Florida Tallies Seven Medals, Men Close in on Lead Entering Final Day of SEC’s

Friday, February 20

Knoxville, TN

Swim Prelims: 9:30 a.m. | Diving prelims: 12 p.m. | Finals: 5:30 p.m.

Florida Gators

1056

Southeastern Conference

Anita Bottazzo and Grace Rabb - 2026 SEC Championships 200 Breast Gold and Silver medalists

Anita Bottazzo and freshman Grace Rabb went one-two. It marks the first time since 2008 that more than one Gator made the podium.

Florida Tallies Seven Medals, Men Close in on Lead Entering Final Day of SEC’s

Saturday, February 21, 2026 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Friday Results Championship Central

By: Abby Wisecup

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Friday's finals of the 2026 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships featured nine Gators on the podium with the Florida men tallying two gold medals, two silver and one bronze, while the women claimed the top-two spots in the women's 200 breast on the fifth at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.

With one day of competition remianing, the No. 4 Florida men are in second with 1056 points, sitting 54.6 points away from the Longhorns. The No. 10 Florida women remain in third with 804.5 points and near the Lady Vols second-place total of 817 by 12.5 points, while Texas continues to lead the standings with 1,003.5 points.

The opening event of finals featured four Gators in the women's 200 breast championship final, where sophomore Anita Bottazzo and freshman Grace Rabb went one-two. It marks the first time since 2008 that more than one Gator made the podium, which was also the last time a Gator captured the title. Bottazzo won in 2:07.26 to become the sixth Gator to win gold and push the women's league-high title total to nine, while also securing the program's first breaststroke sweep since Vipa Bernhardt in 2006. Rabb followed with a 2:08.28, improving from her 2:09.46 prelims swim to move from No. 9 to No. 6 on Florida's all-time top-10 list, while Anna Moore set the program's eighth-fastest time in history during prelims with a 2:09.43, advancing to the A final where she finished sixth overall in 2:09.60. Molly Mayne rounded out the Florida championship finalists with a seventh-place finish (2:09.91).

AND THE GATORS GO 1-2 IN THE 200 BREASTSTROKE

🟠Bottazzo takes home Gold with a time of 2:07.36 and Rabb earns Silver with a time of 2:08.48 pic.twitter.com/Lo0C8UMMI5
— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) February 20, 2026

In the men's 50 free, Josh Liendo captured his first SEC title in the event, coming in first at 18.42 to earn his second individual medal of the week. He became the 17th Gator, and the first since 2021, to claim gold, extending Florida's league-high total of SEC titles to 22. Alexander Painter also competed in the championship final, finishing sixth with an 18.84.

GOLD AGAIN!

🟠Liendo earns his first SEC Gold in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 18.42, earning his THIRD Gold medal of the week! pic.twitter.com/ljMLgGBqUc
— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) February 20, 2026

In the final individual swimming event of the night, Florida scored 81 points in the men's 500 free championship final with a two-three-four finish. Ahmed Jaouadi added a silver to his 1,650 free gold after touching in 4:09.28, marking the second-fastest time in program history. Ahmed Hafnaoui (4:10.18) and Gio Linscheer (4:10.23) followed for third and fourth, recording the fifth and sixth-fastest program times. The finish also gave Hafnaoui his second bronze of the meet, having previously reached the podium in the mile.

In the men's 500 B final, Charlie Hutchison won in 4:12.40, rising from the sixth seed to add 20 points to Florida's team total.

Julie Brousseau represented Florida in the women's 500 free championship final and recorded a fourth-place time of 4:36.33.

After earning gold in the men's three-meter diving, Jesus Gonzalez added a silver on the men's platform. The sophomore highlighted his performance with an 86.70 on his second dive, a reverse 3½ somersault tuck, and an 80.85 on his fourth, a back 3½ somersault tuck, finishing with a total score of 431.85.

Another One🥈 pic.twitter.com/IEWBMV5OtG
— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) February 21, 2026

The men's 200 free relay team of Liendo, Painter, Devin Dilger, and Scotty Buff combined for a 1:14.44 to claim the final medal of Friday's finals, adding 64 team points. Their time ranks as the eighth-fastest in program history. The women's relay team of Beatriz Bezerra, Bottazzo, Catie Choate and Lainy Kruger placed seventh after putting together a final time of 1:29.89.

Additionally, 14 Gators competed in the B and C finals on Friday, contributing 74 points to the men's team and 62 points to the women's team.

Diving
Overall, all three Gator divers contributed to the men's team total. Jesus Agundez Mora joined Gonzalez in the championship final, where the freshman earned sixth with a score of 375.55. Conor Gesing added six points after finishing 19th with a prelims score of 295.95.

Prelim Notables
In the women's 50 free, Carly Meeting (22.86) and Sylvia Statkevicius (23.01) finished 33rd and 39th, respectively, while Paul Dardis improved from his seed time with a 19.73 to earn 29th in the men's event. Luke Corey was just short of making the men's 500 free C final, touching in 4:21.16 for 26th. In the women's 500 free, JoJo Ramey finished 42nd with a 4:53.72.

