Florida Men Place Second, Women Earn Third at the 2026 SEC Swim & Dive Championships

Last Updated: February 22, 2026By


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 4/10 Florida swimming & diving programs concluded the 2026 SEC Championships at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center on Saturday, with the Gator men scoring 1,292 points to place second and the women scoring 1,015.5 points to earn third.
 
Throughout the six days of competition, the Gators totaled 20 medals, with 12 being gold. Senior Josh Liendo totaled a Florida-high six and was named the SEC Men’s Swimmer of the Meet. The senior podiumed in all three of his individual events, claiming his fourth-straight 100 fly SEC title, his first 50 free gold medal and bronze in the 100 free. He was also part of the winning 200 and 400 free relay teams as well as the 200 medley relay team who reset Florida’s NCAA, SEC and program record on opening night of swimming events with a 1:20.03.  
 
In total, five Gators punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships in individual events this week by winning gold with NCAA A-standard times, with Liendo and Anita Bottazzo qualifying in two events each. Bottazzo became the first Florida woman since 2006 to win both breaststroke titles, while Catie Choate and Jonny Marshall secured Florida’s third consecutive sweep of the 200 back to earn NCAA bids. Ahmed Jaouadi also advanced in the 1,650 free.
 
Florida’s men qualified three relays, as the 200 medley relay (Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Liendo), 200 free relay (Liendo, Alexander Painter, Devin Dilger, Buff) and 400 free relay (Dilger, Painter, Buff, Liendo) each earned gold with NCAA A-standard times for automatic qualification.
 
Gator diving accounted for three of Florida’s medals, with Jesus Gonzalez claiming two. The sophomore won the men’s 3-meter event and earned silver on platform, while Camyla Monroy captured the women’s platform title for the second time in her career.
 
Florida added seven more podium finishes across the meet, with the men collecting four silver medals, while Grace Rabb earned her first SEC silver medal in the women’s 200 breast. de Groot earned silver in the 100 breast and was a member of the men’s 400 medley relay team finished runners-up. Jaouadi secured silver in the 500 free, while Ahmed Hafnaoui placed third in the 1,650 free and the 500 free.
 
Additionally, the men recorded 14 top-10 program times, while the women logged nine.
 
Men’s Team Scores














1. Texas 1449.5
2. Florida 1292
3. Tennessee 1061.5
4. Georgia 721
5. Auburn 652
6. Alabama 642.5
7. LSU 614
8. Kentucky 582
9. Texas A&M 503.5
10. Missouri 427
11. South Carolina 349

 
Women’s Team Scores
















1. Texas 1413.5
2. Tennessee 1086
3. Florida 1015.5
4. Alabama 689
5. LSU 668.5
6. South Carolina 666.5
7. Auburn 654.5
8. Georgia 604
9. Texas A&M 550
10. Missouri 468
11. Arkansas 350
12. Kentucky 284.5
13. Vanderbilt 146

 
Saturday’s Recap 
Florida took the top spot in four of the eight events on Saturday, as 19 Gators advanced to the evening’s finals.
 
The Gators dominated the back half of the session, recording the program’s third consecutive 200 back sweep in the final individual event of the meet. Catie Choate became the 12th swimmer in program history to win the event, touching in 1:49.94 for her first SEC title. Her mark ranks fourth all-time in the UF record books, as well as her first sub-1:50.00 performance of her career. Jonny Marshall posted the nation’s fastest time at 1:36.38 to secure his third consecutive title, becoming the first Gator since Matthew Cole (1998-2000) to win three SEC titles in the 200 back.
 

In total, Florida qualified all seven backstrokers to the finals, with Aiden Norman also appearing in the men’s 200 back championship final. The sophomore swam a 1:38.60 to drop 1.38 seconds from his prelim time to finish fourth and record the program’s third-fastest time.
 
JoJo Ramey won the B final for ninth place overall after shaving 1.48 seconds off her prelim time with a 1:52.32. Zuri Ferguson followed with a 1:53.89 to place third in the B final and 11th overall. Caleb Maldari (1:41.58) and Matt Cairns (1:42.71) competed in the men’s C final and finished 17th and 20th, respectively.
 
Women’s platform followed, as Camyla Monroy continued Florida’s momentum with a 350.70 finals score to reset the program record, which she set back in 2024 when she won her first title in the event. She earned Florida’s first women’s diving podium finish of the week and secured the program’s fourth SEC title, becoming the first Gator to win the event multiple times.
 

The men’s 400 free relay team of Devin Dilger, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff and Josh Liendo captured the final gold medal of the meet, posting a winning time of 2:43.95 to secure Florida’s 31st SEC title in the event. Liendo’s 39.47 anchor split ranks as the second-fastest relay split in history, while the team’s final time stands second in program history.

In the opening event of the night, Lainy Kruger dropped a second from her prelim swim to post a 1:55.67 in the women’s 200 IM championship final and finish fifth, while Grace Rabb placed seventh in 1:57.56. Anna Moore and Sofia Plaza competed in the C final, with Moore finishing 19th in 1:59.72 and Plaza placing 24th in 2:00.96.
 
