Florida Men’s 800 Free Relay Shatters Four Records en route to Fourth-Consecutive Title

Tuesday, February 18

Athens, GA

12 p.m. (Dive Prelims) | 5 p.m. (Finals)

Florida Gators

SEC Championships

Florida's men capped off the night with its fourth-straight 800 free relay SEC Championship title, as the Gators medaled in all five final events.

Florida Men’s 800 Free Relay Shatters Four Records en route to Fourth-Consecutive Title

Tuesday, February 18, 2025 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Tuesday's Results Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

By: Abby Wisecup

ATHENS, Ga. – Florida Men's 800 freestyle relay capped off night two of the SEC Swimming & Diving Championships in record-breaking style, winning gold in the final event on Tuesday at Gabrielsen Natatorium. Alexander Painter, Josh Liendo, Julian Smith and Jake Mitchell's time of 6:02.50 set a new program, SEC, SEC Championship and pool record en route to the program's fourth-consecutive 800 free relay title.

In total, Florida made the podium in all five events today, while recording four program top-ten times and four NCAA A-cut times. On the women's side, the Gators sit second with 140 points after taking home bronze in both the 200 medley relay and 800 free relay. The men's first-place finish boosted their score to 152, where they currently stand in fourth. Gator diver Conor Gesing and the men's 200 medley relay team contributed to the men's score as well, earning silver in their respective events.

Men's 3-meter diving
After securing second place in morning prelims, Gesing advanced to the men's 3-meter A final, where the sophomore recorded a season-best score of 417.25 to earn second place. His silver-medal finish in the event adds to his gold that he earned at last year's SEC Championships.

200 medley relay
The women's 200 medley relay kicked off swimming events, as Catie Choate, Anita Bottazzo, Olivia Peoples and Micayla Cronk recorded the women's third-fastest time in school history to earn a bronze medal with a final time of 1:34.34. Choate led off with a 24.36 back split to position the Gators in sixth before Bottazzo's 26.00 breast leg put the women in fourth. Peoples displayed her veteran experience, swimming the fastest fly split (22.32) to move into third heading into the final leg. Cronk's free split (21.66) was enough to maintain the podium spot and give the women their first swimming medal of the week and an NCAA A-cut time.

Florida women's 200 medley top-5 times

Sims, Mayne, Peoples, Ivey (2023) …. 1:34.18

Runnels, Mayne, Peoples, Cronk (2024) …. 1:34.25

Choate, Bottazzo, Peoples, Cronk (2025) … 1:34.34

Runnels, Kucheran, Peoples, Mack (2023) … 1:34.76

Choate, Bottazzo, Peoples, Sims (2024) …. 1:35.16

Jonny Marshall was the lead off for the men's 200 medley relay, where the sophomore clocked a 20.61 to put Julian Smith in good position to gain a lead in the second leg. The senior demolished the breast leg, going 22.15 for the fastest 50 breaststroke split in history. Scotty Buff kept the momentum going with a 19.40 fly split and Ed Fullum-Huot closed out the event with an 18.50 free split to capture second place. The men's overall time of 1:20.66 marks the second-fastest time in school history as well as an NCAA A-cut time.

Florida men's 200 medley top-5 times

Chaney, Smith, Liendo, McDuff (2024) …. 1:20.15

Marshall, Smith, Buff, Fullum-Huot (2025) … 1:20.66

Chaney, Hillis, Friese, W. Davis (2022) …. 1:21.13

Chaney, Smith, Buff, McDuff (2024) …. 1:21.66

Chaney, Hillis, Friese, Mestre (2022) …. 1:22.06

800 free relay
Freshman Julie Brousseau made her SEC Championships debut with a leadoff time of 1:44.18. Swimming the second leg was sophomore standout Bella Sims, who went 1:39.55 for not only the fastest split of the evening but also the third-fastest split in history. Senior swimmers Emma Weyant and Micayla Cronk secured the women's second bronze medal and second NCAA A-cut time of the night after recording 1:43.96 and 1:45.84 splits, respectively. Their final time of 6:56.56 sits second in program history.

Florida women's 800 free relay top-5 times

Sims, Ivey, Weyant, Cronk (2024) …. 6:48.59

Brousseau , Sims, Weyant, Cronk (2025) …. 6:53.53

Ivey, Sims, Nikonova, Cronk (2023) ….6:56.49

Zalewski, Russell, Bohunicky, Beisel (2013) ….6:56.63

T. Bates, Nikonova, Cronk, Mathieu (2022) …. 6:56.96

The Gator men capped off the night with their 800 free relay performance, as Painter led off with a 1:31.21 split to set the third-fastest 200 free time in Florida history. Liendo made his junior SEC Championships debut, going 1:30.19 for the second leg. Swimming in his second relay of the night, Smith recorded a career-best split, 1:29.67, to hand off the final 200 yards to Mitchell. The fifth year maintained the Gator lead and brought home the gold with a 1:31.43 split. Florida's 6:02.50 crushed the program's former record (6:06.36), which was set at last year's SEC Championships and breaks the former SEC record from 2022.

