SEC Championships, Day 4 Prelims: Bella Sims Flies to Top Seed in 200 Butterfly

Photo Courtesy: Luke Allen/Auburn Tigers

SEC Championships, Day 4 Prelims: Bella Sims Flies to Top Seed in 200 Butterfly

It’s been a sterling debut at the SEC Championships for Bella Sims this week, and the Florida freshman is looking to add to it Friday.

Sims took home the top seed in the women’s 200 butterfly Friday morning at Auburn’s James E. Martin Aquatics Center. Her time of 1:52.93 is nearly a second and a half clear of the field. It’s a boon to the Gators, who surged to the lead Thursday night in the women’s competition and are looking to consolidate that advantage over Tennessee to secure a second straight team title.

The action from the morning session:

Team Scores

Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 24                 
  1. University of Florida           765.5   2. University of Tennessee           623
  3. Georgia, University of            498   4. Auburn University               477.5
  5. Texas A&M University              453   6. Louisiana State University        337
  7. University of Alabama           324.5   8. South Carolina, University of,    309
  9. University of Kentucky            211  10. Missouri                        204.5
 11. University of Arkansas            181  12. Vanderbilt University             110

Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 23                  
  1. University of Florida             893   2. University of Tennessee           569
  2. Georgia, University of            569   4. Texas A&M University              554
  5. Auburn University                 536   6. Louisiana State University        293
  7. University of Alabama             254   8. University of Kentucky            243
  9. South Carolina, University of,    212  10. Missouri                          202

Women’s 200 butterfly

Bella Sims, winner of the 200 individual medley and meet record holder in the 200 freestyle, is looking to add another 200 laurel to the pile. She went 1:52.93 in the 200 fly, more than a second quicker than the top-seeded time she entered the meet with. Her best time is 1:51.06.

She’s 1.48 seconds up on South Carolina’s Greta Pelzek, who went 1:54.41 to garner another A final this week. Florida has three in the A final, with 400 IM runner-up Zoe Dixon fifth and Lainy Kruger in seventh. Sara Stotler is Tennessee’s only A finalist, finishing third in 1:54.98. She’s just ahead of 100 fly runner-up Meghan Lee of Auburn, who went 1:55.57.

Event 25  Women 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:49.51  2/24/2018 Ella Eastin, Stanford
          SEC: S 1:51.51  2/18/2022 Riley Gaines, Kentucky
     SEC Meet: M 1:51.51  2022      Riley Gaines, Kentucky
         Pool: P 1:51.32  3/17/2012 Katinka Hosszu, Southern Cal
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Sims, Bella G          FR FLOR-FL           1:54.05    1:52.93  
    r:+0.55  24.83        53.34 (28.51)
        1:22.66 (29.32)     1:52.93 (30.27)
  2 Pelzek, Greta J        JR South Carolina-S  1:54.83    1:54.41  
    r:+0.63  26.06        55.37 (29.31)
        1:24.93 (29.56)     1:54.41 (29.48)
  3 Stotler, Sara B        SO Tennessee-SE      1:55.47    1:54.98  
    r:+0.66  25.68        54.82 (29.14)
        1:24.85 (30.03)     1:54.98 (30.13)
  4 Lee, Meghan R          SR Auburn-SE         1:55.28    1:55.57  
    r:+0.65  25.77        54.89 (29.12)
        1:24.29 (29.40)     1:55.57 (31.28)
  5 Dixon, Zoe A           SO FLOR-FL           1:56.33    1:55.82  
    r:+0.61  26.13        55.29 (29.16)
        1:25.28 (29.99)     1:55.82 (30.54)
  6 Theall, Olivia A       SR Texas A&M-GU      1:55.15    1:56.01  
    r:+0.65  25.73        55.52 (29.79)
        1:25.08 (29.56)     1:56.01 (30.93)
  7 Kruger, Lainy A        FR FLOR-FL           1:55.41    1:56.76  
    r:+0.68  26.32        55.76 (29.44)
        1:25.80 (30.04)     1:56.76 (30.96)
  8 Sartori, Sofia         SO LSU-LA            1:55.24    1:56.79  
    r:+0.70  26.30        55.48 (29.18)
        1:25.72 (30.24)     1:56.79 (31.07)

Men’s 200 butterfly

Missouri enters the fourth day in last place among the 10 men’s teams, but Jan Zubik can add a silver – or maybe even gold – lining to that. The sophomore from Poland ripped more than two seconds off his seed time to vault to a 1:40.95 and the top seed. He’s well clear of runner-up Martin Espernberger, who went 1:41.88. Georgia’s Jake Magahey is third in 1:42.08.

