Gators Send 24 to Finals on Day 2 of SEC Championships

Gators Send 24 to Finals on Day 2 of SEC Championships

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

24 swimmers to compete in championship finals

By: Katie Callahan

Results | Meet Notes | Championship Central

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Gators sent 24 swimmers to Wednesday's finals session, including 10 qualifications for championship finals.

During the morning session, Florida also notched 26 B-cut qualifications.

Five UF women found themselves in either the championship or consolation final of the women's 500 free. Junior Tylor Mathieu led the way after posting a swim of 4:40.95 in the final heat, followed by a 4:42.22 swim by Elise Bauer in the same heat. Both women earned their spot in the championship final Wednesday evening as the four and seven seeds, respectively.

Amanda Ray (4:46.85), Leah DeGeorge (4:46.96) and Leah Braswell (4:47.17) each swam their way into the C final.

Over on the men's side, the Gators dominated the 500 free with seven swimmers earning a spot in the finals. An astounding five are set to swim in Wednesday night's championship final, led by top-seeded Alfonso Mestre (4:13.56). Trey Freeman (4:13.63), Kieran Smith (4:14.51), Tyler Watson (4:14.96) and Oskar Lindholm round out the Gators in the A-final.

Nicholas Hernandez-Tome (4:16.43) and Jack VanDeusen (4:20.05) will swim in the B and C finals of the 500 free, respectively.

Kathleen Golding was the lone Gator competing in the 200 IM on the women's side, earning a spot in the C final with a swim of 1:58.66

Five Gator men swam their way into the 200 IM consolation finals, with Kevin Vargis (1:44.94) and Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero (1:45.07) set to compete in the B final. Mason Laur (1:45.51), Julian Smith (1:45.94) and Dillon Hillis (1:46.08) earned a spot in the C final with their times.

In the final women's prelim of the morning, three Gators clinched a spot in the 50 free consolation finals. Talia Bates led the way with her swim of 22.24, followed closely behind by Katie Mack's 22.33 – each time good for a spot in the B final. Ekaterina Nikonova earned her spot in the C final after a 22.45 prelim swim.

The four Gator men that swam the 50 free for Florida each are set to make a final appearance Wednesday night, with Adam Chaney (19.11), Macguire McDuff (19.31) and Alberto Mestre (19.43) qualifying for the championship final. Eric Friese is seeded 15th overall and will compete in the B final after his prelim swim of 19.60.

In the men's 1-meter diving prelim, Leonardo Garcia (319.60) led the way with a 10th-place finish, while Anton Svirskyi posted a score of 268.10 – good for 22nd place overall. Both men scored points for the Gators during their prelim round.

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

How it Happened – Prelims:

Five women earned spots in the finals of the 500 free:
- A – Tylor Mathieu (4:40.95), Elise Bauer (4:42.22)
- C – Amanda Ray (4.46.85), Leah DeGeorge (4:46.96), Leah Braswell (4.47.17)
- All five of those Gators recorded a B-cut qualification during their swim
Seven men claimed a spot in the finals of the 500 free, including a packed A-final with five Gators making an appearance:
- A – Alfonso Mestre (4:13.56), Trey Freeman (4:13.63), Kieran Smith (4:14.51), Tyler Watson (4:14.96), Oskar Lindholm (4:15.93)
- B – Nicholas Hernandez-Tome (4:16.43)
- C – Jack VanDeusen (4:20.05)
- Alternate – Brennan Gravley (4:20.87)
- All nine Gators competing in the 500 free notched a B-cut qualifying time (Jace Crawford, 4:22.27)
Kathleen Golding was the lone Gator competing in the 200 IM on the women's side, earning a spot in the C final with a B-cut swim of 1:58.66
Five Gator men swam their way into finals of the 200 IM on Wednesday night
- B – Kevin Vargas (1:44.94), Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero (1:45.07)
- C – Mason Laur (1:45.51), Julian Smith (1:45.94), Dillon Hillis (1:46.08)
- All five registered a B-cut qualifying time during prelims
The Gator women kept it rolling in the final prelim of the day, with three swimmers earning a spot in the 50 free final:
- B – Talia Bates (22.24), Katie Mack (22.33)
- C – Ekaterina Nikonova (22.45)
- All three women notched a B-cut time en route to qualifying for finals
To round out the swimming portion of the prelims, all four Gator men that competed in the 50 free advanced to a final and hit a B-cut time:
- A – Adam Chaney (19.11), Macguire McDuff (19.31), Alberto Mestre (19.43)
- B – Eric Friese (19.60)

Broadcast Information:

Live results will be available the entire meet through UTsports.com or the Meet Mobile app
Diving results can also be found here
All prelims and finals over the course of the championship competition will be streamed on SECN+

Next Up: