2022 SEC Championships, Day 3: Ellen Walshe Does 400 IM/100 Fly Double

25 June 2021; / during day two of the 2021 Swim Ireland Performance Meet at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Photo by David Kiberd/Sportsfile

Ellen Walshe: Photo Courtesy: David Kiberd / SPORTSFILE

2022 SEC Championships, Day 3 Finals: Ellen Walshe Adds 400 IM Crown

If the University of Tennessee was deciphering the way to get back atop the SEC, it needed look no further than the team that displaced it as champion last spring.

The Vols won the women’s title in 2020, before ceding the top spot to Kentucky in 2021, the Lady Vols following to an also-ran fifth place. The Wildcats’ built their championship margin in part thanks to spectacular haul of three of the top four spots in the women’s 400 IM, all by underclassmen to boot.

If the Vols wanted to take down their border rivals, undercutting Kentucky’s points yield in that event would be a good way to go about it.

Enter Ellen Walshe, the Irish Olympian who is quickly making a name for herself in American waters.

Walshe completed the IM sweep Thursday night, spoiling the Kentucky party and cueing another rendition of Rocky Top. Some 30 minutes later, she added the 100 butterfly title in a most unusual and sensational double. In the process, she’s helped Tennessee nearly double its lead on night 3.

The event-by-event details of the Thursday night session.

2022 SEC Championships Links

Women’s team standings

 Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 22                 
 
  1. University of Tennessee         758.5   2. Georgia, University of            537
  3. University of Florida             520   4. Kentucky, University of           496
  5. University of Alabama             485   6. Texas A&M University              363
  7. Louisiana State University        314   8. South Carolina, University of     272
  9. Missouri                        271.5  10. Auburn University                 258
 11. University of Arkansas            170  12. Vanderbilt University              90

Women’s 400 individual medley

The top four finishers and five of the top seven returned from last year, led by the Kentucky contingent. It mattered not one bit to Walshe, who posted an A cut of 4:01.53 to notch the victory.

It turned into an engaging race, with reigning champion Lauren Poole of Kentucky leading after the breaststroke leg. But Walshe worked her exemplary underwaters on the freestyle leg, splitting 29.63-27.69 to Poole’s 29.29-29.05 to pull away.

Poole was second in 4:03.36, an A cut time, followed by last year’s fellow top-four finishers Gillian Davey and Bailey Bonnett. Florida’s Mabel Zavaros was third. Tennessee picked up points in sixth, via another freshman in Summer Smith, and Alexis Yager, who had entered as the top seed.

Event 16  Women 400 Yard IM
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 3:54.60  3/16/2018 Ella Eastin, Stanford
          SEC: S 3:58.23  3/22/2019 Sydney Pickrem, Texas A&M
     SEC Meet: M 3:58.35  2/17/2012 Elizabeth Beisel, Florida
         Pool: P 3:58.36  2/15/2012 Elizabeth Beisel, Florida
                 4:03.62  A
                 4:17.30  B
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Walshe, Ellen R  FR Tennessee-SE      4:04.26    4:01.53 A       32  
    r:+0.69  25.49        55.06 (29.57)
        1:25.80 (30.74)     1:56.28 (30.48)
        2:30.29 (34.01)     3:05.21 (34.92)
        3:33.84 (28.63)     4:01.53 (27.69)
  2 Poole, Lauren M  JR Kentucky-KY       4:08.82    4:03.36 A       28  
    r:+0.71  26.31        56.46 (30.15)
        1:27.08 (30.62)     1:56.76 (29.68)
        2:30.69 (33.93)     3:05.02 (34.33)
        3:34.31 (29.29)     4:03.36 (29.05)
  3 Davey, Gillian   JR Kentucky-KY       4:08.79    4:05.28 B       27  
    r:+0.71  26.59        56.75 (30.16)
        1:28.42 (31.67)     1:59.84 (31.42)
        2:33.35 (33.51)     3:07.26 (33.91)
        3:36.51 (29.25)     4:05.28 (28.77)
  4 Bonnett, Bailey     Kentucky-KY       4:08.41    4:06.37 B       26  
    r:+0.65  26.55        56.71 (30.16)
        1:28.79 (32.08)     2:00.64 (31.85)
        2:34.19 (33.55)     3:08.83 (34.64)
        3:38.30 (29.47)     4:06.37 (28.07)
  5 Zavaros, Mabel   SO Florida-FL        4:07.55    4:09.16 B       25  
    r:+0.67  25.67        55.10 (29.43)
        1:26.74 (31.64)     1:57.25 (30.51)
        2:33.78 (36.53)     3:10.64 (36.86)
        3:40.43 (29.79)     4:09.16 (28.73)
  6 Smith, Summer D  FR Tennessee-SE      4:11.45    4:09.97 B       24  
    r:+0.73  26.33        55.70 (29.37)
        1:26.66 (30.96)     1:56.92 (30.26)
        2:33.75 (36.83)     3:11.74 (37.99)
        3:41.20 (29.46)     4:09.97 (28.77)
  7 Golding, Kathleen  JR Florida-FL      4:12.50    4:11.14 B       23  
    r:+0.74  27.09        57.77 (30.68)
        1:30.40 (32.63)     2:02.78 (32.38)
        2:38.66 (35.88)     3:14.27 (35.61)
        3:43.42 (29.15)     4:11.14 (27.72)
  8 Yager, Alexis A  SR Tennessee-SE      4:09.41    4:11.26 B       22  
    r:+0.70  26.61        57.30 (30.69)
        1:30.34 (33.04)     2:02.79 (32.45)
        2:37.61 (34.82)     3:12.87 (35.26)
        3:42.55 (29.68)     4:11.26 (28.71)

