.19) – Saco, Gonzalez, Linge, Crosson; 7. Missouri (1:18.20) – Mosley, Chadwick, Conroy, Tierney; 8. Georgia (1:18.64) – Trice, Fink, Powell, Reynolds; 9. Kentucky (1:18.84) – Bruck, Lott, Heidler, Gerotto; 10. South Carolina (1:20.22) – Clothier, Warner, Covert, Lethander.
