2026 SEC Championships
- Dates: Monday, February 16–Saturday, February 21
- Location: Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, Knoxville, TN
- Defending Champions: Texas women (1x); Texas men (1x)
- Live Results
- Live Video: SEC Network+
- Schedule of Events
- Championship Central
- SwimSwam Fan Guide
- Teams: Alabama, Arkansas (women), Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (women)
Welcome to the first day of swimming at the 2026 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships! To kick off the first day in the pool, we will be seeing the timed finals of the 1650 freestyle. In this early session the women and men will alternate heats. The first night of finals will be covered in a separate recap later this afternoon/evening and will feature the 200 medley relay, women’s 1-meter diving, and the 800 freestyle relay.
Entering this meet, SEC Championship meet record holder Jillian Cox of Texas holds the top seed in 15:41.70, while Florida’s Ahmed Jaouadi enters today with the top time in the conference by nearly 10 seconds in 14:39.10.
Women’s 1650 Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 15:03.31- Katie Ledecky (Stanford), 2017
- SEC Record: 15:27.84- Brittany MacLean (Georgia), 2014
- SEC Championship Record: 15:30.33- Jillian Cox (Texas), 2025
- Pool Record: 15:15.17- Katie Ledecky (Nation’s Capital), 2013
- 2026 NCAA Championships Qualifying Time: 16:25.29
Top 8 Finishers (Through Heat 2):
- Mackenzie Brandt (ALA)- 16:12.50
- Breckin Gormley (SCAR)- 16:18.78
- Julia Strojnowska (AUB)- 16:27.26
- Stella Watts (ALA)- 16:32.46
- Peyton Drexler (MIZZ)- 16:32.96
- Danielle Gleason (MIZZ)- 16:35.38
- Sharon Guerrero Cho (UK)- 16:46.78
- Lolly Milbaum (ALA)- 16:49.27
Heat 2:
South Carolina’s Breckin Gormley and Auburn’s Julia Strojnowska were the two battling for the top spot through the first 500, with Gormley holding the second and a half advantage in 4:51.94. The battle for 3rd was contested by Sakia Blasius of LSU and Alabama’s Stella Watts in lanes 8 and 5, respectively.
At the 700, Gormley ha grown her advantage to nearly three seconds over Strojnowska. Missouri’s Danielle Gleason and Peyton Drexler each started to move back into the hunt for the top three by the 950 mark.
Gormley had opened this race all the way up by the 1200, turning in 11:47.89, a near four seconds ahead of anyone else in the heat. By the 1300, Gormley was the only swimmer consistently at or under 30.0 splits. By the 1400 Gormley had built a seven second lead in 13:48.39. At the final touch, it would be the Gamecock with the commanding heat win, taking the2nd fastest time thus far in 16:18.78, a massive improvement on her career best from November of 16:32.80
Heat 1:
Alabama senior Mackenzie Brandt, who entered these championships with no time in the event, opened up in the fastest 500 of the four swimmers in the water in 4:52.46, about eight seconds ahead of the field. Brandt, who’s fastest ever time of 16:14.39 which she set in 2023, continued to stay within the 29.1 to 29.8 range throughout the first 1000, eventually turning in 9:47.23. at the 1500 mark, Brandt had 50 yards on the field, and was sitting at 14:44.19. At the final wall, Brandt touched in 16:12.50, her first time drop in the event in nearly three years.
The battle for 2nd was between Kentucky’s Sharon Guerrero Cho and Alabama’s Lolly Milbaum. Guerrero Cho began to build a body length and a half lead early, but Milbaum battled throughout the middle portion of the race to square things up at the 1250 mark. Guerrero Cho then began to kick things into a faster gear, consistently splitting sub 31.0 times to rebuild her previous lead, and ultimately touch 2nd in 16:46.78.
Men’s 1650 Freestyle
- NCAA Record: 14:12.08- Bobby Finke (Florida), 2020
- SEC Record: 14:12.08- Bobby Finke (Florida), 2020
- SEC Championship Record: 14:12.08- Bobby Finke (Florida), 2020
- Pool Record: 14:38.91- Akram Mahmoud (South Carolina), 2017
- 2026 NCAA Championships Qualifying Time: 15:06.60
Top 8 Finishers (Through Heat 1):
- Ahmed Hafnaoui (FLA)- 14:30.74
- Dziugas Miskinis (UK)- 14:46.91
- Luke Waldrep (AUB)- 15:23.32
- Conner Boatright (MIZZ)- 15:27.07
- Sebastian Gonzalez-Barboza (MIZZ)- 15:49.51
Heat 1:
The first heat was dominated by Florida’s Ahmed Hafnaoui, who was a major draw for his first SEC Championships. Off the start, Hafnaoui, swimming out of lane 2 for his first ever collegiate 1650, ripped open an opening 300 in 2:33.26, over six seconds ahead of the field. By the 500 mark, the Tunisian talent was sitting at 4:18.86, and grew his lead to over 20 yards
At the 1000, Hafnaoui looked untouchable, turning at 8:45.04, and maintaining splits in the 26-mid range. The first time he would go above a 26-second split would be at the 1400 when he touched in 27.07, but quickly got back down to 26.66 the following 50. At the 1500 mark, Hafnaoui was sitting in 13:13.05. At the final touch, Hafnaoui would clock 14:30.74. Kentucky’s Dziugas Miskinis finished 2nd in 14:46.91, a near 34 second timedrop from his best time of 15:20.89 from January.
