The 2026 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships continued from the University of Tennessee on Wednesday, Feb. 18, with Day 3 of the meet, the first full day of prelims.
The events are the men’s and women’s 100 backstroke prelims, 200 butterfly prelims and 100 breaststroke prelims.
Here is a look at what happened in the morning prelims session:
SEC Women’s 100 Backstroke
Alabama senior Emily Jones claimed the top seed in the 100 backstroke, nearly breaking 51 seconds. Her time of 51.03 was a couple of tenths ahead of the field.
Tennessee’s Jillian Crooks was just behind in 51.24, followed by Florida’s Catie Choate (51.38).
LSU’s Zoe Carlos-Broc took the fourth seed in 51.49, followed by Texas A&M’s Kaitlyn Owens (51.62), Tennessee’s Mizuki Hirai (51.70), Texas junior Emma Kern (51.81) and Auburn’s Lora Komoroczy (52.00).
Event 9 Women 100 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
NCAA: N 48.10 2/23/2024 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
SEC: S 49.20 2/21/2025 Bella Sims, Florida
Meet: M 49.20 2/20/2025 Bella Sims, Florida
Pool: P 48.26 3/17/2023 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
52.65 NC
Name Year School Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Jones, Emily SR Alabama-SE 50.61 51.03 qNC
r:+0.58 11.77 24.30 (12.53)
37.60 (13.30) 51.03 (13.43)
2 Crooks, Jillian Tennessee-SE 52.07 51.24 qNC
r:+0.56 11.89 24.57 (12.68)
37.75 (13.18) 51.24 (13.49)
3 Choate, Catie G JR FLOR-FL 50.95 51.38 qNC
r:+0.69 12.07 24.65 (12.58)
38.10 (13.45) 51.38 (13.28)
4 Carlos-Broc, Zo SO LSU-LA 51.60 51.49 qNC
r:+0.61 12.16 24.88 (12.72)
38.28 (13.40) 51.49 (13.21)
5 Owens, Kaitlyn 5T Texas A&M-GU 51.06 51.62 qNC
r:+0.61 11.83 24.52 (12.69)
38.17 (13.65) 51.62 (13.45)
6 Hirai, Mizuki Tennessee-SE 52.90 51.70 qNC
r:+0.59 11.92 24.90 (12.98)
38.20 (13.30) 51.70 (13.50)
7 Kern, Emma JR Texas 51.98 51.81 qNC
r:+0.57 12.20 24.94 (12.74)
38.46 (13.52) 51.81 (13.35)
8 Komoroczy, Lora SO Auburn-SE 51.65 52.00 qNC
r:+0.49 11.91 24.61 (12.70)
38.13 (13.52) 52.00 (13.87)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Menear, Ella K JR Alabama-SE 52.60 52.11 qNC
r:+0.63 12.08 24.92 (12.84)
52.11 (27.19)
10 Stephens, Lexi Tennessee-SE 52.54 52.36 qNC
r:+0.62 12.29 25.12 (12.83)
38.69 (13.57) 52.36 (13.67)
11 Rathwell, Regan Tennessee-SE 52.27 52.39 qNC
r:+0.57 12.45 25.34 (12.89)
38.84 (13.50) 52.39 (13.55)
12 Rodrigues, Sara FR Texas 52.78 52.64 qNC
r:+0.60 12.36 25.33 (12.97)
39.00 (13.67) 52.64 (13.64)
13 De Villiers, Mi SR LSU-LA 52.55 52.70 q
r:+0.66 12.12 25.13 (13.01)
39.04 (13.91) 52.70 (13.66)
14 Schellenger, Si SR Texas 52.59 52.87 q
r:+0.78 12.31 25.42 (13.11)
39.14 (13.72) 52.87 (13.73)
15 Scholes, Dylan SR South Carolina-S 53.10 52.93 q
r:+0.66 12.42 25.38 (12.96)
39.03 (13.65) 52.93 (13.90)
16 Fox, Ellis JR Auburn-SE 52.97 52.94 q
r:+0.66 12.33 25.58 (13.25)
39.06 (13.48) 52.94 (13.88)
SEC Men’s 100 Backstroke
Texas senior Hubert Kos took the top seed in the 100 backstroke. Not much of a surprise, but his 43.87 was not far off of his NCAA record.