Seven schools supplied the eight A finalists, including Kentucky’s Ryan Merani. He tied for fourth with Mason Laur of Florida, which also produced eighth-place Joaquin Gonzalez.

Event 26  Men 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 1:37.35  3/25/2017 Jack Conger, Texas
          SEC: S 1:38.69  3/6/2021  Shane Casas, Texas A&M
     SEC Meet: M 1:39.00  2022      Luca Urlando, Georgia
         Pool: P 1:40.93  2/21/2020 Camden Murphy, Georgia
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Zubik, Jan K           SO Missouri-MV       1:43.26    1:40.95  
    r:+0.61  22.77        48.64 (25.87)
        1:14.91 (26.27)     1:40.95 (26.04)
  2 Espernberger, Martin   FR Tennessee-SE      1:41.78    1:41.88  
    r:+0.64  23.19        49.20 (26.01)
        1:15.91 (26.71)     1:41.88 (25.97)
  3 Magahey, Jake M        SR UGA-GA            1:41.81    1:42.08  
    r:+0.69  22.69        48.38 (25.69)
        1:14.54 (26.16)     1:42.08 (27.54)
  4 Laur, Mason A          JR FLOR-FL           1:43.53    1:42.15  
    r:+0.64  22.64        48.74 (26.10)
        1:14.97 (26.23)     1:42.15 (27.18)
  4 Merani, Ryan B         SO UK Wildcats-KY    1:42.50    1:42.15  
    r:+0.61  22.71        48.43 (25.72)
        1:14.81 (26.38)     1:42.15 (27.34)
  6 Schmidt, Danny         SO Auburn-SE         1:44.03    1:42.24  
    r:+0.63  22.82        48.74 (25.92)
        1:15.13 (26.39)     1:42.24 (27.11)
  7 Conklin, Clayton J     JR Texas A&M-GU      1:43.30    1:42.41  
    r:+0.61  22.72        48.62 (25.90)
        1:14.77 (26.15)     1:42.41 (27.64)
  8 Gonzalez Pinero, Joaq  SO FLOR-FL           1:45.52    1:42.49  
    r:+0.63  23.21        49.07 (25.86)
        1:15.32 (26.25)     1:42.49 (27.17)

Women’s 100 backstroke

Texas A&M’s Miranda Grana set the pace in prelims, but a crowd of four might comprise the title contenders at night.

Grana, a freshman, was quickest in the morning in 50.99 seconds. With six swimmers entering in the 51s, she’s the first to crack that number. But she’ll have company. Tennessee’s Josephine Fuller was second in 51.06. The top seed entering the race, Eboni McCarty of Georgia, was .02 off her in-season time in 51.16. The second seed entering the meet, Florida’s Isabel Ivey, struck fourth in 51.27.

There’s then eight tenths back to fifth-place Aris Runnels of Florida, one of three Gators in the A final.

 Event 27  Women 100 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 48.26  3/17/2023 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
          SEC: S 50.02  2/21/2020 Ryan White, Alabama
     SEC Meet: M 50.02  2020      Rhyan White, Alabama
         Pool: P 50.02  2/21/2020 Rhyan White, Alabama
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Grana, Miranda P       FR Texas A&M-GU        51.67      50.99  
    r:+0.56  12.28        25.12 (12.84)
          38.17 (13.05)       50.99 (12.82)
  2 Fuller, Josephine A    SO Tennessee-SE        51.68      51.06  
    r:+0.53  12.01        24.83 (12.82)
          38.02 (13.19)       51.06 (13.04)
  3 McCarty, Eboni F       JR UGA-GA              51.14      51.16  
    r:+0.65  12.03        24.54 (12.51)
          37.73 (13.19)       51.16 (13.43)
  4 Ivey, Isabel C         5Y FLOR-FL             51.18      51.27  
    r:+0.62  11.99        24.53 (12.54)
          37.82 (13.29)       51.27 (13.45)
  5 Runnels, Aris D        JR FLOR-FL             52.45      52.10  
    r:+0.68  12.10        25.05 (12.95)
          38.63 (13.58)       52.10 (13.47)
  6 Waldrep, Ellie G       JR Auburn-SE           51.98      52.20  
    r:+0.60  12.11        24.99 (12.88)
          38.37 (13.38)       52.20 (13.83)
  7 Meeting, Carly N       FR FLOR-FL             52.96      52.51  
    r:+0.54  12.37        25.26 (12.89)
          38.78 (13.52)       52.51 (13.73)
  8 Merritt, Kensley E     SR Auburn-SE           51.93      52.53  
    r:+0.55  12.16        25.23 (13.07)
          38.75 (13.52)       52.53 (13.78)

