Women’s Top-5 Team Scores
1. Texas A&M 961
2. Georgia 843
3. Tennessee 673
4. Kentucky 659
5. Auburn 648
Men’s Top-5 Team Scores
1. Florida 929.5
2. Georgia 788
3. Auburn 663.5
4. Alabama 614
5. Texas A&M 549
Texas A&M Press Release
The Texas A&M women’s swimming and diving team won three races on Friday and will take a 118-point lead into the final day at the 2017 Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at the Jones Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee campus.
The Aggies, who are seeking to repeat as SEC Champions, finished day four with 961 points and a 118-point lead over second-place Georgia (843 points). Rounding out the field were Tennessee (673), Kentucky (659), Auburn (648), Missouri (631), Florida (493), LSU (448), South Carolina (391), Alabama (342), Arkansas (215) and Vanderbilt (74).
“It was another great night,” Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. “We won three races in the pool and were third on the platform, so the day was definitely a success. The prelims on the last day are so important. Everyone is tired and you have to find a way to get yourself ready and get qualified where you need to get qualified. The prelims set up the finals so that will be the key to the last day.”
Senior Sarah Gibson threw her hat into the ring for Swimmer of the Meet with her third individual victory of the meet with a victory in the 200-yard butterfly. Gibson, a runner-up in the race in 2016, got her hand to the wall in a lifetime best time of 1:52.64, which ranks as the second fastest 200 fly time in school history behind only two-time U.S. Olympian and two-time NCAA 200 fly champ Cammile Adams. In the first four days of the 2017 Championships, Gibson has won the 100 and 200 fly and 500 free and swam legs on the Aggies’ winning 800 free relay and 400 medley relay.
Like the 100 fly, the 200 fly was a battle between Gibson and Georgia’s Chelsea Britt. Also like the 100 fly, Britt grabbed the early lead and held the advantage at the 50-, 100- and 150-yard marks, but Gibson covered the final 50 in 29.19 to make up the deficit and out-touch Britt by .08.
“I was concerned going into the race because I know that Georgia has some very talented girls,” Gibson said. “I was a little bit worried, but Steve (Bultman) just told me ‘I think they are going to bring the best out of you’ and he tends to be right. I put my faith in him and the training and tried to push it on that last 25 to get it in there. I think we were both on the ‘struggle bus’ in that last 50 and I’m glad I was able to get my hand to the wall first.”
Add Bultman, “Great, great race with Sarah. She and (Britt) were just battling and it wasn’t real pretty at the end but she just wanted it, fought through it and got her hand to the wall.”
Junior Jorie Caneta earned her first-ever SEC crown with a win in the 100-yard breaststroke. Caneta, who transferred to Texas A&M from Arizona State last year, led from start to finish and won with a time of 59.49. Caneta led a 95-point scoring outburst in the race for the Aggies with senior Ashley McGregor placing fourth in 1:00.13 and senior Franko Jonker taking sixth in 1:00.28. Senior Sycerika McMahon chipped in a 14th place finish in 1:01.93 in the B final.
”It’s been a long journey, especially after transferring and getting adjusted to a new program,” Caneta said. “It’s great to get stability under Steve (Bultman) and T (Tanica Jamison). Buying into the program and trusting their training has really helped and it’s paying off this year. I knew I had to trust my race plan. This morning was really a rough swim. I jammed every single wall so I was just hoping to fix my walls and I knew doing that would give me a shot.”
The Aggies also got significant points from diver Alaïs Kalonji, who made the SEC award podium in the platform for a second straight year with a third-place finish. Kalonji grabbed the bronze medal with a score of 291.25 after producing her career-best of 297.90 in the morning prelims.
Also contributing individual points was junior Laura Norman, who placed 13th in the 100 backstroke in a time of 53.27 after posting a season-best of 53.05 in the morning prelims.