The Longhorns went 1-2 with junior Will Modglin finishing second in 44.16.
Tennessee’s Ulises Saravia was the third seed in 44.50, followed by Florida’s Jonny Marshall (44.80), Georgia’s Ruard Van Renen (44.81), Kentucky’s Lysander Osman (44.87), Florida’s Scotty Buff (45.23) and Alabama’s Tommy Hagar (45.26).
Event 10 Men 100 Yard Backstroke
==================================================================
NCAA: N 43.20 3/28/2025 Hubert Kos, Texas
SEC: S 43.20 3/28/2025 Hubert Kos, Texas
Meet: M 43.73 2/20/2025 Jonny Marshall, Florida
Pool: P 44.07 12/5/2013 Nick Thorman, SwimMAC
46.29 NC
Name Year School Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Kos, Hubert SR Texas 44.48 43.87PqNC
r:+0.66 10.34 21.11 (10.77)
32.52 (11.41) 43.87 (11.35)
2 Modglin, Will C JR Texas 43.26 44.16 qNC
r:+0.64 10.16 21.29 (11.13)
32.76 (11.47) 44.16 (11.40)
3 Saravia, Ulises Tennessee-SE 44.89 44.50 qNC
r:+0.68 10.54 21.40 (10.86)
32.88 (11.48) 44.50 (11.62)
4 Marshall, Jonny JR FLOR-FL 45.13 44.80 qNC
r:+0.83 10.27 21.17 (10.90)
32.94 (11.77) 44.80 (11.86)
5 Van Renen, Ruar SR UGA-GA 43.92 44.81 qNC
r:+0.55 10.55 21.71 (11.16)
33.33 (11.62) 44.81 (11.48)
6 Osman, Lysander FR UK 45.91 44.87 qNC
r:+0.62 10.47 21.62 (11.15)
33.21 (11.59) 44.87 (11.66)
7 Buff, Scotty JR FLOR-FL 46.50 45.23 qNC
r:+0.63 10.48 21.61 (11.13)
33.27 (11.66) 45.23 (11.96)
8 Hagar, Tommy E JR Alabama-SE 45.33 45.26 qNC
r:+0.67 10.67 21.98 (11.31)
33.67 (11.69) 45.26 (11.59)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Masiuk, Ksawery SO Texas 46.86 45.30 qNC
r:+0.80 10.43 21.46 (11.03)
33.48 (12.02) 45.30 (11.82)
10 Simons, Nick F Tennessee-SE 46.73 45.42 qNC
r:+0.64 10.52 21.70 (11.18)
33.61 (11.91) 45.42 (11.81)
11 Makinen, Kalle SR Auburn-SE 45.55 45.53 qNC
r:+0.65 10.42 21.71 (11.29)
33.58 (11.87) 45.53 (11.95)
12 Goncharov, Step SR LSU-LA 45.25 45.75 qNC
r:+0.74 10.69 21.97 (11.28)
33.84 (11.87) 45.75 (11.91)
12 Naoroz, Devin A JR UK 45.91 45.75 qNC
r:+0.71 10.63 21.85 (11.22)
33.63 (11.78) 45.75 (12.12)
14 Gould, Quinlan JR Missouri-MV 45.97 45.76 qNC
r:+0.72 10.56 21.74 (11.18)
33.63 (11.89) 45.76 (12.13)
15 Bricca, Ben Tennessee-SE 46.17 45.86 qNC
r:+0.72 10.72 22.00 (11.28)
34.05 (12.05) 45.86 (11.81)
15 Khaled, Sohib E SR Auburn-SE 45.80 45.86 qNC
r:+0.66 10.70 22.24 (11.54)
34.10 (11.86) 45.86 (11.76)
SEC Women’s 200 Butterfly
Tennessee’s Ella Jansen led a group of three swimmers to break 1:54 in the prelims session. Jansen got to the wall in 1:52.36, about a half second off of her seed time.
