SEC Championships, Day 3: Josh Liendo Swims 43.06 100 Fly, Ties Second-Fastest Time Ever
In the first men’s race of the SEC Championships, Josh Liendo utilized a sensational 17.58 anchor split to bring Florida to first place and an NCAA/U.S. Open record in the 200 medley relay. Now, Liendo is back in the pool to begin his individual slate. The University of Florida senior clocked 43.26 in prelims to come within a half-second of the fastest time in history, and he went even quicker at night, going 43.06 to tie the second-fastest time in history.
The 100 fly was one of six individual events slated for Thursday evening, along with the women’s equivalent event plus the women’s and men’s 400 IM, 200 freestyle and 400 medley relay plus women’s 3-meter diving. Rex Maurer was among the finalists in the men’s 400 IM, an event in which he is the reigning NCAA champion.
Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 13 1. University of Tennessee 377 2. University of Texas 345 3. University of Florida 340.5 4. Auburn University 274.5 5. South Carolina, University of, 254.5 6. Louisiana State University 248 7. University of Alabama 238 8. Texas A&M University 211 9. Georgia, University of 201 10. Missouri 169.5 11. Kentucky, University of 132 12. University of Arkansas 89 13. Vanderbilt University 58
Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 15 1. University of Texas 470.5 2. University of Florida 462 3. University of Tennessee 414.5 4. Auburn University 316 5. Louisiana State University 282 6. Georgia, University of 281 7. Kentucky, University of 280 8. Missouri 206 9. University of Alabama 198.5 10. Texas A&M University 159.5 11. South Carolina, University of, 142
Women’s 100 Butterfly
There is no doubt to the identity of the top female butterflyer in the Southeastern Conference. Campbell Stoll put up a dominant win in the 200 fly Wednesday, and she returned to earn a dramatic triumph in the 100-yard race. Stoll turned in sixth place at the halfway point, 0.35 behind leader Mizuki Hirai, but she came back in 26.43 to power past the field and get to the wall in 50.35. The only swimmers to go faster this season are Stanford’s Torri Huske, Virginia’s Claire Curzan, Indiana’s Miranda Grana and Stanford’s Gigi Johnson.
Hirai grabbed second in 50.46. The Tennessee freshman was an Olympic and World Championship finalist in the 100-meter fly, and she has made a quick adjustment to yards competition to boost the Lady Vols, nursing a one-point lead over the Longhorns. Alabama’s Tessa Giele touched third in 50.55, with Texas’ Eva Okaro also under 51 (50.71).
Event 16 Women 100 Yard Butterfly
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NCAA: N 46.97 3/21/2025 Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
SEC: S 48.51 3/18/2023 Maggie MacNeil, LSU
Meet: M 48.99 2/23/2023 Maggie MacNeil, LSU
Pool: P 47.35 11/21/2024Gretchen Walsh, Virginia
52.52 NC
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
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=== Championship Final ===
1 Stoll, Campbell JR Texas 51.29 50.35 NC 32
r:+0.66 23.92 50.35 (26.43)
2 Hirai, Mizuki Tennessee-SE 50.98 50.46 NC 28
r:+0.59 23.57 50.46 (26.89)
3 Giele, Tessa SR Alabama-SE 51.41 50.55 NC 27
r:+0.63 23.70 50.55 (26.85)
4 Okaro, Eva FR Texas 50.80 50.71 NC 26
r:+0.69 23.85 50.71 (26.86)
5 Jones, Emily SR Alabama-SE 51.87 51.13 NC 25
r:+0.62 23.79 51.13 (27.34)
6 Van Brunt, Gaby JR Alabama-SE 51.99 51.71 NC 24
r:+0.67 24.07 51.71 (27.64)
7 Rabb, Grace FR FLOR-FL 52.03 52.16 NC 23
r:+0.65 24.77 52.16 (27.39)
8 Bezerra, Beatri FR FLOR-FL 51.99 52.30 NC 22
r:+0.60 23.87 52.30 (28.43)
Men’s 100 Butterfly
In hot pursuit of a third consecutive NCAA title in the 100 fly, Josh Liendo might end his college career as the fastest swimmer ever in the event. He threw down a statement performance in the SEC final as he put a scare into the NCAA and U.S. Open records held since 2018 by another University of Florida sprinting great, Caeleb Dressel. Liendo blasted out a 19.95 opening split, four hundredths ahead of Dressel’s record pace. He could not quite maintain that speed down the stretch, but he still hit the wall in 43.06.
That time matched the 43.06 Liendo swam at the 2025 NCAA Championships for the second-fastest mark ever. Liendo also has a 43.07 on his ledger from 2024. Liendo did take down the SEC Championships record of 43.23 from last season. Another two-tenth drop from the conference meet to the national one would put him in range of Dressel’s record.
