Georgia Men and Women Finish Fourth at SEC Championships

Saturday, February 22

Athens, Ga.

9:30 a.m. (Swim Prelims) | 11:30 a.m. (Dive Prelims) | 2:30 p.m. (Mile Finals) | 5 p.m. (Finals)

University of Georgia

SEC Swimming & Diving Championships

Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA

Georgia Men and Women Finish Fourth at SEC Championships

February 22, 2025 | Swimming & Diving, Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving

Saturday Finals Results Complete Results Notes & Quotes

ATHENS, Ga. – A thrilling relay finished closed out a successful run for the University of Georgia swimming and diving teams at the 2025 Southeastern Conference Swimming & Diving Championships Saturday at Bauerle Pool at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

Both Georgia teams finished fourth in the final standings, with the men closing at 796.5 points and the women tallying 689.5 points. For the Georgia men, it was their fifth top-four SEC finish in the past five seasons, while the women finished in the top four for the first time since 2022.

"What a way to end the week," Men's Swimming & Diving Head Coach Neil Versfeld said. "It's been an exceptional meet across the board, and I'm so proud of every single one of these guys. They fought to the bitter end, but that last relay… it was absolutely electric. The guys were fired up for it, and we knew it was going to come down to it because we had a four-point lead going into it with Texas A&M after their exceptional diving and breaststroke. We made a final push for it at the end, but we got our hand on the wall first. It was awesome."

"I think we had a little rough start this morning, but I always tell the girls, 'It's not how you start, it's how you finish," Tom Cousins Women's Swimming & Diving Head Coach Stefanie Williams Moreno said. "We finished the session with Helena (Jones) going a best time on 100 free, Olivia (Della Torre) in the 200 breaststroke, and starting off the session with Mia (Abruzzo) was an all-day affair. Then, Heidi Stalkfeet dropping 10 seconds, Shea (Furse) going a best time, not only in the mile, but in the 1000 of the mile. Then Duné (Coetzee), (Rachel) Stege, and Abby (McCulloh) in the top eight, and the relay. It was an exclamation point on an incredible week. I'm really proud of the girls and their effort today."

Fast Facts
Women's 1,650y Freestyle – Defending SEC champion Abby McCulloh earned the silver medal with a season-best A-cut of 15:45.77, reaching the podium in the mile for the third time in her career. Fellow senior Duné Coetzee closed out a terrific week with a season-best 16:02.60, her sixth season-best time of the meet. Senior Rachel Stege placed seventh with a season-best B-cut of 16:03.73. Juniors Heidi Stalkfleet (21^st – 16:21.37) and Shea Furse (24^th – 16:26.40) also scored with personal-best times, while senior Mia Abruzzo closed out her collegiate career with a 33^rd-place 16:46.39.
Men's 1,650y Freestyle – Redshirt senior Tommy-Lee Camblong finished 20^th with a season-best B-cut of 14:56.21, followed by freshman Kyler Heffner in 29^th with a B-cut of 15:16.36.
Women's 200y Backstroke – Junior Emma Norton finished 37^th with a season-best 1:57.79, followed by freshman Samantha Rydzewski took 41^st at 1:58.14.
Men's 200y Backstroke – Junior Ruard van Renen finished fourth with a season-best 1:39.92, joined by fellow junior Sam Powe in seventh with a B-cut of 1:41.03. Senior Mitchell Norton finished 12^th with a B-cut of 1:41.33.
Women's 100y Freestyle – Sophomore Helena Jones won the consolation final with a personal-best B-cut of 47.78. In prelims, freshman Katie Belle Sikes finished 26^th with a personal-best B-cut of 48.94.
Men's 100y Freestyle – Senior Reese Branzell placed 12^th with a season-best B-cut of 42.08, the seventh-fastest time in program history. Sophomore Tomas Koski won the 'C' final with a personal-best time of 42.24, becoming the No. 4 performer in program history.
Women's 200y Breaststroke – Junior Olivia Della Torre finished 22^nd with a B-cut of 2:12.91, following a PB of 2:12.61 in prelims.
Men's 200y Breaststroke – Senior Arie Voloschin finished 16^th with a B-cut of 1:55.59. In the morning session, freshman Elliot Woodburn and redshirt sophomore Kristian Pitshugin dropped PBs.
Men's Platform Diving – Senior Rhett Hopkins placed 25^th with a score of 284.35, followed by sophomore Matthew Bray in 27^th at 268.75 and junior Renato Calderaro in 30^th at 246.65.
Women's 400y Freestyle Relay – Jones, Sikes, graduate Sloane Reinstein, and junior Ieva Maluka finished sixth with an A-cut time of 3:13.37. Jones led off with a time of 47.91, while Maluka closed at 48.47.
Men's 400y Freestyle Relay – Redshirt senior Luca Urlando, Koski, graduate Jake Magahey, and Branzell placed fifth with a season-best A-cut of 2:48.30, the second-fastest time in program history. Urlando led off with a split of 42.01 with Branzell dropping a 41.94 anchor split to finish ahead of Texas A&M and clinch fourth place in the final standings.

Events
Women's 1,650y Freestyle
Gold: Jillian Cox, Texas – 15:30.33
Silver: Abby McCulloh, Georgia – 15:45.77
Bronze: Kate Hurst, Texas – 15:47.93
6. Duné Coetzee, Georgia – 16:02.60
7. Rachel Stege, Georgia – 16:03.73

Men's 1,650y Freestyle
Gold: David Johnston, Texas – 14:26.00
Silver: Levi Sandidge, Kentucky – 14:30.61
Bronze: Rex Maurer, Texas – 14:32.78

Women's 200y Backstroke
Gold: Bella Sims, Florida – 1:48.28
Silver: Josephine Fuller, Tennessee – 1:50.14
Bronze: Sophie Brison, Tennessee – 1:51.35

Men's 200y Backstroke
Gold: Jonny Marshall, Florida – 1:35.85
Silver: Hubert Kos, Texas – 1:36.10
Bronze: Will Modglin, Texas – 1:38.76
4. Ruard van Renen, Georgia – 1:39.92
7. Sam Powe, Georgia – 1:41.03

Women's 100y Freestyle
Gold: Camille Spink, Tennessee – 46.25
Silver: Brooklyn Douthwright, Tennessee – 47.44
Bronze: Erin Gemmell, Texas – 47.47

Men's 100y Freestyle
Gold: Jordan Crooks, Tennessee / Josh Liendo, Florida – 40.45
Bronze: Gui Caribe, Tennessee – 40.85

Women's 200y Breaststroke
Gold: Mona McSharry, Tennessee – 2:05.85
Silver: Avery Wiseman, Alabama – 2:06.28
Bronze: McKenzie Siroky, Tennessee – 2:06.57

Men's 200y Breaststroke
Gold: Aleksas Savickas, Florida – 1:50.02
Silver: Nate Germonprez, Texas – 1:50.55
Bronze: Will Scholtz, Texas – 1:51.04

Men's Platform Diving
Gold: Jaxon Bowshire, Texas A&M – 476.25
Silver: Carson Paul, LSU – 468.15
Bronze: Jesus Gonzalez, Florida – 452.35

Women's 400y Freestyle Relay
Gold: Tennessee – 3:09.02
Silver: Texas – 3:09.26
Bronze: Florida – 3:11.07
6. Georgia – 3:13.37

Men's 400y Freestyle Relay
Gold: Tennessee – 2:42.41
Silver: Florida – 2:43.60
Bronze: Texas – 2:46.65
5. Georgia – 2:48.30

Final Standings
Men