Georgia Fall Invitational: Bella Sims Rips College-Best 4:31.06 in 500
Bella Sims’ sophomore season at the University of Florida is off to a flying start. Sims opened the Georgia Fall Invitational on Wednesday night with a time of 4:31.06 in the 500 freestyle.
That’s the second-fastest swim of Sims’ career – she was 4:28.64 at the Speedo West Junior Championships in the winter of 2022. But it’s a Florida school record, and it’s quicker than the time of 4:32.47 that she used to win the NCAA championship as a freshman last spring.
All the action from the first night in Athens:
Women’s 200 freestyle relay
The opening relay brought a little bit of a surprise in among the SEC powers with Alabama assembling a squad of four sub-22 swims to win in 1:27.22. That’s an NCAA A cut for the team of Cadence Vincent, Jada Scott, Kailyn Winter and Charlotte Rosendale.
Vincent led off in 21.84, improving her college best of 22.03 to move into a tie for fourth in program history. (That time came in the morning prelims of the 50 Wednesday; her best time had been 22.10.) Scott went 21.81, Winter 21.82 and Rosendale 21.75.
Georgia was second in 1:28.01, also an A cut, with the squad of Helena Jones, Julianna Stephens, Katie Belle Sikes and Eboni McCarty. Sikes’ 21.73 was the quickest leg of the race. Florida was third in a B cut of 1:28.94, Bella Sims leading off in 22.26. Julia Heimstead, Olivia Peoples and Micayla Cronk joined her.
LSU was fourth in 1:28.97, followed by Missouri in 1:29.13.
Men’s 200 freestyle relay
Reigning NCAA champion and NCAA record holder Florida took home gold in the men’s race in a time of 1:15.10. Julian Smith (19.00), Josh Liendo (18.41), Alex Painter (18.64) and Ed Fullum-Huot (19.05) teamed up for the win in a largely rebuilt squad around those front two legs. It is an NCAA A cut for the Gators.
Also just under the A standard by .04 seconds is LSU in 1:16.47. Jere Hribar’s 18.53 is the standout there, the Croatian Olympian swimming the second leg. Andrew Garon led off, with Stepan Goncharov and Griffin Curtis also on the squad.
B cuts came for Alabama (1:16.82) and Missouri (1:16.98). Charlie Hawke packed a 19.05 for the Crimson Tide. Darden Tate anchored in 18.83 for the Tigers.
Women’s 500 freestyle
Bella Sims was outstanding for Florida to win in 4:31.06, a statement of intent for the reigning NCAA champ. The sophomore was out in 1:45.81. Her slowest 100 split was 55.32 on the middle 100. Her margin of victory was more than three seconds in a final that featured five A finalists from NCAAs last year.
Second Wednesday was Georgia’s Rachel Stege in 4:34.27. That’s 1.4 seconds shy of the best time she set at this invite last fall. Third was Abby McCulloh, who went 4:36.18. Both are NCAA A cuts. McCulloh was sixth and Stege seventh at NCAAs last year.
The NCAA runner-up last spring, Emma Weyant of Florida, finishing fifth in 4:37.62 Wednesday. Ahead of her was Julie Brousseau in 4:37.19. Florida’s Mabel Zavaros took sixth in 4:41.17, ahead of Dune Coetzee of Georgia.
Men’s 500 freestyle
Jake Magahey outdueled Charlie Hawke in what could be a preview of an A final battle in the spring.
Both were just short of the NCAA A cut of 4:10.64, and Magahey’s fastest time of the day was a 4:10.93 in prelims. But his finals time of 4:11.18 was enough to get past Hawke’s 4:11.95. Hawke just held off the charge of Georgia’s Tomas Koski, who finished third in 4:11.96. It was a distance back to fourth-place Jovan Lekic of LSU.
Women’s 200 individual medley
Florida went 1-2 in the IM, led by Zoe Dixon’s time of 1:54.57. That’s three tenths off the time she used to finish eighth at NCAAs last year. She was followed by teammate Lainy Kruger’s 1:56.29. Both are B cuts, with the A cut of 1:53.66.
Kruger was .14 up on Georgia’s Ieva Maluka, who went 1:56.43. Teammate Olivia Dellatorre followed her in 1:57.46.
Men’s 200 individual medley
Julian Smith notched himself a best time, his 1:41.01 quicker by .86 seconds than what he turned in at NCAAs last year. That time, in prelims, was en route to finishing 11th. He’s .26 seconds shy of the A cut.
Following him was Tommy Hagar of Alabama in 1:43.36. Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero of Florida claimed third in 1:44.76, .11 up on teammate Mason Lour.
Women’s 50 freestyle
Men’s 50 freestyle
Women’s 400 medley relay
Men’s 400 medley relay