The Aggies closed out the fourth day of the Championships by defending their 2016 crown in the 400-yard medley relay with the foursome of junior Lisa Bratton, Caneta, Gibson and junior Beryl Gastaldello producing a season-best time of 3:29.81, which makes them the No. 3 400 medley relay in school history.
The Texas A&M men’s swimming and diving team produced a school record in every race on day four at the 2017 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday at Jones Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee campus.
After four days of competition, the Aggies were in fifth place in the team standings behind Florida (929.5), Georgia (788), Auburn (663.5) and Alabama (614). Rounding out the team standings were Tennessee (526.5), Missouri (521), South Carolina (505), LSU (482) and Kentucky (321.5).
Under the direction of Texas A&M coaches Jay Holmes and Jason Calanog, the Aggies shattered school standards in the 200-yard butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 medley relay.
“We had some great fight in us tonight,” Holmes said. “We still need to figure out how to be a little better in prelims, but this a typical SEC Championship dogfight and you have to be ready to go. There’s a lot of teams battling and fighting for position and there’s nothing easy here. I’m proud of the way we are progressing and I believe we have even greater things in our future.”
Sophomore Angel Martinez took down the first school record of the day while winning the B final of the 200 fly in a time of 1:43.25, which eclipsed the oldest record in the Aggies’ record book. Martinez’s quick swim broke the old record of 1:43.98 by Israel Duran from the 2008 NCAA Championships in Federal Way, Wash.
Junior Brock Bonetti continued the record-breaking streak by lowering his own school record in the 100 backstroke twice on Friday. Bonetti broke it the first time while placing fifth in the A final of the 100 back in 46.21 and then broke it again on the opening leg of the Aggies’ 400 medley relay in 46.07. Also contributing points in the 100 back for the Aggies was freshman Anthony Kim, who placed 16th in 47.54 after producing a lifetime best of 47.10 in the prelims (No. 5 in school history).
Junior Mauro Castillo lowered his own school record in the 100 breaststroke while winning the B final in a time of 52.63. Junior teammate Jonathan Tybur chipped in a 16th place finish in 53.71 after producing a lifetime best of 53.30 in the morning prelims. Tybur now ranks as the second-fastest 100-yard breaststroker in school history.
The Aggies closed out the day with a sixth-place finish in the 400 medley relay with the foursome of Bonetti, Castillo, senior Turker Ayar and senior Cory Bolleter touching in 3:07.85, which broke the old mark of 3:08.03 set by Jason Bergstrom, Nathan Lavery, Boris Loncaric and Casey Strange at the 2009 NCAA Championships.
Florida Press Release
The Gator men continued their streak at the 2017 SEC Championships of winning at least one title during each day of competition, repeating as 400 medley relay champions to total seven event wins through four days.
Bayley Main (earning his first SEC win), Chandler Bray, Jan Switkowski and Caeleb Dressel served as tonight’s lineup for the Gator relay and combined for a 3:04.52 time, which marked an A-cut and pool record. The quartet shaved almost six seconds off their seed time of 3:10.48.
The women utilized their same lineup from the 200 medley relay earlier in the week, sending out Emma Ball, Kelly Fertel, Alyssa Yambor-Maul and Sherridon Dressel. The four swam in the first heat alongside and placed second at 3:37.15, improving on their seed time of 3:39.75.
Both the men’s and women’s sides retained their spots in the team standings through day four, with the men at first and the women at seventh.
200 fly
On the women’s side, Florida was represented in all three finals. Alyssa Yambor-Maul competed in the event’s A-final, touching eighth with a B-cut 1:57.89. Taylor Katz preceded her fellow senior, placing sixth in the B-final with a B-cut 1:58.19. Kay Sargent finished fifth in the C-final, timing a B-cut and season-best 1:59.31.
The men’s race featured yet another close finish. Jan Switkowski was the A-final’s runner-up by just .07 seconds, touching in a season-best 1:40.94. That broke the 1:41.01 pool record and gave him an A-cut in the event. Mark Szaranek followed in fourth place, swimming to a B-cut and season-best 1:42.34.