Second place went to Tennessee’s Gui Caribe in 43.93. The Volunteers’ senior joined Liendo, Ilya Kharun and Luca Urlando as the only swimmers under 44 this season. Urlando ended up third in 44.16 while a second Florida swimmer, Scotty Buff, used some outside smoke to place fourth (44.53).
Event 17 Men 100 Yard Butterfly
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NCAA: N 42.80 3/23/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
SEC: S 42.80 3/23/2018 Caeleb Dressel, Florida
Meet: M 43.23 2/20/2025 Josh Liendo, Florida
Pool: P 43.38 11/23/2025Ilya Kharun, ASU
46.11 NC
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
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=== Championship Final ===
1 Liendo, Josh SR FLOR-FL 43.26 43.06MNC 32
r:+0.66 19.95 43.06 (23.11)
2 Caribe, Gui C Tennessee-SE 44.94 43.93 NC 28
r:+0.57 20.38 43.93 (23.55)
3 Urlando, Luca SR UGA-GA 44.72 44.16 NC 27
r:+0.64 20.59 44.16 (23.57)
4 Buff, Scotty JR FLOR-FL 45.21 44.53 NC 26
r:+0.69 20.80 44.53 (23.73)
5 Peck, Kyle SO Texas 44.88 44.75 NC 25
r:+0.61 20.86 44.75 (23.89)
6 Masiuk, Ksawery SO Texas 45.10 45.02 NC 24
r:+0.71 20.71 45.02 (24.31)
7 Niewold, Sean SR Alabama-SE 45.08 45.13 NC 23
r:+0.66 20.72 45.13 (24.41)
8 Modglin, Will C JR Texas 45.14 45.42 NC 22
r:+0.67 21.01 45.42 (24.41)
Women’s 400 IM
The Tennessee women scored a big win as the Lady Vols attempt to hold onto the lead against Texas. Ella Jansen came through in the long medley, pulling clear of the field on the backstroke leg and maintaining a substantial advantage throughout the back half. She ended up winning by almost two seconds in 4:01.97, knocking a half-second off the season-best time she swam in a dual meet last month (4:02.50). Jansen, the B-final winner in the event at the 2025 NCAA Championships, has blossomed into a multi-event contender in her sophomore season.
The battle for second place came down to Emily Brown, another Tennessee swimmer, and Texas’ Angie Coe. Brown was in second place throughout the race, but Coe substantially cut into that edge on breaststroke before pulling ahead at the finish, 4:03.94 to 4:04.07. That effort by Coe combined with further swims throughout the rankings (including sixth-place finisher Campbell Chase) helped the Longhorns pull into a tie in the team standings with 469 points.
Event 18 Women 400 Yard IM
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NCAA: N 3:54.60 3/16/2018 Ella Eastin, Stanford
SEC: S 3:58.23 3/22/2019 Sydney Pickrem, Texas A&M
Meet: M 3:58.35 2/16/2012 Elizabeth Beisel, Florida
Pool: P 3:57.24 3/17/2023 Alex Walsh, Virginia
4:13.20 NC
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== Championship Final ===
1 Jansen, Ella Tennessee-SE 4:07.51 4:01.97 NC 32
r:+0.75 25.46 54.04 (28.58)
1:23.88 (29.84) 1:53.20 (29.32)
2:28.26 (35.06) 3:04.55 (36.29)
3:33.46 (28.91) 4:01.97 (28.51)
2 Coe, Angie A JR Texas 4:08.44 4:03.94 NC 28
r:+0.64 25.56 55.34 (29.78)
1:26.64 (31.30) 1:57.55 (30.91)
2:32.29 (34.74) 3:07.98 (35.69)
3:36.94 (28.96) 4:03.94 (27.00)
3 Brown, Emily Tennessee-SE 4:06.60 4:04.07 NC 27
r:+0.69 25.31 54.44 (29.13)
1:25.87 (31.43) 1:55.81 (29.94)
2:31.25 (35.44) 3:07.72 (36.47)
3:36.60 (28.88) 4:04.07 (27.47)
4 Brousseau, Juli SO FLOR-FL 4:10.37 4:06.61 NC 26
r:+0.75 26.45 56.34 (29.89)
1:28.14 (31.80) 2:00.29 (32.15)
2:34.67 (34.38) 3:10.97 (36.30)
3:39.58 (28.61) 4:06.61 (27.03)
5 Maluka, Ieva SR UGA-GA 4:08.69 4:07.52 NC 25
r:+0.67 26.23 55.64 (29.41)
1:27.15 (31.51) 1:57.74 (30.59)
2:33.33 (35.59) 3:09.84 (36.51)
3:39.10 (29.26) 4:07.52 (28.42)
6 Chase, Campbell SO Texas 4:09.45 4:08.40 NC 24
r:+0.71 26.10 56.55 (30.45)
1:28.59 (32.04) 2:00.16 (31.57)
2:35.02 (34.86) 3:10.82 (35.80)
3:40.10 (29.28) 4:08.40 (28.30)
7 Plaza, Sofia M SO FLOR-FL 4:12.48 4:11.64 NC 23
r:+0.86 27.61 58.60 (30.99)
1:30.93 (32.33) 2:02.71 (31.78)
2:36.52 (33.81) 3:11.94 (35.42)
3:42.33 (30.39) 4:11.64 (29.31)
8 Franklin, Delan JR South Carolina-S 4:10.23 4:15.35 22
r:+0.69 26.82 57.26 (30.44)
1:29.89 (32.63) 2:02.83 (32.94)
2:39.27 (36.44) 3:15.51 (36.24)
3:45.79 (30.28) 4:15.35 (29.56)
Men’s 400 IM
A breakout midseason performance brought Baylor Nelson to the helm of the national standings in the 400 IM with a time of 3:34.83. Nelson backed up that effort at the conference meet as he took down reigning NCAA champion and Texas teammate Rex Maurer in a back-and-forth affair. Maurer had the superior front half, using a strong backstroke leg to open up a lead of more than a second, but Nelson fought back with a sensational 1:00.03 breaststroke split. That gave him a two-second edge, enough to hold off the charging Maurer.
