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Both of Florida’s swim and dive teams continue their SEC championship streaks as they both trail Texas after the fourth day. The Florida men’s team is trying to win its 13th SEC championship in a row while the women’s team is looking to win its 20th SEC championship in program history. The Gators won back-to-back SEC championships in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and are trying to win their 3rd in a row
Thursday was the day for the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free and men’s 1-meter events at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships. Florida athletes performed well throughout the day, earning five medals on day four of the championship.
The highlight of the day for the Gators was junior Josh Liendo’s performance in the Men’s 100 Fly. The junior from Scarborough, Canada, finished with a time of 43.23, setting an SEC meet record and breaking the record he set earlier in the day during prelims. Liendo has four of the six fastest 100 fly performances in history. Florida sophomore Scotty Buff also reached the podium, placing third in the same event.
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Florida senior Emma Weyant brought another gold home for the Gators, dominating the Women’s 400 IM at 3:49.24 to win her third SEC title in a row in the event. It was Weyant’s first sub-4:00 in the event this season. Fellow Gators Mabel Zavaros, Julie Brousseau and Sofia Plaza finished fourth, fifth and eighth, respectively.
Gators sophomore Conor Gesing won the men’s 1-meter with a score of 412.75. It was the first win for Florida’s swim and dive teams in the men’s 1-meter since 2003. Gesing’s score also set a new school record for the event. Gators Peyton Donald and Jesus Gonzalez also competed in finals of the event, placing fourth and sixth, respectively.
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Florida senior Olivia Peoples medaled in the women’s 100 Fly, placing second behind Texas’ Emma Sticklen. Peoples won the event at the 2024 SEC Championship but couldn’t keep up this year. Sticklen set her personal best at 49.40.
Team Standings
Florida entered third in the women’s team standings and second in the men’s team standings. The women’s swim and dive team sat at 369 points behind Texas (677) and Tennessee (381). After day four, the Gators sit at second with 576 points behind Texas’ 888.5.
The Gators men’s team trailed Texas by 83.5 points entering day four but finished the day trailing by 113.5.
In total, the Gators have 16 medals with six gold medals, five silver medals and five bronze medals.
Gators look to extend streaks
The men’s and women’s teams could sweep the SEC championships for the third season in a row with wins, a feat last achieved by Auburn from 2002 to 2005. Texas poses the biggest threat to the Gators’ streaks in its first season in the SEC. Before joining the SEC, the Texas men’s swimming and diving team won 45 conference championships in a row between 1980 and 2024. Texas’ women’s team won 12 Big 12 championships in a row in their final seasons in the conference. Texas also has 22 national championships between both teams.
A victory this year would match Florida’s SEC championship streak from 1955 to 1968 when they won 13 in a row. The Gators are closing in on Auburn’s record of 16 conference championships in a row from 1996 to 2012.
Two days remain in the championships, with action concluding on Saturday.