Charlie Hutchison represented Florida in the men’s 200 IM B final, improving 1.27 seconds from prelims to finish 14th with a 1:44.38. In the men’s 200 IM C final, Aleksas Savickas moved from seventh after the opening 50 yards to win the heat in 1:44.95 and place 17th overall, while Nil Cadevall followed in 19th with a time of 1:45.38.
 
Three Gators advanced to the men’s 100 free championship final, with Liendo leading the way in third with a 41.21 to collect his third medal of the meet. Painter finished seventh in 41.84, while Dilger placed eighth in 42.03 after recording the ninth-fastest time in program history with a 41.90 in prelims.
 

Sylvia Statkevicius represented Florida in the women’s 100 free C final, finishing 23rd in 23.11. The freshman also led off the women’s 400 free relay, teaming with Kruger, Anita Bottazzo and Choate who place ninth in 3:15.99.
 
Diving
Casey Greenberg scored a 247.20 in platform prelims to place just short of the championship final with a ninth-place finish. The senior finished fifth in the consolations final with a 229.25 to earn 13th overall for 14 team points. Alexa Fung totaled a 172.60 prelims score to earn 32nd. 
 
Prelim Notables
In the women’s 200 IM, Molly Mayne touched in 2:01.09 to place 30th, while Jordan Willis finished 35th in the men’s event with a 1:50.17. Beatriz Bezerra earned 35th in the women’s 100 free after clocking a 49.44 Addison Reese finished 47th (50.05), followed by Aspen Gerper in 50th with a 50.17 and Carly Meeting in 52nd (50.20). In the men’s 100 free, Paul Dardis swam a 43.25 for 32nd.
 
Hear from the winning Gators
Catie Choate on winning her first SEC gold medal…
“I feel so grateful and am smiling so much from all the hugs. I love being a Florida Gator and I am so thankful for this.”
 
Jonny Marshall on swimming the fastest time of the country and defening his title…
“One of my great mentors, Katie Ledecky, talks about how during her best swims she is thinking about her people. During that swim, I was thinking of George Marshall my brother. He became a two-time district champion and I just had to keep it in the family…. the Marshalls are on a hot streak today.”
 
“I was confident in my ability and my training and just shoutout to all my training partners. You saw Catie Choate, we train together, and I mean there is a reason we both won.”
 
Camyla Monroy on winning platform two out of the three years..
“I had two hard days on springboard, so I am just very happy to get this event. I just try to have a positive mindset and tell myself that I have done it a million times in practice.”
 
Up Next
Florida turns its attention to the NCAA Championships, with Gator Diving competing at NCAA Diving Zones from March 8-11 in Athens, GA from March 8-11 at the University of Georgia’s Gabrielsen Natatorium. The top finishers on each board will advance based on each number of spots allocated to that zone.
 
The men’s and women’s NCAA Championships will take place in Atlanta, GA at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center. The women compete first from March 18-21, followed by the men from March 25-28. Swimmers can punch their ticket by winning an event at their conference championships meet with a standard time. Once automatic qualifiers are accounted for, swimmers who have recorded top times earn invitations.
 
By the Numbers
NCAA Individual Qualifiers

NCAA Relay Qualifiers

Medal Count

  1. 200 Medley Relay – Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo

  2. 200 Free Relay – Josh Liendo, Alexander Painter, Devin Dilger, Scotty Buff

  3. Men’s 400 free relay – Devin DIlger, Alexander Painter, Scotty Buff, Josh Liendo

  4. 1,650 Free – Ahmed Jaouadi

  5. 3-meter diving – Jesus Gonzalez

  6. 100 Fly – Josh Liendo

  7. 50 Free – Josh Liendo

  8. 200 Back – Jonny Marshall

  1. 100 Breast – Anita Bottazzo

  2. 200 Breast – Anita Bottazzo

  3. 200 Back – Catie Choate

  4. Platform – Camyla Monroy

  1. 200 Breast – Grace Rabb

  1. 400 Medley Relay – Jonny Marshall, Koen de Groot, Josh Liendo, Devin Dilger

  2. 100 Breast – Koen de Groot

  3. 500 Free – Ahmed Jaouadi

  4. Platform – Jesus Gonzalez

  1. 1,650 Free – Ahmed Hafnaoui

  2. 500 Free – Ahmed Jaouadi

  3. 100 Free – Josh Liendo

Records

Men’s Top-10 Program Times

  • 200 Medley Relay

  • 400 Medley Relay

  • 200 Free Relay

  • 400 Free Relay

  • 1,650 Freestyle

  • 100 Breast

  • 100 Back

  • 100 Fly

  • 500 Free

  • 100 Free

  • 200 Back

Women’s Top-10 Program Times

  • 200 Medley Relay

  • 400 Medley Relay

  • 800 Free Relay

  • 100 Breast

  • 100 Fly

  • 200 Breast

  • 200 Back

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




Source link

editor's pick

latest video

Sports News To You

Subscribe to receive daily sports scores, hot takes, and breaking news!

you might also like