Gators Send 17 to Finals on Day 3 of SEC Championships

Gators Send 17 to Finals on Day 3 of SEC Championships

Friday, February 16, 2018 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Six Florida swimmers and one diver to compete in Championships A finals.

By: Katie Callahan

Meet Notes | Championship Central | Psych Sheet

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Gators sent 16 swimmers and one diver to Friday's finals session, including an appearance by seven in Championship finals.

Florida recorded 20 B-cut qualifications during Friday's morning session.

Three Gator women earned their way into either the Championship of consolation final in the women's 400 IM. Hannah Burns swam a career-best time of 4:08.10 to earn a spot in the A final, while Kelly Fertel and Savanna Faulconer notched a spot in the B final. Fertel swam a 4:08.25 and Faulconer recorded a time of 4:12.06 to qualify.

The men's 400 IM finals will be packed with Gators, as seven men qualified for either the A, B or C races. Mark Szaranek led the Florida field with a 3:42.02, earning the third overall seed in the championship final. Both Alex Lebed (3:46.49) and Ross Palazzo (3:46.78) qualified for the B consolation final and Palazzo's time was a new personal best.

Grant Sanders (3:47.04), Brennan Balogh (3:47.78), Santiago Corredor (3:47.84) and Andrew Brady (3:48.02) round out the Gators in the C final. Corredor and Brady both set new career-bests in the preliminary round.

Jan Switkowski recorded a swim of 45.95 in the men's 100 fly prelims, earning him the no. 4 overall seed in the championship final.

Three Gator women earned spots in the 200 free finals, with Amelia Maughan qualifying for the championship final with a time of 1:45.51. Maughan looks to continue her success in the event, having won the SEC title in 2015.

Kelsey Dambacher qualified for the B final in the women's 200 free with a swim of 1:46.73, while Tori Bindi earned a spot in the C final with a career-best time of 1:47.69.

Khader Baqlah earned the no. 1 overall seed in the men's 200 free championship final, swimming a career-best time of 1:32.96 in the prelims. Maxime Rooney followed close behind, earning the no. 3 overall seed with a time of 1:33.67.

Brooke Madden punched her ticket to the final of the women's 3-meter event after posting a personal-best score of 353.10 in the prelims. Emma Whitner also scored points for Florida, finishing 18th overall with a score of 274.60. Teya Syskakis rounded out the group in 30th with a mark of 233.00.

Tonight's finals session will start at 7 p.m. EST and is going to be streamed on the SEC Network +.

Results can be followed live here and full results will be posted at the conclusion of competition each day at FloridaGators.com.

Fans who plan to attend are encouraged to check out the Championship Central for information on tickets, parking, the venue and Texas A&M's clear bag policy.

How it Happened – Prelims:

Three Gators earned their spots in the finals session of the women's 400 IM:
- A – Hannah Burns
- B – Kelly Fertel, Savanna Faulconer
Burns (4:08.10), Fertel (4:08.25) and Faulconer (4:12.06) each recorded B-cuts during the prelims.
Seven Gators notched a spot in finals of the men's 400 IM:
- A – Mark Szaranek
- B – Alex Lebed, Ross Palazzo
- C – Grant Sanders, Brennan Balogh, Santiago Corredor and Andrew Brady
Szaranek (3:42.04), Lebed (3:46.49), Palazzo (3:46.78), Sanders (3:47.04), Balogh (3:47.78), Corredor (3:47.84) and Brady (3:48.02) all recorded B-cuts in the event.
Georgia Marris notched a B-cut time of 53.92 to finish 26th overall in the women's 100 fly.
On Gator made the men's 100 fly finals:
- A – Jan Switkowski
Switkowski (49.95) and Michael Taylor (47.90) recorded B-cut times during the prelims.
Three Gators earned their spots in the finals session of the women's 200 free
- A – Amelia Maughan
- B – Kelsey Dambacher
- C – Tori Bindi
Maughan (1:45.51), Dambacher (1:46.73) and Bindi (1:47.69) all notched B-cut times during prelims.
How many men from 200 free made finals
- A – Khader Baqlah, Maxime Rooney
Baqlah (1:32.96), Rooney (1:33.67), Ben Lawless (1:37.36) and Bayley Main (1:37.83) recorded B-cuts during the prelims.