Nelson finished in 3:35.75, just off the SEC meet record Maurer set last season. Maurer came in second at 3:36.74, making him the country’s third-fastest performer this season behind fellow Longhorns Nelson and Cooper Lucas. Well back in third was Georgia’s Drew Hitchcock in 3:39.16, just ahead of Florida’s Gio Linscheer (3:39.36). Lucas ended up sixth in 3:40.50.
Event 19 Men 400 Yard IM
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NCAA: N 3:28.82 3/24/2023 Leon Marchand, ASU
SEC: S 3:33.42 3/24/2017 Chase Kalisz, Georgia
Meet: M 3:35.61 2/21/2025 Rex Mauer, Texas
Pool: P 3:36.21 2/16/2017 Chase Kalisz, Georgia
3:46.19 NC
Name Year School Prelims Finals Points
=========================================================================
=== Championship Final ===
1 Nelson, Baylor SR Texas 3:39.53 3:35.75PNC 32
r:+0.61 22.65 48.84 (26.19)
1:16.67 (27.83) 1:44.27 (27.60)
2:13.51 (29.24) 2:44.30 (30.79)
3:10.26 (25.96) 3:35.75 (25.49)
2 Maurer, Rex JR Texas 3:40.56 3:36.74 NC 28
r:+0.72 22.96 49.14 (26.18)
1:16.25 (27.11) 1:42.94 (26.69)
2:14.34 (31.40) 2:46.29 (31.95)
3:11.50 (25.21) 3:36.74 (25.24)
3 Hitchcock, Drew SO UGA-GA 3:40.94 3:39.16 NC 27
r:+0.67 22.97 49.10 (26.13)
1:17.42 (28.32) 1:45.56 (28.14)
2:15.91 (30.35) 2:47.41 (31.50)
3:13.82 (26.41) 3:39.16 (25.34)
4 Linscheer, Giov SR FLOR-FL 3:41.86 3:39.36 NC 26
r:+0.71 23.85 50.92 (27.07)
1:20.08 (29.16) 1:48.16 (28.08)
2:18.47 (30.31) 2:49.35 (30.88)
3:14.93 (25.58) 3:39.36 (24.43)
5 Martter, Cale A SR UGA-GA 3:41.04 3:40.33 NC 25
r:+0.69 23.61 50.41 (26.80)
1:19.56 (29.15) 1:48.56 (29.00)
2:18.21 (29.65) 2:48.55 (30.34)
3:15.10 (26.55) 3:40.33 (25.23)
6 Lucas, Cooper SO Texas 3:41.87 3:40.50 NC 24
r:+0.70 22.81 49.13 (26.32)
1:17.39 (28.26) 1:45.04 (27.65)
2:16.36 (31.32) 2:48.46 (32.10)
3:15.19 (26.73) 3:40.50 (25.31)
7 Brown, Eric G SR FLOR-FL 3:41.86 3:41.62 NC 23
r:+0.67 23.25 49.81 (26.56)
1:18.08 (28.27) 1:45.73 (27.65)
2:17.96 (32.23) 2:50.50 (32.54)
3:16.37 (25.87) 3:41.62 (25.25)
8 Kabbara, Munzy 5T Texas A&M-GU 3:42.14 3:44.87 NC 22
r:+0.65 23.31 49.86 (26.55)
1:18.42 (28.56) 1:46.31 (27.89)
2:17.61 (31.30) 2:49.61 (32.00)
3:17.61 (28.00) 3:44.87 (27.26)
Women’s 200 Freestyle
Men’s 200 Freestyle
Women’s 3-Meter Diving
Women’s 400 Medley Relay
Men’s 400 Medley Relay