Texas junior Campbell Stoll was also a little slower than her seed time ,finishing in 1:53.36, while Tennessee’s Emily Brown was at 1:53.49, again, about a second off of her seed time.
This should add up to a stellar final with all three holding back to have a little more in the tank.
LSU’s Sofia Sartori took the fourth seed in 1:54.25, followed by South Carolina senior Jordan Agliano (1:54.50), Texas A&M junior Ava Whitaker (1:55.91), Florida junior Lainy Kruger (1:56.17) and LSU sophomore Giuli Zambelli (1:56.17).
Event 11 Women 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
NCAA: N 1:49.11 3/22/2025 Emma Sticklen, Texas
SEC: S 1:49.11 3/22/2025 Emma Stricklin, Texas
Meet: M 1:49.17 2/22/2025 Emma Stricklen, Texas
Pool: P 1:49.95 3/18/2023 Emma Sticklen, Texas
1:57.11 NC
Name Year School Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Jansen, Ella Tennessee-SE 1:52.88 1:53.26 qNC
r:+0.72 25.15 53.55 (28.40)
1:22.52 (28.97) 1:53.26 (30.74)
2 Stoll, Campbell JR Texas 1:52.13 1:53.36 qNC
r:+0.67 25.11 54.04 (28.93)
1:23.49 (29.45) 1:53.36 (29.87)
3 Brown, Emily Tennessee-SE 1:52.39 1:53.49 qNC
r:+0.76 25.17 54.01 (28.84)
1:23.41 (29.40) 1:53.49 (30.08)
4 Sartori, Sofia SR LSU-LA 1:53.29 1:54.25 qNC
r:+0.68 25.64 54.64 (29.00)
1:24.14 (29.50) 1:54.25 (30.11)
5 Agliano, Jordan SR South Carolina-S 1:54.87 1:54.50 qNC
r:+0.69 26.43 55.36 (28.93)
1:24.56 (29.20) 1:54.50 (29.94)
6 Whitaker, Ava G JR Texas A&M-GU 1:55.01 1:55.91 qNC
r:+0.71 26.02 55.07 (29.05)
1:25.02 (29.95) 1:55.91 (30.89)
7 Kruger, Lainy A JR FLOR-FL 1:55.71 1:56.17 qNC
r:+0.66 26.14 55.12 (28.98)
1:24.75 (29.63) 1:56.17 (31.42)
7 Zambelli, Giuli SO LSU-LA 1:53.76 1:56.17 qNC
r:+0.72 26.19 55.75 (29.56)
1:24.79 (29.04) 1:56.17 (31.38)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Gormley, Brecki SR South Carolina-S 1:58.11 1:56.73 qNC
r:+0.69 26.57 56.11 (29.54)
1:26.36 (30.25) 1:56.73 (30.37)
10 Reese, Addison SO FLOR-FL 1:56.28 1:56.97 qNC
r:+0.63 26.07 55.79 (29.72)
1:26.25 (30.46) 1:56.97 (30.72)
11 Raymond, Victor JR Alabama-SE 1:55.93 1:57.15 q
r:+0.67 26.32 55.86 (29.54)
1:25.97 (30.11) 1:57.15 (31.18)
11 Maluka, Ieva SR UGA-GA 1:54.44 1:57.15 q
r:+0.67 25.94 55.35 (29.41)
1:25.19 (29.84) 1:57.15 (31.96)
13 Rinard, Carissa JR Auburn-SE 1:56.57 1:57.53 q
r:+0.65 26.02 55.41 (29.39)
1:25.28 (29.87) 1:57.53 (32.25)
14 Van Brunt, Gaby JR Alabama-SE 1:54.70 1:57.63 q
r:+0.72 25.56 55.50 (29.94)
1:26.48 (30.98) 1:57.63 (31.15)
15 Grimley, Taylor SO South Carolina-S 1:57.78 1:57.72 q
r:+0.67 25.89 55.67 (29.78)
1:27.06 (31.39) 1:57.72 (30.66)
16 Bacher, Taylor FR Auburn-SE 1:56.13 1:57.85 q
r:+0.71 26.61 56.35 (29.74)
1:26.89 (30.54) 1:57.85 (30.96)
SEC Men’s 200 Butterfly
Georgia senior Luca Urlando was nearly a second faster than the field in the 200 fly, not surprising since he is the NCAA record holder.