Women’s 100 butterfly

Two full days of the 2022 SEC Championships remain, and the Swimmer of the Meet Award might be done and dusted.

Ellen Walshe and her unstoppable underwaters struck again, none the worse for wear from the 400 IM effort. She was second at the midway point and threw down a 26.58 coming home to stop the clock in 50.34, an NCAA A cut. Second was Rhyan White of Alabama, getting in just .07 ahead of UT’s Trude Rothrock in 51.19.

Event 18  Women 100 Yard Butterfly
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 48.89  3/19/2021 Maggie Macneil, Michigan
          SEC: S 49.38  2/19/2020 Erika Brown, Tennessee
     SEC Meet: M 49.85  2/15/2018 Erika Brown, Tennessee
         Pool: P 49.73  11/20/2020Kate Douglass, Virginia
                 50.92  A
                 53.76  B
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Walshe, Ellen R  FR Tennessee-SE        51.45      50.34 A       32  
    r:+0.66  11.10        23.76 (12.66)
          37.30 (13.54)       50.34 (13.04)
  2 White, Rhyan E   SR Alabama-SE          51.76      51.19 B       28  
    r:+0.68  11.05        23.88 (12.83)
          37.32 (13.44)       51.19 (13.87)
  3 Rothrock, Trude  SR Tennessee-SE        51.66      51.26 B       27  
    r:+0.63  10.98        24.03 (13.05)
          37.39 (13.36)       51.26 (13.87)
  4 Thompson, Sarah  SR Missouri-MV         51.38      51.49 B       26  
    r:+0.78  10.70        23.64 (12.94)
          37.29 (13.65)       51.49 (14.20)
  5 Luther, Dakota   SR Georgia-GA          52.19      51.88 B       25  
    r:+0.70  11.36        24.32 (12.96)
          37.87 (13.55)       51.88 (14.01)
  6 Stotler, Sara B  FR Tennessee-SE        52.31      52.22 B       24  
    r:+0.69  10.91        24.09 (13.18)
          37.77 (13.68)       52.22 (14.45)
  7 Dickinson, Callie  SR Georgia-GA        52.33      52.33 B       23  
    r:+0.65  11.34        24.66 (13.32)
          38.57 (13.91)       52.33 (13.76)
  8 Theall, Olivia   SO Texas A&M-GU        52.22      52.35 B       22  
    r:+0.63  11.08        24.77 (13.69)
          38.47 (13.70)       52.35 (13.88)

Women’s 200 freestyle

Riley Gaines is the 200 free SEC champion once again, the senior from Kentucky pulling away hard in the third 50 to build a cushion of nearly eight tenths. Her time of 1:42.62 is an NCAA A cut. She went 1:42.70 last year.

