Bulldogs Surge to Second at SEC Championships

Thursday, February 25

Columbia, Mo.

11:00 AM (Prelims) | 7:00 PM (Finals)

University of Georgia

SEC Men's Swimming Championships

Photo by: Missouri Athletics Strategic Communications

February 25, 2021 | Swimming & Diving

Day 3 Results Day 4 Prelims Heat Sheet 1,650 Freestyle Heat Sheet

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Propelled by three league titles, the University of Georgia men's swimming and diving team established themselves as a true title contender Thursday evening at the SEC Championships at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.

With a 456.5-point performance, the Georgia men rose to second place with 881 points through three days of competition. The Bulldogs only trail leading Florida by 80.5 points heading into the final day of action. The men's program has not won an SEC title since 1955 and is seeking its best finish since placing second in 2017.

On a day of exceptional performances, senior Camden Murphy shined for the Bulldogs, taking the 100 butterfly in a barnburner with an A-cut time of 44.81, besting Missouri's Danny Kovac by just three-hundredths of a second. Prior to earning his third career gold medal, Murphy broke his own school record in prelims with a time of 44.77, marking the fourth time he has topped the mark in his career. He also broke the Missouri pool record set by Caeleb Dressel at the 2016 SEC Championships.

After posting the second-fastest time in history in the 500 freestyle on Wednesday, freshman Jake Magahey broke through Thursday with a victory in the 200 freestyle, using a blistering 23.55 on the final 50 yards to best Texas A&M's Mark Theall. Magahey's B-cut of 1:32.22 was a personal-best time and ranks second in program history.

Finally, redshirt senior Javier Acevedo earned his second title in the 100 backstroke, prevailing with a pool-record time of 44.96. Acevedo's win led a tremendous showing by the Georgia backstroke group, who accumulated 121.5 points in the event. Notably, redshirt sophomore Bradley Dunham set new PRs in both sessions, moving into fifth all-time in school history.

Another member of the backstroke group, sophomore Ian Grum picked up his first SEC medal with a third-place finish in the 400 IM, notching a PR of 3:40.51 to move into fifth all-time in program history. Grum also placed fourth in the 100 backstroke after turning in the No. 3 time in school history during prelims.

In the 100 butterfly, freshman Luca Urlando finished fourth with a time of 45.15, following up a prelims time of 44.97 that ranks second in school history. Fellow freshman Wesley Ng won the C final with a time of 46.97 before going on to also win the 100 back C final with a time of 47.95. Additionally, junior Ananda Lim also won the C final in the 200 freestyle with a personal-best B-cut of 1:35.28.

Senior Jack Dalmolin posted Georgia's top finish in the 100 breaststroke with an eighth-place time of 52.80, while junior Harrison Wayner set a new PR in prelims. Dalmolin joined Acevedo, Murphy, and sophomore Dillon Downing in the closing 400 medley relay, finishing fourth with an A-cut of 3:05.73, the seventh-best time in program history.

Georgia closes the SEC Championships tomorrow with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1,650 freestyle, and 400 freestyle relay. Prelims start at 11 a.m., followed by the first three heats of the 1,650 freestyle finals at 5 p.m. and the full evening session at 7 p.m. Both sessions will be streamed live on SEC Network+, excluding the early mile heats.

For all news and updates about Georgia swimming and diving, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGASwimDive), Instagram (@ugaswimdive), and Facebook (UGA Swimming and Diving).

STANDINGS
1. Florida, 961.5
2. Georgia, 881
3. Tennessee, 655
4. Texas A&M, 631
5. Missouri, 601
6. Kentucky, 577
7. Alabama, 548
8. Auburn, 502
9. LSU, 323.5
10. South Carolina, 219

RESULTS
400 IM
Gold: Kieran Smith, Florida
Silver: Bobby Finke, Florida
Bronze: Ian Grum, Georgia

100 Butterfly
Gold: Camden Murphy, Georgia
Silver: Danny Kovac, Missouri
Bronze: Shaine Casas, Texas A&M

200 Freestyle
Gold: Jake Magahey, Georgia
Silver: Mark Theall, Texas A&M
Bronze: Brooks Curry, LSU

100 Breaststroke
Gold: Dillon Hillis, Florida
Silver: Michael Houlie, Tennessee
Bronze: Ben Patton, Missouri

100 Backstroke
Gold: Javier Acevedo, Georgia
Silver: Adam Chaney, Florida
Bronze: Matthew Menke, Alabama

400 Medley Relay
Gold: Florida
Silver: Missouri
Bronze: Alabama