His time of 1:39.87 was about four tenths off of his NCAA mark.
Teammate Drew Hitchcock took the second seed in 1:40.48, ahead of Auburn freshman Nasr Youssef (1:40.73) and Texas sophomore Kyle Peck (1:40.87).
Missouri senior Jan Zubik took the fifth seed in 1:41.19, followed by Tennessee’s Martin Espernberger (1:41.56) and the Texas duo of Cooper Lucas (1:41.83) and Rex Maurer (1:41.87).
Event 12 Men 200 Yard Butterfly
==================================================================
NCAA: N 1:36.41 11/25/2025Luca Urlando, Georgia
SEC: S 1:36.41 11/21/2025Luca Urlando, Georgia
Meet: M 1:37.18 2/21/2025 Luca Urlando, Georgia
Pool: P 1:37.56 11/22/2025Ilya Kharun, ASU
1:43.79 NC
Name Year School Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Urlando, Luca SR UGA-GA 1:36.41 1:39.87 qNC
r:+0.63 21.93 46.52 (24.59)
1:12.24 (25.72) 1:39.87 (27.63)
2 Hitchcock, Drew SO UGA-GA 1:40.46 1:40.48 qNC
r:+0.65 22.23 47.69 (25.46)
1:13.80 (26.11) 1:40.48 (26.68)
3 Youssef Nasr, A FR Auburn-SE 1:41.66 1:40.73 qNC
r:+0.71 22.79 48.61 (25.82)
1:14.60 (25.99) 1:40.73 (26.13)
4 Peck, Kyle SO Texas 1:41.73 1:40.87 qNC
r:+0.62 22.53 48.28 (25.75)
1:13.95 (25.67) 1:40.87 (26.92)
5 Zubik, Jan K SR Missouri-MV 1:41.54 1:41.19 qNC
r:+0.64 22.52 48.50 (25.98)
1:14.56 (26.06) 1:41.19 (26.63)
6 Espernberger, M Tennessee-SE 1:41.22 1:41.56 qNC
r:+0.65 22.80 48.47 (25.67)
1:14.68 (26.21) 1:41.56 (26.88)
7 Lucas, Cooper SO Texas 1:40.40 1:41.83 qNC
r:+0.68 22.74 48.57 (25.83)
1:14.81 (26.24) 1:41.83 (27.02)
8 Maurer, Rex JR Texas 1:41.71 1:41.87 qNC
r:+0.73 23.07 49.10 (26.03)
1:15.39 (26.29) 1:41.87 (26.48)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Bedsole, Luke C FR Auburn-SE 1:44.06 1:41.96 qNC
r:+0.59 22.78 48.57 (25.79)
1:14.75 (26.18) 1:41.96 (27.21)
10 Lopez-Guillen, SO UK 1:43.27 1:42.35 qNC
r:+0.62 22.97 48.96 (25.99)
1:15.67 (26.71) 1:42.35 (26.68)
11 Wimberly, Jacob SO Texas 1:43.76 1:43.10 qNC
r:+0.60 22.54 48.31 (25.77)
1:14.57 (26.26) 1:43.10 (28.53)
12 Kabbara, Munzy 5T Texas A&M-GU 1:42.91 1:43.18 qNC
r:+0.62 22.89 48.99 (26.10)
1:15.56 (26.57) 1:43.18 (27.62)
13 Ploof, Drew M FR Missouri-MV 1:45.37 1:43.24 qNC
r:+0.57 22.99 48.67 (25.68)
1:15.40 (26.73) 1:43.24 (27.84)
14 Judkins, Matthe SO Missouri-MV 1:42.84 1:43.43 qNC
r:+0.70 22.70 48.67 (25.97)
1:15.42 (26.75) 1:43.43 (28.01)
15 Moura, Gabriel FR Alabama-SE 1:44.40 1:43.53 qNC
r:+0.60 23.56 49.80 (26.24)
1:16.64 (26.84) 1:43.53 (26.89)
16 Cairns, Matt J SO FLOR-FL 1:45.41 1:43.55 qNC
r:+0.61 23.51 50.24 (26.73)
1:16.65 (26.41) 1:43.55 (26.90)
SEC Women’s 100 Breaststroke
Florida sophomore Anita Bottazzo swam to the top seed in the 100 breaststroke, getting to the wall in 57.78. She was the only swimmer to break 58 in the prelims.
