Knoxville, Tennessee – The 2024 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships kicked off with a bang as the first full day of action got underway. The preliminaries session featured heats in the women’s and men’s 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free, following the traditional NCAA schedule.
The big news from the heat sheets is that Bella Sims won’t be contesting the 500 freestyle event, where she owns the top time in the NCAA this season. Instead, Sims is entered in the 200 IM. This decision has opened up the race for Rachel Stege, who had a great battle with Sims at the Georgia Fall Invite.
In the men’s 500 freestyle, Jake Magahey and Charlie Hawke prepared to race side by side in the final heat. Defending champion Jake Mitchell, along with Baylor Nelson and Jordan Crooks, were also set to defend their 2023 crowns.
The women’s 500 freestyle preliminaries saw strong performances from Abby McCulloh, Emma Weyant, Rachel Stege, and Hayden Miller, all of whom qualified for the ‘A’ final. McCulloh swam a personal best time of 4:37.43 to lead the pack.
The men’s 500 freestyle and the other events also saw impressive performances from various athletes, setting the stage for an exciting championship.
Team scores were also tallied after day 1, showing Auburn leading the women’s competition and Texas A&M leading the men’s competition.
The 2024 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships are off to an exciting start, with plenty of fast swims and thrilling races to look forward to in the coming days.