ATHENS, Ga.-- Georgia captured the 2014 Southeastern Conference title on Saturday in front of a capacity crowd of 1,430 fans at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens.
Georgia won its 11th all-time SEC title and fifth consecutive, leading from start to finish, and tallying 1,589 total team points. Texas A&M was second with 1204 team points and Florida was third with 1130 points. Auburn placed fourth with 804 points, while Tennessee was fifth with 780.
Florida’s Elizabeth Beisel and Georgia’s Olivia Smoliga shared the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy with 92 points.
Georgia’s Brittany MacLean won the women’s 1,650 freestyle in an SEC-record time of 15:40.77. That gives Georgia five SEC women’s 1,650 free titles in the last six years as Wendy Trott won four in a row from 2009-12. MacLean broke the previous SEC record of 15:45.79 set by Texas A&M’s Sarah Henry last season. Georgia’s Amber McDermott was second in 15:50.45, while Henry was third in 15:52.74.
Georgia’s Olivia Smoliga captured the women’s 100 freestyle in a time of 47.51, giving her team three consecutive titles in the event. Teammate Shannon Vreeland was second in 47.64, while Florida’s Natalie Hinds was third in 47.71.
Florida’s Elizabeth Beisel won her fourth consecutive women’s 200 backstroke title in a time of 1:50.62. She is the first four-time winner in the event since Georgia’s Keegan Walkley won four in a row from 1998-2001. Florida’s Sinead Russell was second in 1:51.84, while Georgia’s Rachel Zilinskas was third in 1:52.74.
After shattering the SEC women’s 200 breaststroke record during Saturday morning’s prelims with a time of 2:04.92, Texas A&M’s Breeja Larson claimed the event in the evening session in a time of 2:05.19. Georgia’s Melanie Margalis was second in 2:06.23, while teammate Annie Zhu was third in 2:07.01.
Tennessee’s Tori Lamp broke her own SEC women’s platform diving record to win the event with a score of 356.10. It shattered her previous SEC platform record of 341.90 and marked her third consecutive SEC crown in that event. Georgia’s Laura Ryan was second with a score of 339.65, while LSU’s Cassie Weil was third at 310.75.
Georgia took home the 400 freestyle relay, just barely missing the SEC meet record, and logging a time of 3:11.29. The quartet consisted of Shannon Vreeland, Maddie Locus, Chantal Van Landeghem and Smoliga. It was Georgia’s second consecutive title in the event.Tennessee was second in 3:12.76, while Florida was third in 3:14.11.