Men’s 100 backstroke

Jonny Marshall produced the second fastest time in the nation this season with a drop of more than a second to 44.36 seconds. He’s the top seed by more than six tenths over the brothers Stoffle, Auburn’s Nathaniel Stoffle second in 44.99 and Aidan Stoffle third in 45.12.

Missouri’s Grant Bochenski went 45.19. Adam Chaney is a title contender in fifth in 45.21 for Florida. Auburn has three in the A final, with Sohib Khaled eighth.

 Event 28  Men 100 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 43.35  3/25/2022 Luca Urlando, Georgia
          SEC: S 43.35  3/25/2022 Luca Urlando, Georgia
     SEC Meet: M 44.10  2020      Zane Waddell, Alabama
         Pool: P 44.24  2/21/2020 Zane Waddell, Alabama
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Marshall, Jonny C      FR FLOR-FL             45.57      44.36  
    r:+0.60  10.27        21.11 (10.84)
          32.57 (11.46)       44.36 (11.79)
  2 Stoffle, Nathaniel L   JR Auburn-SE           44.93      44.99  
    r:+0.67  10.64        21.84 (11.20)
          33.32 (11.48)       44.99 (11.67)
  3 Stoffle, Aidan F       GS Auburn-SE           44.98      45.12  
    r:+0.59  10.61        21.75 (11.14)
          33.39 (11.64)       45.12 (11.73)
  4 Bochenski, Grant R     JR Missouri-MV         45.60      45.19  
    r:+0.62  10.43        21.55 (11.12)
          33.17 (11.62)       45.19 (12.02)
  5 Chaney, Adam C         SR FLOR-FL             45.27      45.21  
    r:+0.53  10.59        22.34 (11.75)
          33.67 (11.33)       45.21 (11.54)
  6 Van Renen, Ruard       SO UGA-GA              44.50      45.22  
    r:+0.63  10.59        21.62 (11.03)
          33.25 (11.63)       45.22 (11.97)
  7 Dunham, Bradley        GS UGA-GA              45.56      45.44  
    r:+0.63  10.58        21.77 (11.19)
          33.66 (11.89)       45.44 (11.78)
  8 Khaled, Sohib          SO Auburn-SE           47.31      45.56  
    r:+0.53  10.83        22.00 (11.17)
          33.74 (11.74)       45.56 (11.82)

Women’s 100 breaststroke

It’s the SEC record-holder’s race to lose, with Tennessee’s Mona McSharry throwing down a 57.06 in prelims to give her the top time for finals by more than a second. She entered with a seed time of 56.87, the fastest in the field by just shy of two seconds. Her time lowers her meet record from last year (57.25). Her regular-season swim is the SEC record, after she went 57.18 at NCAAs in 2022.

Second to McSharry is teammate Emilie Fast in 54.44, just .04 Fast-er than Avery Wiseman of Alabama. Zoie Hartman is hunting another medal in fourth in 58.56, while Arkansas has an A finalist in Alessia Ferraguti, fifth in 58.99.

In the team battle, Florida has only Molly Mayne in seventh in the A final.