100 back
The women’s A- and B-finals featured a pair of young Gators. Sophomore Sydney Sell placed sixth at 53.45 in the B-final, registering a B-cut and cutting .05 seconds off her prelims time. Freshman Emma Ball finished in a B-cut 52.65 to place seventh in the A-final.
Jack Blyzinskyj and Bayley Main both competed in the B-final on the men’s side. Main placed third with a B-cut and season-best 46.77, while Blyzinskyj finished sixth in a B-cut 47.07.
100 breast
Freshman Chandler Bray, swimming in his first individual SEC A-final, placed seventh with an improved B-cut 52.71.
Women’s platform
Teya Syskakis reached her first SEC event final after finishing sixth with a 271.40 score during platform prelims. In the final, she also finished sixth, totaling a score of 264.55.
“Great job for Teya tonight on the platform. She has come so far this season in many ways,” said diving coach Bryan Gillooly. “I believe this is a big step for her in reaching her potential. She is gaining confidence with every dive and is definitely heading in the right direction. She represented the Gators very well, and I look forward to even better things in the near future.”
Competition will continue Saturday morning with 200 back, 100 free and 200 breast prelims beginning at 10 a.m. The men will also hold platform prelims beginning at 1 p.m., and eight heats of the 1650 free are scheduled to start at 2:40 p.m. The two fastest 1650 free heats (one men’s and one women’s) will swim during finals.
The finals of those aforementioned events plus the 400 free relay will start at 6 p.m. to wrap up the championships.
Auburn Press Release
Michael Duderstadt did something on Friday night that hadn’t been done in well over a decade.
He repeated as the SEC Champion in the 100 breaststroke.
In a field in which the top four finishers were separated by .78 seconds and the top two by just .29 seconds, Duderstadt, a senior from Panama City, Fla., raced to a school-record 51.50 out of lane six to become Auburn’s first repeat champion in the event since Pat Calhoun won the title in 2002 and 2003.
The school record he took down was that of Adam Klein, a 51.80 set at the 2009 NCAA Championships.
“I didn’t really didn’t expect that time but it was a fun race and I’m glad I got my hand on the wall first,” Duderstadt said. “The history (of Auburn breaststrokers) is very rich and it means a lot to me to be able to join that.”
Duderstadt’s title is the 14th in Auburn history in the event, won by 10 different people, with Calhoun winning three titles, he also won in 2000, and Scott Spann winning it in 1977 and 1978.
“Every now and then you get a certain kid that comes through the program and makes a big impact and there is none better than Duder,” head coach Brett Hawke said. “The toughest thing to do is repeat as a champion and he did that today. He showed the rest of the team that fear is for others and race with no fear.”
Duderstadt will attempt on Saturday to sweep the SEC breaststroke events for the second consecutive time.
While Duderstadt stole the show, he was one of five Auburn individuals to grab a top-eight finish.
Bailey Nero captured a seventh-place finish in the 200 fly in 1:57.31, improving upon her 14th-place finish from a year ago.
Hugo Morris grabbed a top-eight finish in the 200 fly for the third straight year, touching in 1:44.07 to finish eighth.
Natasha Lloyd brought home her second straight top-8 finish in the women’s 10 breast, touching in eighth in 1:00.48.
“We are competing as a team and we have one big session left in the morning to get the job done,” Hawke said.
Allison Maillard scored an eighth-place finish with a 244.20 on the platform after setting a career high in prelims with a 268.20. The freshman had placed eighth on the 3-meter and ninth on the 1-meter, and was the only freshman in the meet to grab even one top-nine finish.
“It’s really exciting to get to finals as a freshman, especially at SECs,” Maillard said. “This is a really big college meet so it’s great to be there competing against some people I have looked up to my whole life.”
