Josh Liendo, a Florida senior, made history at the SEC Championships, shattering his own meet record and claiming a four-peat in the 100 fly. With a time of 43.06, Liendo not only shaved 0.17 seconds off his previous mark but also set the fastest-ever prelims time in this event. This achievement is even more remarkable when compared to Caeleb Dressel's NCAA record, as Liendo's split of 19.95 in the first 50 meters is just four hundredths of a second slower than Dressel's record-breaking 50-split. Liendo's performance puts him within striking distance of Dressel's record and positions him well to chase it at the upcoming NCAA Championships.
This swim ties Liendo's lifetime best from last year's NCAA Championships, which is the second-fastest 100 fly performance of all time in the NCAA. He now owns seven of the top-10 fastest swims ever in this event. The first 50 meters made all the difference for Liendo, who went out in a blistering pace, more than half a second faster than his morning split. This dominance in the field was evident as he finished more than a second ahead of the third-place finisher, Luca Urlando of Georgia.
The SEC Championships, held at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville, TN, from February 16 to 21, featured a strong lineup of teams, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (women only), and Arkansas (women only). The live results and video coverage were available on the SEC Network+ and the psych sheet provided a detailed schedule of events. The championship also offered live recaps and preliminary and final results for each day of the competition.