Florida men's 800 free relay top-5 times

1. Painter, Liendo, Smith, Mitchell (2025) ….6:02.50

2. McDuff, Liendo, Smith, Mitchell (2024) …. 6:06.36

T3. McDuff, Smith, Lindholm, MItchell (2024) …. 6:08.00

T3. Smith, Freeman, Lindholm, Mestre (2022) …. 6:08.00

5. McDuff, Smith, Alf. Mestre, Mitchell (2023) …. 6:08.64

Hear from the Gators
Fifth Year Jake Mitchell on winning the 800 free relays:
"This is my last SECs, so I'm really happy to come away with a win. It was a really tough
field going into it, but we knew we had to believe we were going to win. We came away
with a win, so I'm happy with it."

Up Next
Day three of SEC Championships continues tomorrow with the first individual swimming events. The 500 free, 200 IM and 50 free preliminary's start at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by the women's 3-Meter prelims. At 5:30 p.m. the 200 free relay events will be swam prior to finals. All prelims and finals sessions can be viewed live on SEC Network+, and live results can be found on @GatorsSwimDV socials, Dive Meet or on Meet Mobile.

Women's Team Scores After Day 2

1.         Texas - 238
2.         Florida - 140
3.         Texas A&M - 130
4.         LSU - 126
5.         Tennessee - 120
6.         South Carolina - 118
7.         Auburn - 115.5
8.         Kentucky - 115
9.         Georgia - 104.5
10.       Alabama - 86
11.       Arkansas - 85
12.       Missouri - 84
13.       Vanderbilt - 56

Men's Team Scores After Day 2

1.         Texas - 176
2.         Georgia - 158
3.         Tennessee - 153.5
4.         Florida -152
5.         LSU - 132
6.         Alabama - 118
7.         Texas A&M - 111
8.         South Carolina - 110
9.         Kentucky - 102
10.       Auburn - 63
11.       Missouri - 62.5

Florida's complete results from Tuesday
Results from Tuesday's prelims and finals as well as the championship schedule can be found below.

Tuesday, Feb. 18
Event	Athletes
Men's 3-Meter Prelims	Conor Gesing \| 2nd Place Round 1 – 62.00 \| 7th place Round 2 – 64.50 / 126.50 \| 5th place Round 3 – 57.75 / 184.25 \| 6th place Round 4 – 55.50 / 239.75 \| 5th place Round 5 – 76.50 / 316.25 \| 2nd place Round 6 – 73.50 / 389.75 \| 2nd place Peyton Donald \| 21st Place Round 1 – 49.50 \| 29th place Round 2 – 63.00 / 112.50 \| 15th place Round 3 – 34.50 / 147.00 \| 29th place Round 4 – 61.50 / 208.50 \| 19th place Round 5 – 45.50 / 254.00 \| 23rd place Round 6 – 54.25 / 308.25 \| 21st place Jesus Gonzalez \| 33rd Place Round 1 – 63.00 \| 5th place Round 2 – 60.45 / 123.45 \| 8th place Round 3 – 54.40 / 177.85 \| 8th place Round 4 – 52.50 / 230.35 \| 9th place Round 5 – 00.00 / 230.35 \| 33rd place Round 6 – 42.00 / 272.35 \| 33rd place
Men's 3-Meter A Final	Conor Gesing \| 2nd place \| 417.25 Round 1 – 69.75 Round 2 – 67.50 / 137.25 Round 3 – 75.25 / 215.50 Round 4 – 73.50 / 286.00 Round 5 – 59.50 / 345.50 Round 6 – 71.75 / 417.25
Women's 200 Medley Relay	Florida A Relay Team\| 3rd place \| 1:34.34 Catie Choate (24.36), Anita Bottazzo (26.00), Olivia Peoples (22.32), Micayla Cronk (21.66)
Men's 200 Medley Relay	Florida A Relay Team \| 2nd place \| 1:20.66 Jonny Marshall (20.61), Julian Smith ( 22.15), Scotty Buff (19.40), Ed Fullum-Huot (18.50)
Women's 800 Free Relay	Florida A Relay Team \| 3rd place \| 6:56.56 Julie Brousseau (1:44.18), Bella Sims (1:39.55), Emma Weyant (1:43.96), Micayla Cronk (1:45.84)
Men's 800 Free Relay	Florida A Relay Team \| 1st place \| 6:02.50 Alexander Painter (1:31.21), Josh Liendo,( 1:30.19), Julian Smith (1:29.67), Jake Mitchell (1:31.43)

Florida Medal Count: 6 total
Gold Medals: 2

Camyla Monroy – women's 1-meter diving
Alexander Painter, Josh Liendo, Julian Smith, Jake Mitchell – Men's 800 free relay

Silver Medals:2

Conor Gesing – men's 3-meter diving
Jonny Marshall, Julian Smith, Scotty Buff, Ed Fullum-Huot - Men's 200 medley relay