“To come in as a freshman and compete in two finals and ninth in a third event is a great accomplishment,” diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. “It’s a tough field and it shows what a bright future she has. Tonight wasn’t her best effort but the two dives she missed were new dives that we haven’t been doing all that long. The experience of being in that final in that environment as a freshman will help her in years to come.”
The night ended with Auburn’s 400 medley relay team of Joe Patching, Duderstadt, Luis Martinez and Peter Holoda taking third in the 400 medley relay in 3:05.34 while the women’s quartet of Caroline Baddock, Lloyd, Haley Black and Julie Meynen took fifth in 3:34.72.
Martinez narrowly missed winning the 200 fly B Final, placing 10th, but did establish a new career best of 1:43.56, which makes him eighth-fastest in program history. He surpassed Andrew Mitchell (1:44.29/2008) and Andy Haidinyak (1:44.49/2003) in the process. Foster Ballard took 20th in a personal-best 1:44.82 and Liam McCloskey 22nd in 1:45.42, one one-hundredth of a second slower than his personal-best from prelims.
Aly Tetzloff, who shaved off .49 seconds to set a new personal-best of 53.80 during prelims, clocked a 53.85 to take 20th in the 100 back.
Kyle Darmody finished 10th (46.59) in the 100 back while teammate Petter Fredriksson won the C Final in 47.03, his second personal-best in the event on the day. Joshua Booth finished 19th in 47.94 and Taylor Copeland finished 22nd in 47.60.
Breanna Roman took 10th in the 100 breast in 1:00.84, a personal-best, and Brooke Malone took 21st in 1:02.23.
Maddie Cox, who was sixth on the 1-meter and seventh on the 3-meter, placed 15th with a personal-best 244.55.
In the team race, the men are third with 663.5 points. Florida leads with 929.5 points and Georgia is second with 788 points.
In the women’s race, Auburn is fifth with 648 points, just behind third-place Tennessee (673 pts) and Kentucky (659 pts) and ahead of sixth-place Missouri (631 pts). Texas A&M leads all teams with 961 points.
Saturday’s prelims session begins at 9 a.m. CT and will include the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast and men’s platform prelims.
Georgia Press Release
Olivia Smoliga and Pace Clark earned individual titles to highlight Georgia’s showing in the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center on Friday.
After four days of competition, both Georgia squads remain in second place. The Bulldogs have 788 points, trailing Florida’s 929.5. The Lady Bulldogs have accumulated 843 and are behind only Texas A&M’s 961.
Smoliga claimed the women’s 100 backstroke for the third straight year as she reached the wall in 50.60. Chelsea Britt placed eighth in 53.02, followed by Katherine Parker in 10th in 52.97, Kylie Stewart in 12th in 53.18 and Chantal Van Landeghem in 17th in 53.36.
“Winning the 100 backstroke is a great feeling,” Smoliga said. “It didn’t feel good as it was happening, but it feels so good now. The last 25 really shows what you have. I saw Hannah (Stevens of Missouri) flip before me on the third wall, so I closed as fast as I could. That’s going to be a fun race at NCAAs. … As a team, I think we’re showing how tough we are, especially at this point in the training. We’re going to give it all we have and leave it all in the pool.”
Clark won the men’s 200 butterfly with a time of 1:40.87. Chase Kalisz, the 2015 champion, took third in 1:41.03, followed by Gunnar Bentz (1:43.06) in fifth, Mick Litherland (1:43.36) in seventh, Powell Brooks (1:44.07) in 12th and Blake Atmore (1:45.74) in 24th.
“Going into my last SEC individual swim, that’s what I wanted to do,” Clark said. “Training with all of those guys and getting to race them at the end was great. Jack (Bauerle) trains us to get home, so I put my head down and went for it.”
In the women’s 200 butterfly, Britt came in second in 1:52.72, posting the second-fastest time in school history. Megan Kingsley placed third for the second year in a row in 1:54.80, while Caitlin Casazza claimed 12th in 1:57.56.
