Gators Send 26 to Finals on Day 3 of SEC Championships

Gators Send 26 to Finals on Day 3 of SEC Championships

Thursday, February 17, 2022 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

25 swimmers and one diver to compete in championship finals

By: Katie Callahan

Results | Meet Notes | Championship Central

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Gators sent 25 swimmers and one diver to Thursday's finals session, including 10 qualifications for championship finals.

The Gators also tallied 24 B-cut qualifications during the morning session.

Five UF women swam their way into either the championship or the consolation final of the 400 IM. Mabel Zavaros led the way after posting a time of 4:07.55, while Kathleen Golding followed closely behind with a swim of 4:12.50. Both women earned their spot in the championship final Thursday evening as the two and eight seeds, respectively.

Rosie Zavaros (4:13.45) and Anna Auld (4:15.46) swam their way into the B-Final, while Amanda Ray (4:17.65) will compete in Thursday night's C-Final.

Over on the men's side, Florida had all nine athletes competing in the 400 IM secure spots in the finals session. Kieran Smith (3:43.26) and Mason Laur (3:34.40) will represent the Gators in the championship final.

Kevin Vargas (3:46.85), Jack VanDeusen (3:46.89), Nicholas Hernandez-Tome (3:47.49) and Peter Bretzmann (3:47.51) each found themselves in the B-Final after their preliminary swims, while Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero (3:49.16), Tyler Watson (3:49.18) and Brennan Gravley (3:49.50) are each set to compete in the C-Final.

Olivia Peoples earned her spot in the women's 100 fly B-Final after registering a B-cut time of 52.73 in sixth heat of the prelims. Representing the men's 100 fly in the championship A-Final will be Eric Friese and Jace Crawford, who went 45.44 and 45.92, respectively to earn their spots.

Florida will have five women competing in the 200 free, led by Talia Bates in the championship final. Bates earned her spot after posting a B-cut time of 1:44.91 in the prelim. The B-Final will be stacked with Gators, as four women are set to compete: Tylor Mathieu (1:46.45), Nikki Miller (1:46.46), Ekaterina Nikonova (1:46.48), Katie Mack (1:46.77).

Three Gator men are set to make an appearance in the finals of the 200 free, with Trey Freeman and Alfonso Mestre slated for the A-Final. Freeman earned the third overall seed after this swim of 1:33.04, while Mestre tied for the eighth seed and won a swim-off to secure his spot in the A-Final.

Oskar Lindholm posted a B-cut time of 1:34.20 in the prelim to finish 10th overall and earn his spot in Thursday night's B-Final.

On the women's 3-meter springboard, Maha Amer secured a spot in Thursday night's final with a score of 330.25, putting her second overall. Elettra Neroni and Elizabeth Perez went 16-17, registering marks of 278.85 and 278.45, respectively, to score points for the Gators. Carina Lumia rounded out the Florida point scorers, finishing 20th with a score of 272.20, while Lauren Snider posted a mark of 200.10 to finish 34th.

How it Happened – Prelims:

All five Gator women swimming in the 400 IM prelim earned a spot in the finals, including two in the championship heat
- A – Mabel Zavaros (4:07.55 – B-cut), Kathleen Golding (4:12.50 – B-cut)
- B – Rosie Zavaros (4:13.45 – B-cut), Anna Auld (4:15.46 – B-cut)
- C – Amanda Ray (4:17.65)
The Gator men had all nine athletes swimming the 400 IM qualify for one of the three finals on Thursday evening
- A – Kieran Smith (3:43.26 – B-cut), Mason Laur (3:43.40 – B-cut)
- B – Kevin Vargas (3:46.85 – B-cut), Jack VanDeusen (3:46.89 – B-cut), Nicholas Hernandez-Tome (3:47.49 – B-cut), Peter Bretzmann (3:47.51 – B-cut)
- C – Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero (3:49.16 – B-cut), Tyler Watson (3:49.18 – B-cut), Brennan Gravley (3:49.50 – B-cut)
Olivia Peoples earned her spot in the women's 100 fly B-Final swimming a B-cut time of 52.73 in the prelim
Both Gators that swam in the men's 100 fly earned a spot in the championship final:
- A – Eric Friese (45.44 – B-cut), Jace Crawford (45.92 – B-cut)
Five Gator women will make an appearance in either the championship or consolation finals of the 200 free
- A – Talia Bates (1:44.91 – B-cut)
- B – Tylor Mathieu (1:46.45 – B-cut), Nikki Miller (1:46.46 – B-cut), Ekaterina Nikonova (1:46.48 – B-cut), Katie Mack (1:46.77 – B-cut)
Three Gator men will compete in the finals session of the 200 free this evening:
- A – Trey Freeman (1:33.04 – B-cut), Alfonso Mestre (1:34:02 – B-cut)
  - *Alfonso Mestre finished T8, so a swim-off was required. He won with a time of 1:33.07 to secure his spot in the A-Final
- B – Oskar Lindholm (1:34.20 – B-cut)
Maha Amer finished second overall in the women's 3-meter to earn her spot in the finals

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+

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