Up Next
SEC championships concludes Saturday with the 200 IM, 100 free, 200 back prelims at 9:30 a.m., followed by women's platform prelims at 12 p.m. The final evening session will commence at 5:30 p.m. with the 400 free relay concluding the meet.

All meet information, including schedules, tickets, heat sheets/results, streaming links, parking and fan policies, can be found on the 2026 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships Central page. Every session will be streamed on SEC Network+ with championship finals called by Gator Great Elizabeth Beisel, Rowdy Gaines and Joe Bieninati. Live Stats will be available on the Meet Mobile app and at Tennessee's live results website.

Current Men's Team Scores

1.	Texas	1110.5
2.	Florida	1056
3.	Tennessee	840.5
4.	Auburn	595
5.	Georgia	554
6.	LSU	525
7.	Alabama	505.5
8.	Kentucky	487
9.	Texas A&M	391.5
10.	Missouri	347
11.	South Carolina	308

Current Women's Team Scores

1.	Texas	1003.5
2.	Tennessee	817
3.	Florida	804.5
4.	South Carolina	543.5
5.	LSU	533.5
6.	Alabama	532.5
7.	Georgia	504
8.	Auburn	499.5
9.	Texas A&M	424
10.	Missouri	344
11.	Arkansas	245
12.	Kentucky	201
13.	Vanderbilt	118

By the Numbers
NCAA Individual Qualifiers

Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Free
Anita Bottazzo – 100 Breast, 200 Breast
Josh Liendo – 100 Fly, 50 Free

NCAA Relay Qualifiers

Men's 200 medley relay - Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo
Men's 200 free relay – Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter, Devin Dilger, Scotty Buff

Medal Count

Men's Gold
- 200 Medley Relay – Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo
- 200 Free Relay - Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter, Devin Dilger, Scotty Buff
- 1,650 Free - Ahmed Jaouadi
- 3-meter diving – Jesus Gonzalez
- 100 Fly – Josh Liendo
- 50 Free – Josh Liendo
Women's Gold
- 100 Breast – Anita Bottazzo
- 200 Breast – Anita Bottazzo
Women's Silver
- 200 Breast – Grace Rabb
Men's Silver
- 400 Medley Relay – Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Josh Liendo, Devin Dilger
- 100 Breast – Koen de Groot
- 500 Free – Ahmed Jaouadi
Men's Bronze
- 1,650 Free - Ahmed Hafnaoui
- 500 Free – Ahmed Jaouadi

Records

NCAA
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay – 1:20.03
SEC
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay – 1:20.03
SEC Meet
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay – 1:20.03
- Josh Liendo – 100 Fly – 43.06
Program
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay – 1:20.03
Allan Jones Aquatic Center Pool
- Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 200 Medley Relay – 1:20.03
- Ahmed Jaouadi – 1,650 Free – 14:25.14
- Josh Liendo – 100 Fly – 43.06

Men's Top-10 Program Times

200 Medley Relay
- 1. Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo – 1:20.03
400 Medley Relay
- 3. Jonny Marshall Koen de Groot, Josh Liendo, Devin Dilger – 2:58.49
200 Free Relay
- 8. Liendo, Painter, Dilger, Buff - 1:14.44
1,650 Freestyle
- 2. Ahmed Jaoudi – 14:25.14
- 3. Ahmed Hafnaoui – 14:30.74
100 Breast
- 3. Koen de Groot – 50.22
100 Back
- 4. Scotty Buff - 44.85
100 Fly
- 2. Josh Liendo – 43.06
500 Free
- 2. Ahmed Jaouadi – 4:09.28
- 5. Ahmed Hafnaoui – 4:10.18
- 6. Gio Linscheer – 4:10.23

Women's Top-10 Program Times

200 Medley Relay
- 9. Catie Choate, Anita Bottazzo, Beatriz Bezerra, Lainy Kruger – 1:35.81
400 Medley Relay
- 3. Catie Choate, Anita Bottazzo, Grace Rabb, Beatriz Bezerra – 3:27.69
800 Free Relay
- 10. Julie Brousseau, Lainy Kruger, JoJo Ramey, Sylvia Statkevicious - 6:59.86
100 Breast
- 10. Anna Moore – 1:00.07
100 Fly
- 7. Beatriz Bezerra – 51.99
- 8. Grace Rabb – 52.03
200 Breast
- 6. Grace Rabb - 2:08.48
- 8. Anna Moore - 2:09.43

Stay Connected
Fans can stay up to date with the Florida Gator swimming & diving teams by following @GatorsSwimDv on X and catch up with the latest news and content of the team. Like the team's Facebook page at Florida Gators Swimming & Diving Fans can also keep up with the team by following them on Instagram at @Gatorsswimdv