Taylor Dale placed third in the men’s 100 backstroke as he reached the wall in 45.48, while Javier Acevedo won the consolation final for ninth in 46.55.
Casazza won the C final in the women’s 100 breaststroke in 1:01.82 to come in 17th, followed by Lexi Glunn in 18th with a time of 1:01.87.
In the men’s 100 breaststroke, James Guest placed 13th in 53.14, John Mattern took 15th in 53.66 and Colin Monaghan came in 20th in 54.14.
McKensi Austin finished 20th in women’s platform diving with 229.15 points.
The women’s 400 medley relay of Smoliga, Emily Cameron, Britt and Van Landeghem placed second with a time of 3:30.11.
The men’s 400 medley relay of Dale, Kalisz, Clark and Acevedo finished fifth in 3:06.76.
The SECs will conclude on Saturday with the 1,650 freestyle, the 200 backstroke, the 100 freestyle, the 200 breaststroke, the 400 freestyle relay and men’s platform diving. Swimming prelims will begin at 10 a.m., followed by diving prelims at 1 p.m. Finals will open at 6 p.m. All sessions can be viewed on SEC Network+.
Missouri Press Release
Junior Hannah Stevens (Lexington, Ohio) and the men's 400 medley relay team claimed runner-up finishes to highlight the Mizzou men's and women's swimming and diving teams performances during day four competition at the 2017 Southeastern Conference Championships Friday at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatics Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Tigers also posted five other top six placements during the day.
The Tiger women enter the final day in sixth place with 631 points, while the men sit seventh with 521 points.
The men's 400 medley relay team of earned Mizzou's first-ever top two SEC finish as freshman Daniel Hein (Sycamore, Illinois) and seniors Fabian Schwingenschlogl (Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany), Andrew Sansoucie (Wentzville, Missouri) and Michael Chadwick (Charlotte, North Carolina) finished second. Mizzou's time of 3:06.66 tied the school record set at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
Stevens set a new school record to claim runner-up honors in the 100 back in 50.82 to also become the first Tiger under 51 seconds in the event. She finished only two-tenths of a second behind Olympian Olivia Smoligia of Georgia to improve on her fifth-place SEC placement a season ago.
Also in the women’s 100 back championship final was senior Nadine Laemmler (Wackersdorf, Bavaria, Germany), who touched fifth in 51.96. Additionally, freshman Haley Hynes (Lee’s Summit, Missouri) took ninth in 52.51, freshman Jennifer King (Glasgow, Scotland) was 18th in a personal best 53.61 and freshman Sam Coloma (Pittsburg, California) was 24th in 54.58.
Schwingenschlogl, who owns the nation’s top time in the 100 breast, clocked a 52.28 in the event’s championship final to tie for third in the race. Chadwick also represented Missouri in the final and placed fifth in a career-best time of 52.41. Four other Tigers earned points in the event as well, as senior Eddie Mapel (Hinsdale, Illinois) was 12th, junior Jordy Groters (Oranjestad, Aruba) took 17th, sophomore Jordan O’Brien (Naperville, Illinois) was 21st and sophomore Nick Staver (Bettendorf, Iowa) was 24th.
Junior Sharli Brady (Burlington, Kentucky), who was seventh after prelims, dropped her time to 1:56.65 in finals to post a fifth-place finish in the 200 fly. The junior placed eighth in the race a season ago. Also earning evening swims in the event were junior Erin Metzger-Seymour (Westminster, Colorado) and junior Azra Avdic (Skokie, Illinois). Metzger-Seymour took 18th in a personal-best time of 1:58.88, and Avdic took 20th in 1:59.18.
Also swimming in a championships final was Hein in his first SEC Championships. In finals, he finished sixth as he set a new personal best and moved into second all-time in the Mizzou record books with a 46.6. Senior Carter Griffin (Parker, Colorado) swam in the B final and placed 13th in 47.04.