Another starring freshman stepped up for Tennessee, albeit one who didn’t even make their winning 800 free relay team, such is the program’s depth. Brooklyn Douthwright threw her name into the relay reckoning at NCAAs with a 1:43.45, clear for second by seven tenths. Teammates Julia Mrozinski and Tjasa Pintar, both on that relay, were fifth and seventh, respectively.

Chloe Stepanek, who was second last year, slipped to third in 1:44.14. Morgan Scott of Alabama was fourth.

Event 20  Women 200 Yard Freestyle
=========================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:39.10  3/20/2015 Missy Franklin, California
          SEC: S 1:41.21  3/16/2012 Megan Romano, Georgia
     SEC Meet: M 1:41.83  2/20/2014 Shannon Vreeland, Georgia
         Pool: P 1:41.40  12/6/2013 Missy Franklin, California
                 1:42.98  A
                 1:47.12  B
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Gaines, Riley M  SR Kentucky-KY       1:43.96    1:42.62 A       32  
    r:+0.60  24.23        50.25 (26.02)
        1:16.18 (25.93)     1:42.62 (26.44)
  2 Douthwright, Br  FR Tennessee-SE      1:43.97    1:43.45 B       28  
    r:+0.63  24.27        50.40 (26.13)
        1:16.49 (26.09)     1:43.45 (26.96)
  3 Stepanek, Chloe  SO Texas A&M-GU      1:43.87    1:44.14 B       27  
    r:+0.68  24.33        50.99 (26.66)
        1:17.52 (26.53)     1:44.14 (26.62)
  4 Scott, Morgan E  SR Alabama-SE        1:44.65    1:44.20 B       26  
    r:+0.68  23.98        50.24 (26.26)
        1:17.03 (26.79)     1:44.20 (27.17)
  5 Mrozinski, Juli  FR Tennessee-SE      1:45.02    1:44.53 B       25  
    r:+0.65  23.97        50.69 (26.72)
        1:17.95 (27.26)     1:44.53 (26.58)
  6 Bates, Talia B   JR Florida-FL        1:44.91    1:44.82 B       24  
    r:+0.71  24.17        50.91 (26.74)
        1:17.90 (26.99)     1:44.82 (26.92)
  7 Pintar, Tjasa    SR Tennessee-SE      1:45.39    1:45.80 B       23  
    r:+0.68  24.79        51.47 (26.68)
        1:18.67 (27.20)     1:45.80 (27.13)
  8 Parker, Maxine   SO Georgia-GA        1:45.27    1:46.27 B       22  
    r:+0.75  24.45        50.98 (26.53)
        1:18.42 (27.44)     1:46.27 (27.85)

Women’s 3-meter Diving

Brooke Schultz made it 2-for-2, the South Carolina grad student setting a pool record of 407.30 to win 3-meter. The displaced former teammate Julia Vincent’s record from 2017. LSU took three of the top five spots. Both Kentucky and Tennessee scored top-eight points, relevant for the team race.

Event 22  Women 3 mtr Diving
=========================================================================
          SEC: S 423.15  3/21/2014 Laura Ryan, Georgia
     SEC Meet: M 413.75  2/20/2014 Laura Ryan, Georgia
         Pool: P 400.50  2/14/2017 Julia Vincent, South Carolina
                 280.00  A
    Name           Year School            Prelims     Finals       Points 
=========================================================================
                            === A - Final ===                            
 
  1 Schultz, Brooke  GR South Carolina-S   365.65     407.30PA       32  
  2 Pellacani, Chiara  LSU-LA              316.80     356.35 A       28  
  3 Tuxen, Helle     SO LSU-LA             312.45     352.35 A       27  
  4 Amer, Maha       SO Florida-FL         330.25     349.00 A       26  
  5 Lavenant, Montserrat LSU-LA            306.65     338.35 A       25  
  6 Knight, Kyndal   SR Kentucky-KY        310.30     332.50 A       24  
  7 Cable, Grace M   SR Tennessee-SE       321.70     331.45 A       23  
  8 Clairmont, Alyssa SR Texas A&M-GU      328.50     297.75 A       22

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use