Barksdale Captures 400 IM SEC Title
Emma Barksdale won her first-career SEC Championship with a school record 4:01.52.
ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina senior Emma Barksdale captured her first-career Southeastern Conference Championship, finishing atop the women’s 400 IM A-final with a school record time of 4:01.52. Barksdale becomes just the second female swimmer in program history to win an individual SEC title and the first since Amanda Rutqvist in 2011.
Barksdale, who finished runner-up in the event last year, earned a podium finish for the second-consecutive night after picking up a bronze medal in the 200 IM last night. The senior from Davis, Calif., opened prelims by breaking her own school record in the 400 IM with a 4:03.96 to top the fourth heat. She later followed up with the second-fastest 400 IM in the nation so far this season, clocking in her record time to give the Gamecocks an individual champion for the second-consecutive night (Fynn Minuth won the men’s 500 free on night two).
Cody Bekemeyer qualified for the men’s 400 IM B-final, dropping over a second off of his time in his second swim to finish fourth with a 3:45.47.
Christina Lappin (52.61) and Hallie Kinsey (53.27) qualified for the B and C finals, respectively, in the women’s 100 butterfly. Lappin swam a career-best 52.73 to finish fifth while Kinsey went 52.84 to finish second in her second swim.
Caleb Tosh took fourth in the men’s 100 butterfly C-final, setting a new PR at 46.97. Emily Cornell followed up with a career-best time in the women’s 200 free, swimming a 1:45.66 to finish second in the B-final.
After winning a third-straight SEC title in the grueling 500 free the night prior, Minuth nearly set a new PR as he qualified for the 200 free A-final with a 1:34.50.
Top Gamecock Finishes:
| NAME | EVENT | TIME |
| Emma Barksdale | 400 IM (W) | *4:01.52, 1st |
| Cody Bekemeyer | 400 IM (M) | 3:45.47, 12th |
| Christina Lappin | 100 Fly (W) | 52.61, 13th |
| Hallie Kinsey | 100 Fly (W) | 52.84, 18th |
| Caleb Tosh | 100 Fly (M) | 46.97, 20th |
| Emily Cornell | 200 Free (W) | 1:45.66, 10th |
| Fynn Minuth | 200 Free (M) | 1:34.50p (A) |
*= Carolina school record
UP NEXT
The SEC Championships will continue with day four on Friday with prelims beginning at 10 a.m., followed by the third night of finals at 6 p.m.
Day Four Schedule of Events:
200 Fly
100 Back
100 Breast
Women’s Platform
400 Medley Relay
For more swimming updates, follow South Carolina Swimming and Diving on Twitter at @GamecockSwim.