In the diving well, four Tigers earned points on women’s platform, led by redshirt senior Lauren Reedy (Rochester Hills, Michigan) in 12th and junior Madeline McKernan (Montgomery, Texas) in 14th. Additionally, junior Kendra Kieser (Plano, Texas) was 18th and junior Alexa Beckwith (Denver, Colorado) took 23rd.
Senior Martin Wallace (Broomfield, Colorado) and freshman Micah Slaton (Austin, Texas) had finals swims in the 200 fly as well, as Wallace took 14th in 1:44.81 in the B final and Slaton clocked a 1:44.35 in the C final for 18. Both times were career-bests for the Tigers.
The women’s 400 medley relay team of Laemmler, Brady, Metzger-Seymour and Stevens finished seventh in 3:35.41.
Alabama Press Release
The two-time defending Southeastern Conference 100 backstroke champion heading into this week, Alabama swimming and diving senior Connor Oslin made it a three-peat Friday evening, clocking in at 44.73 at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on the University of Tennessee campus.
“That was an adrenaline pumper,” UA head coach Dennis Pursley said. “To have three in the top four of an event and to have two under the old SEC record is pretty spectacular. With those swims and more, I’m not sure we could have asked for more.”
Oslin broke Ryan Lochte’s 2005 SEC Championship record of 45.19 as well as smashing his own school record of 45.08 in the event. The Kennesaw, Ga., native was the No. 1 seed after the morning prelims with a time of 45.29. Oslin finished more than a quarter of a second ahead of the field.
Two other Crimson Tide swimmers finished in the top four in the men’s 100 backstroke. Junior Luke Kaliszak followed Oslin on the podium, taking second with a career-best 45.03, which ranks second all-time at Alabama and was also under the previous SEC record. Junior Christopher Reid finished fourth with a career-best time of 46.17, which ranks him third all-time at Alabama.
Oslin's wins marks the first time an Alabama swimmer has won three consecutive SEC titles in the same event since Vlad Polyakov won the 100 breaststroke in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
“Hopefully tonight sets us up for a strong finish tomorrow,” Pursley said.
Alabama took third in both the women’s and men’s 100 breaststroke. Senior Bridget Blood took the bronze in the women’s 100 breaststroke, clocking in at 59.95 while senior Anton McKee finished third with a 52.28. Senior Pavel Romanov was eighth in the men’s 100 breaststroke with a 52.93. Two other Alabama women also scored in the 100 breaststroke. Sophomore Justine Macfarlane (1:01.97) was 19th and sophomore Emma Murray (1:02.34) was 22nd .
“It was great to have Anton and Bridget up on the podium in the 100 breaststroke,” Pursley said. “We also saw Pavel get under 53 seconds tonight, which was great.”
Senior Kara Fredlock took fourth in the women’s platform event after tallying 279.65 points over five dives in finals.
“That was a great performance by Kara,” Pursley said. “To have a diver in finals was great for us, and it was a big step forward for her.”
The men’s 400 medley relay took fourth when Oslin, McKee, Kaliszak and freshman Zane Waddell combined for a 3:05.45.
In the women’s 100 backstroke, three Tide women scored, led by sophomore Katie Coughlin’s 15th place finish (53.57). Sophomore Katie Kelsoe was 21st (54.03) and senior Caroline Korst was 22nd (54.33). in the 100 backstroke.
Junior Taylor Charles scored in the men’s 200 butterfly, taking 15th with a time of 1:44.91.
At the end of day four, Alabama's men maintained their fourth place rank with 562 points while the women are 10th with 282 points.
Prelims for the fifth and final day get underway Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, with Alabama competing in the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 1,650 freestyle and men’s platform diving.
LSU Press Release
The 400 medley relay team of Karl Luht, Silas Dejean, Logan Rysemus and Jake Markham broke the school record in the finals with a time of 3:08.00, earning eighth overall to close out day four of the SEC Championships at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center.