Bronze Medals:2

Catie Choate, Anita Bottazzo, Olivia Peoples, Micayla Cronk – Women's 200 medley relay
Julie Brousseau, Bella Sims, Emma Weyant, Micayla Cronk – Women's 800 free relay

Record Count
Program:

Men's 800 Free Relay 6:02.50 A. Painter, J. Liendo, J. Smith, J. Mitchell

SEC:

Men's 800 Free Relay 6:02.50 A. Painter, J. Liendo, J. Smith, J. Mitchell

SEC Meet:

Men's 800 Free Relay 6:02.50 A. Painter, J. Liendo, J. Smith, J. Mitchell

Gabrielsen Natatorium:

Men's 800 Free Relay 6:02.50 A. Painter, J. Liendo, J. Smith, J. Mitchell

NCAA A-Cut Times
Women

Women's 200 Medley Relay 1:34.34 C. Choate, A. Bottazzo, O. Peoples, M. Cronk
Women's 800 Free Relay 6:53.53 J. Brousseau, B. Sims, E. Weyant, M.Cronk

Men

Men's 200 Medley Relay 1:20.66 J. Marshall, J. Smith, S. Buff, E. Fullum-Huot
Men's 800 Free Relay 6:02.50 A. Painter, J. Liendo, J. Smith, J. Mitchell

Florida Top-Ten Times

Women

Top-10 placement	Event	Time	Swimmers
No. 2	800 Free Relay	6:53.53	J. Brousseau, B. Sims, E. Weyant, M.Cronk
No. 3	200 medley relay	1:34.34	C. Choate, A. Bottazzo, O. Peoples, M. Cronk

Men

Top-10 placement	Event	Time	Swimmers
No. 1	800 Free Relay	6:02.50	A. Painter, J. Liendo, J. Smith, J. Mitchell
No. 2	200 medley Relay	1:20.66	J. Marshall, J. Smith, S. Buff, E. Fullum-Huot

2025 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships Schedule & Streaming Links (All times Eastern)
Wednesday, Feb. 19

9:30 am Prelims – 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/61bff11f-3d7c-47c7-890e-32b2fadd40ec
12:00 pm – Women's 3-Meter Diving Prelim
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/61bff11f-3d7c-47c7-890e-32b2fadd40ec
2:10 pm – Women's 3-Meter Diving B Final
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/35c1da56-a5ca-4d7e-be6e-cc8f4a6cf516
5:30 pm Finals – 200 Free Relay, 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free, Women's 3-Meter A Final
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/35c1da56-a5ca-4d7e-be6e-cc8f4a6cf516

Thursday, Feb. 20

9:30 am Prelims – 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/05d53a80-add4-4d57-9f70-50b95d81bccb
12:00 pm – Men's 1-Meter Diving Prelims
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/05d53a80-add4-4d57-9f70-50b95d81bccb
2:10 pm – Men's 1-Meter Diving B Final
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1a26769a-bb1f-487e-ac37-759c2c2edef3
5:30 pm Finals – 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free, Men's 1-Meter Diving A Final
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1a26769a-bb1f-487e-ac37-759c2c2edef3

Friday, Feb. 21

9:30 am Prelims – 200 Fly, 100 Back, 100 Breast
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/32329552-e24d-4001-80c5-8209e9bc134d
11:30 am – Women's Platform Prelim
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/32329552-e24d-4001-80c5-8209e9bc134d
1:40 pm – Women's Platform B Final
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d7c7d82e-68ef-442f-b744-71da86271c84
5:30 pm Finals – 200 Fly, 100 Back, 100 Breast, Women's Platform A Final, 400 Medley Relay
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d7c7d82e-68ef-442f-b744-71da86271c84

Saturday, Feb. 22

9:30 am Prelims – 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d80b8d4b-1f69-4f7b-9798-14c1a198b3e0
11:30 am – Men's Platform Prelims
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d80b8d4b-1f69-4f7b-9798-14c1a198b3e0
1650 Free Prelims
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/d80b8d4b-1f69-4f7b-9798-14c1a198b3e0
1:40 pm – Men's Platform B Final
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/b32da23a-67ed-4a16-b9c6-93ceb7c9f06e
5:00 pm Finals – 1650 Free, 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast, Men's Platform A Final, 400 Free Relay
- Streaming Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/b32da23a-67ed-4a16-b9c6-93ceb7c9f06e

Headed to Gabrielsen Natatorium

Tickets: Limited inventory of tickets is available on a walk up basis. Ticket windows will open at 8:30 a.m. for prelims and 4:30 p.m. for finals each day.

Parking: Parking Map

Spectator Parking: For the preliminary sessions on Monday through Thursday, spectators will need to park in the East Campus Park and Ride lot (located at 150 N. Oconee Access Rd; Athens, Ga 30605).For the finals sessions throughout the championship and all-day Friday and Saturday, spectators can park in the East Campus Parking Deck.
Complimentary Shuttle: A complimentary shuttle to the Ramsey Center will be provided at the following times: Monday 10:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. and Tuesday - Thursday 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

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