Jace Crawford competing in the SEC Championships.. Photo courtesy of @GatorsSwimDv on Twitter.

Gators Swimming and Diving Prepares for Day Four of SEC Championships

After a strong showing on day three of the SEC Championships, the Florida Gators Swimming and Diving teams will look to continue their success on Friday. With three days of competition in the books, the men’s team sits in first place, and the women’s team sits in third place.

The men’s team outpaces the rest of the SEC competition with 744 points after day three. The closest team to them are the Georgia Bulldogs with 496 points, followed closely by Tennessee with 483.5. The women sit in third with 520 points. They trail Tennessee with 758.5 points and Georgia with 537.

Three Gators Earn Some Bling

The Gators picked up three medals Thursday night. Kieran Smith, the No. 1 seed in the 400 individual medley (IM), posted his season-best 3:39.33 to claim the gold. Smith already owns the third-best time for that event in the nation, and he improved his own personal time by nearly a second. Fellow Gator Mason Laur also clocked in for fourth overall in the event, finishing in 3:43.84.

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Eric Friese took home a silver medal for his finish in the 100 fly. He recorded an A-cut time of 44.86 to secure his medal. Jace Crawford also put up a strong performance in the event, finishing at 46.45 to claim eighth place overall and secure 22 points for the Gators.

And to conclude the Gators medal performances, Trey Freeman earned bronze in the 200 free for his first individual medal of the championships. Freeman swam a 1:32.20, and Alfonso Mestre swam a 1:34.66 to grab eighth place and 22 points for Florida.

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Notable Performances

The women’s team jumped from fifth to third place over the course of day three, thanks due to some key performances. The Gators started strong in the 400 IM, picking up 83 points in the event. Mabel Zavaros led the way for Florida with a fifth-place finish, and Kathleen Golding finished sixth.

The Florida women put up another strong performance in the 200 free, picking up a total of 85 points from the event. Talia Bates finished in sixth with a B-cut 1:44.82, and Tylor Mathieu finished first in the B-Final.

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The Gators will hope to continue their success in Knoxville on day four. Click here for live results from Friday’s action.

About Parker Fluke

I'm a third-year student at the University of Florida passionate about storytelling and sportswriting. My goal is to work in communications for a professional sports team after I graduate.

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