The swimming team had strong performances across the board as six swimmers picked up personal bests on the day. The Tigers also had four swimmers compete in the championship finals in the 200 fly, 100 back and 100 breaststroke.
The team will return to action tomorrow for the final day of competition. Prelims for the 100 free, 200 back and 200 breaststroke will start at 10 a.m. ET. Men’s platform diving prelims will take place at 1 p.m. ET followed by 1650 free prelims at 4 p.m. Championships are slated to take place at 6 p.m. ET.
In the overall standings, the men hold ninth overall with 482.5 points, and the women hold eighth place with 448 points.
“It was a pretty positive night. We capped it off with that men’s (400) medley relay record which is nice to get. Any time you’re changing marks on the program is exciting,” said head swimming coach Dave Geyer.
“It was a good night to get a lot of second swims for us. We’re excited for what tomorrow brings. We have some other people swimming in their main events. We just have to start off the morning strong with a lot of energy and excitement and see where everything lands from there.”
Kara Kopcso took fourth overall in the championship final of the 200 fly, securing a finish of 1:55.66. In the consolation final of the event, Gabrielle Pick notched sixth with a time of 2:00.10, and Sophie Weber followed in seventh at 2:00.14.
In the 100 back prelims, Kate Zimmer swam to a personal best, clocking at 54.05 to improve to fifth on LSU’s all-time list. Zimmer also placed seventh in the ‘C’ final with a time of 54.36.
Summer Spradley picked up a fourth-place finish in the bonus round of the 100 breaststroke, coming in at 1:01.57. Olivia Paskulin took eighth in the event, securing a finish of 1:02.42
In the ‘A’ final of the 100 breaststroke, Colleen O’Neil tallied a time of 1:00.18 to grab fifth overall.
The 400 medley relay team of Zimmer, O'Neil, Haylee Knight and Leah Troskot finished sixth with a time of 3:35.20 in the finals
For the men, Markham won the consolation final of the 200 fly with a time of 1:43.96, setting the third-fastest time in school history and a new personal best. In the 'B' final of the event, Brandon Goldman took fifth at 1:44.27 and Harrison Jones came in eighth, clocking at 1:45.18.
In the 100 back championship final, Rysemus claimed seventh place with a time of 46.69. Luht followed in eighth, touching the wall at 46.78. Luht also jumped to third on LSU’s all-time list after posting a time of 46.38 in the prelims.
Dejean put on an impressive performance in the bonus round of the 100 breaststroke, garnering his fastest time at 52.98 to retain his spot at second on LSU’s all-time list. In the consolation final of the 100 breast, Garrett House took sixth with a time of 54.72.
Two other swimmers collected personal bests in their respective events. Nicole Rozier finished with a time of 2:01.24 in the 200 fly prelims to earn her fastest time. Makenna Wilson also swam to the ninth-fastest time in school history in the 100 back at 54.54.
For the women’s diving squad, all three divers compiled career-highs in the prelims on platform, wrapping up their week at SEC’s. Lizzie Cui finished in 13th with a score of 257.70. Rileigh Knox followed in 16th, diving to a score of 242.15. Makayla Robillard took 27th with a score of 212.55.
Arkansas Press Release
The Arkansas swimming and diving team sent four swimmers to Friday night finals at the 2017 SEC Championships inside the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
In the 200 butterfly B final, junior Chelsea Tatlow and junior Jessie Garrison both broke their personal bests that each had set in the morning prelims, on their way to 11th (1:57.55) and 13th (1:57.85) place overall finishes, respectively. They both hold two of the top-four times by Arkansas this year after their prelims and finals performances and Tatlow now sits fifth in school history in the event.
Sophomore Madison Strathman recorded a ‘B’ cut in the 100 breaststroke prelim, advancing to the C final along with sophomore Sydney Angell. Angell touched in a season-best 1:02.02 in the C final, the third fastest time on the team this season to finish 20th overall. Angell recorded her first ‘B’ cut of the year in the event. Finishing 24th in the finals in a time of 1:02.58, Strathman now owns four of the top-five times this season.