Event 29  Women 100 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 55.73  3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
          SEC: S 57.18  3/18/2022 Mona McSherry, Tennessee
     SEC Meet: M 57.25  2023      Mona McSharry, Tennessee
         Pool: P 57.71  3/16/2012 Breeja Larson, Texas A&M
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 McSharry, Mona L       JR Tennessee-SE        56.87      57.06  
    r:+0.67  12.57        27.09 (14.52)
          41.84 (14.75)       57.06 (15.22)
  2 Fast, Emelie              Tennessee-SE        59.07      58.44  
    r:+0.68  12.28        27.15 (14.87)
          42.30 (15.15)       58.44 (16.14)
  3 Wiseman, Avery         JR BAMA-SE             59.38      58.48  
    r:+0.67  12.39        27.51 (15.12)
          42.60 (15.09)       58.48 (15.88)
  4 Hartman, Zoie E        GS UGA-GA              58.89      58.56  
    r:+0.75  12.72        27.81 (15.09)
          42.91 (15.10)       58.56 (15.65)
  5 Ferraguti, Alessia     SR Arkansas-AR         59.26      58.99  
    r:+0.64  12.60        27.70 (15.10)
          43.23 (15.53)       58.99 (15.76)
  6 Kennett, Bobbi G       SR Texas A&M-GU      1:00.01      59.13  
    r:+0.68  12.78        27.81 (15.03)
          43.23 (15.42)       59.13 (15.90)
  7 Mayne, Molly           FR FLOR-FL             58.68      59.31  
    r:+0.65  12.58        27.72 (15.14)
          43.21 (15.49)       59.31 (16.10)
  8 Makarova, Stasya R     JR Auburn-SE           59.62      59.36  
    r:+0.61  12.79        28.14 (15.35)
          43.42 (15.28)       59.36 (15.94)

Men’s 100 breaststroke

The two fastest times in the nation came out of the 100 breast at Auburn Friday.

In the first of three circle-seeded heats, Aleksas Savickas set the mark at 51.05 seconds, the top seed in prelims. It downs the 2020 pool record set by Florida mate Dillon Hillis (51.28). Alex Sanchez of Texas A&M was also under that mark in the final heat, good for the second seed at 51.19. Sanchez had entered as the top seed with an in-season time of 51.37 and has a silver medal in the 200 IM this week.

Savickas is joined by Florida teammate Julian Smith in fifth. Auburn’s Henry Bethel is third in 51.51, and Mitch Mason of LSU was fourth in 51.77.

 Event 30  Men 100 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
         NCAA: N 49.69  2/23/2018 Ian Finnerty, Indiana
          SEC: S 50.03  2/17/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
     SEC Meet: M 50.03  2018      Caeleb Dressel, Florida
         Pool: P 51.28  2/21/2020 Dillon Hillis, Florida
    Name                 Year School               Seed    Prelims        
==================================================================
                      === Preliminaries ===                       
 
  1 Savickas, Aleksas      SO FLOR-FL             52.47      51.05P 
    r:+0.63  10.75        23.77 (13.02)
          37.18 (13.41)       51.05 (13.87)
  2 Sanchez, Alex R        SR Texas A&M-GU        51.37      51.19P 
    r:+0.67  10.77        24.14 (13.37)
          37.47 (13.33)       51.19 (13.72)
  3 Bethel, Henry          JR Auburn-SE           52.16      51.51  
    r:+0.59  10.46        23.63 (13.17)
          37.19 (13.56)       51.51 (14.32)
  4 Mason, Mitch K         SR LSU-LA              52.19      51.77  
    r:+0.66  10.77        24.11 (13.34)
          37.62 (13.51)       51.77 (14.15)
  5 Smith, Julian          JR FLOR-FL             52.15      52.00  
    r:+0.66  10.78        24.21 (13.43)
          38.01 (13.80)       52.00 (13.99)
  6 Crisci, Flynn             Tennessee-SE        52.95      52.03  
    r:+0.63  10.70        23.87 (13.17)
          37.56 (13.69)       52.03 (14.47)
  7 Flores, Alejandro M    SR Auburn-SE           52.89      52.17  
    r:+0.59  11.13        24.53 (13.40)
          38.20 (13.67)       52.17 (13.97)
  8 Sheils, Trey           SR BAMA-SE             52.74      52.42  
    r:+0.63  11.02        24.30 (13.28)
          38.18 (13.88)       52.42 (14.24)

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