Tennessee took the next two spots with McKenzie Siroky at 58.66 and Simone Moll at 58.86.
Missouri senior Lina Bank took the fourth seed in 58.96, followed by LSU freshman Martina Bukvic (59.47), Texas sophomore Piper Enge (59.63), Florida junior Molly Mayne (59.64).
Texas A&M sophomore Ella McQuinn (1:00.01) and Auburn sophomore Annika Finzen tied for the eighth seed and will have a swim-off.
Event 13 Women 100 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
NCAA: N 55.73 3/22/2019 Lilly King, Indiana
SEC: S 56.64 3/22/2024 Mona McSherry, Tennessee
Meet: M 57.06 2/22/2024 Mona McSharry, Tennessee
Pool: P 56.64 12/1/2017 Molly Hannis, TNAQ
1:00.30 NC
Name Year School Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Bottazzo, Anita SO FLOR-FL 56.87 57.78 qNC
r:+0.67 12.24 26.73 (14.49)
42.01 (15.28) 57.78 (15.77)
2 Siroky, McKenzi Tennessee-SE 57.78 58.66 qNC
r:+0.64 12.61 27.44 (14.83)
43.19 (15.75) 58.66 (15.47)
3 Moll, Simone Tennessee-SE 58.98 58.86 qNC
r:+0.71 12.86 27.68 (14.82)
42.98 (15.30) 58.86 (15.88)
4 Bank, Lina SR Missouri-MV 59.39 58.96 qNC
r:+0.66 12.54 27.40 (14.86)
42.95 (15.55) 58.96 (16.01)
5 Bukvic, Martina FR LSU-LA 59.54 59.47 qNC
r:+0.65 13.08 28.16 (15.08)
43.75 (15.59) 59.47 (15.72)
6 Enge, Piper SO Texas 58.13 59.63 qNC
r:+0.59 12.66 27.99 (15.33)
43.78 (15.79) 59.63 (15.85)
7 Mayne, Molly JR FLOR-FL 58.88 59.64 qNC
r:+0.67 12.91 27.73 (14.82)
43.66 (15.93) 59.64 (15.98)
8 McQuinn, Ella SO Texas A&M-GU 59.42 1:00.01 qNC
r:+0.67 12.67 28.00 (15.33)
43.71 (15.71) 1:00.01 (16.30)
8 Finzen, Annika SO Auburn-SE 59.98 1:00.01 qNC
r:+0.58 12.90 27.87 (14.97)
43.71 (15.84) 1:00.01 (16.30)
Swim-Off Required ----------------------------------------------
10 Lyn, Sabrina JR LSU-LA 59.63 1:00.02 qNC
r:+0.62 12.82 27.87 (15.05)
43.73 (15.86) 1:00.02 (16.29)
11 Zeller, Zoey JR Auburn-SE 1:00.27 1:00.07 qNC
r:+0.69 13.05 28.34 (15.29)
43.94 (15.60) 1:00.07 (16.13)
12 Fast, Emelie Tennessee-SE 58.69 1:00.14 qNC
r:+0.63 12.62 27.69 (15.07)
43.69 (16.00) 1:00.14 (16.45)
13 Zallen, Zara A JR Missouri-MV 59.41 1:00.22 qNC
r:+0.71 12.75 27.89 (15.14)
43.55 (15.66) 1:00.22 (16.67)
14 Rosendale, Char SR Alabama-SE 59.92 1:00.26 qNC
r:+0.63 12.79 27.95 (15.16)
43.60 (15.65) 1:00.26 (16.66)
15 Headland, Charl SO UGA-GA 1:00.27 1:00.61 q
r:+0.74 13.08 28.13 (15.05)
44.14 (16.01) 1:00.61 (16.47)
16 Moore, Anna C SR FLOR-FL 1:00.65 1:00.68 q
r:+0.66 13.20 28.31 (15.11)
44.17 (15.86) 1:00.68 (16.51)
SEC Men’s 100 Breaststroke
Texas junior Nate Germonprez broke the pool record to take the top seed in the men’s 100 breast. He got to the wall in 50.05, breaking the mark set by Alabama’s Derek Maas (50.78) in 2022.