"Another great evening with our ladies making the most of their swims tonight," head coach Neil Harper said. "I thought Jessie and Chelsea swam great races, getting personal bests in the 200 fly. Sydney and Madison did us proud in the 100 breast. Our 400 medley relay did a really nice job. Chelsea led off with a personal best in the 100 back, Sydney and Olivia had fast legs and Jessie capped off a great meet with another best split to anchor the relay. We are looking forward to our events tomorrow to see if we can record more personal bests and finish the meet strong."
In the final diving event of the Championships, junior Nicole Gillis led the Razorbacks in the platform at 222.10 but was unable to qualify for the event finals. Gillis finished the week with two top-ten finishes in the 1m and 3m.
"While the four divers we brought to the SEC Championships have made tremendous improvements," diving coach Dale Schultz said. "The conference itself has grown drastically as well. We have some work ahead of us over the next 12 months."
To close out the day, the quartet of Tatlow, Angell, Olivia Weekley and Garrison touched in the fastest time by Arkansas this season in the 400 medley relay, with an 11th place finish at 3:39.06.
Six personal bests, three season bests and six ‘B’ cuts were set on Friday, as Arkansas remains in 11th place with 215 points heading into the final day of the 2017 SEC Championships.
Action from Knoxville will start back on Saturday at 9 a.m. CT/10 a.m. ET with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke and 1650 freestyle prelims.
South Carolina Press Release
Allyson Nied captured the gold in the women’s platform dive and Nils Wich-Glasen took home the silver in the men’s 100-yard breaststroke to cap off a successful day four of the 2017 SEC Championships for South Carolina.
South Carolina’s men end the day in eighth place with 505 points, while the women remain in ninth with 391 points. Florida leads the men’s side with 929.5 points, while Texas A&M lead the women with 961 points.
On the women’s side, Nied highlighted the day as she took first place in the platform with a score of 325.90 to set a new school record and PR. She finished third in the event at the SEC Championship meet last year.
On the men’s side, Nils Wich-Glasen set a new school record on his way to winning the silver in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 51.70. Wich-Glasen swam a time of 51.79 during prelims and finished fifth in the event at last year’s conference meet.
MEN’S RECAP
Carolina started the fourth day of competition with two Gamecocks in the 200-yard butterfly. Fynn Minuth, making his third A final appearance of the meet, finished in sixth place with a time of 1:43.33. Caleb Tosh represented South Carolina in the C final and posted a time of 1:44.91, good for 21st place.
Jonathan Boland set his second school record of the meet, this time in the 100-yard backstroke. Boland broke the school record in the prelims with a time of 46.82, then came back in the finals to break it again with a time of 46.79 and finish in 12th place overall. Will Countie also swam for the Gamecocks in his first-ever SEC final and finished 24th with a time of 48.16.
The Gamecocks wrapped up the evening with the 400-yard medley relay and dropped yet another school record. The squad, made up of Boland, Wich-Glasen, Minuth and Tom Peribonio, finished the race in ninth place with a time of 3:09.83.
WOMEN’S RECAP
Marissa DelGado started the night for the Gamecocks as she swam in the B final of the 200-yard butterfly. Delgado finished with a time of 1:59.10, good for 16th place overall and a NCAA ‘B’ cut.
Emily Cornell made her first-ever finals event as she represented Carolina in the B final of the 100-yard backstroke. Cornell finished 16th overall with a time of 53.92. Cornell’s preliminary time of 53.61 set a new PR and school record.
Kersten Dirrane was the lone Gamecock in the 100-yard breaststroke. Setting a new PR and finishing ninth overall, Dirrane posted a time of 1:00.59.
Setting another school record for South Carolina, Cornell, Dirrane, Christina Lappin and Emma Barksdale earned eighth place in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:36.72.
