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Bella Sims Downs SEC Record in 200 Fly with 1:51.45 to Kick off Day 4 Finals

Braden Keith
by Braden Keith 5

February 23rd, 2024 College, News, SEC

2024 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – FINAL

  • NCAA Record: 1:49.51 – Ella Eastin, Stanford (2018)
  • SEC Record: 1:51.51 – Riley Gaines, Kentucky (2022)
  • SEC Championship Record: 1:51.51 – Riley Gaines, Kentucky (2022)
  • Pool Record: 1:51.32 – Katinka Hosszu, USC (2012)
  • 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:52.86
  • 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:59.23

Final:

  1. Bella Sims (FLOR) — 1:51.45
  2. Greta Pelzek (SCAR) — 1:53.43
  3. Sara Stotler (TENN) — 1:54.87
  4. Zoe Dixon (FLOR) — 1:54.99
  5. Olivia Theall (TAMU) — 1:55.01
  6. Meghan Lee (AUB) — 1:55.96
  7. Lainy Kruger (FLOR) — 1:56.09
  8. Sofia Sartori (LSU) — 1:57.00

Bella Sims blasted a season-best 1:51.45 to win the 200 fly final on Friday night, taking down the SEC Championship meet, SEC conference, and Florida program records in the process. She fell just .13 of breaking the Auburn pool record, set by Katinka Hosszu in 2012.

Sims came into the meet seeded 1st in the 200 fly with 1:54.05. Her lifetime best is a 1:51.06 from Winter Juniors West in December 2022. In prelims this morning, she went 1:52.93 to move from 3rd to 2nd on the Gators’ all-time performance list, sitting just ahead of Teresa Crippen (1:53.90, 2010) and just behind Jemma Lowe (1:52.53, 2009).

In finals tonight, she went out like a rocket, already more than half a body ahead of the field at the 50 wall. She extended her lead to about 1.4 seconds at the halfway point, then outsplit the field by another second over the second half.

With her 1:51.45, Sims knocked Kentucky’s Riley Gaines off the mantle; her 1:51.51 had stood as the SEC conference and meet record since 2022.

Comparative splits:

Bella Sims, 2024 SECs Bella Sims, 2022 Winter Juniors West Riley Gaines, 2022 SECs
24.53 24.51 25.46
52.81 (28.28) 52.36 (27.85) 53.27 (27.81)
1:22.08 (29.27) 1:21.28 (28.92) 1:21.99 (28.72)
1:51.45 (29.37) 1:51.06 (29.78) 1:51.51 (29.52)

Sims’s second half was very controlled with only a .10 fade between the third and fourth 50. If she’s out like at Winter Juniors West, and home like she was tonight, Sims will be in the 1:50 territory in no time.

 

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SEC
1 year ago

Cancel culture wins after the deep state made Bella Sims break Riley Gaines 2 fly record.

Hmm
1 year ago

Where is the article about a 1:49.1 200 fly tonight?

Tall Paul
1 year ago

Crazy as a freshman. Alex’s time will get ripped before Sims graduates.

Sweet Sweet Peter Rosen
1 year ago

A Walsh w the win!

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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