Florida senior Koen de Groot took he second seed in 50.72, also bettering the previous pool record.
Kentucky sophomore Adomas Gatulis took he third spot in 51.35, followed by Texas freshman Campbell McKean (51.65), Auburn sophomore Uros Zivanovic (51.70), LSU junior Levi Thome (51.72), Tennessee’s Gabe Nunziata (51.74) and South Carolina freshman Eina Agustsson (51.75).
Event 14 Men 100 Yard Breaststroke
==================================================================
NCAA: N 49.51 2/21/2025 Julian Smith, Florida
SEC: S 49.51 2/21/2025 Julian Smith, Florida
Meet: M 49.51 2/20/2025 Julian Smith, Florida
Pool: P 50.78 2/18/2022 Derek Maas, Alabama
52.58 NC
Name Year School Seed Prelims
==================================================================
=== Preliminaries ===
1 Germonprez, Nat JR Texas 49.71 50.05PqNC
r:+0.61 10.44 23.35 (12.91)
36.52 (13.17) 50.05 (13.53)
2 de Groot, Koen SR FLOR-FL 52.70 50.72PqNC
r:+0.63 10.67 23.54 (12.87)
37.00 (13.46) 50.72 (13.72)
3 Gatulis, Adomas SO UK 52.35 51.35 qNC
r:+0.61 10.82 24.06 (13.24)
37.55 (13.49) 51.35 (13.80)
4 McKean, Campbel FR Texas 50.37 51.65 qNC
r:+0.63 11.04 24.19 (13.15)
37.99 (13.80) 51.65 (13.66)
5 Zivanovic, Uros SO Auburn-SE 51.98 51.70 qNC
r:+0.60 10.76 23.81 (13.05)
37.27 (13.46) 51.70 (14.43)
6 Thome, Levi JR LSU-LA 55.28 51.72 qNC
r:+0.67 11.52 24.15 (12.63)
37.82 (13.67) 51.72 (13.90)
7 Nunziata, Gabe Tennessee-SE 52.31 51.74 qNC
r:+0.64 10.95 24.19 (13.24)
37.75 (13.56) 51.74 (13.99)
8 Agustsson, Eina FR South Carolina-S 51.78 51.75 qNC
r:+0.63 11.17 24.36 (13.19)
37.94 (13.58) 51.75 (13.81)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Lisovets, Volod SO LSU-LA 51.93 51.78 qNC
r:+0.64 10.92 23.85 (12.93)
37.78 (13.93) 51.78 (14.00)
10 Savickas, Aleks SR FLOR-FL 52.45 51.95 qNC
r:+0.65 11.07 24.27 (13.20)
37.90 (13.63) 51.95 (14.05)
11 Brown, Logan H JR Texas A&M-GU 52.01 52.16 qNC
r:+0.60 11.14 24.42 (13.28)
38.15 (13.73) 52.16 (14.01)
12 Pitzer, Cayden JR UK 53.56 52.26 qNC
r:+0.67 11.18 24.59 (13.41)
38.11 (13.52) 52.26 (14.15)
12 Camossato, Guil LSU-LA 56.81 52.26 qNC
r:+0.61 10.85 24.33 (13.48)
38.05 (13.72) 52.26 (14.21)
14 Ballew, Maston FR Auburn-SE 52.56 52.42 qNC
r:+0.65 11.27 24.73 (13.46)
38.59 (13.86) 52.42 (13.83)
15 Scholtz, Will T JR Texas 50.95 52.50 qNC
r:+0.70 11.15 24.46 (13.31)
38.26 (13.80) 52.50 (14.24)
16 Ottke, Logan D JR Missouri-MV 52.47 52.64 q
r:+0.61 11.13 24.63 (13.50)
38.59 (13.96) 52.64 (14.05)
