For the next five days, Florida will look to paint its own shade of Gator orange on Knoxville, Tennessee at this week’s SEC Championships.
Starting Tuesday, the sixth-ranked Gator men look to defend their conference title for a fifth-straight season, while the No. 19 women aim to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish.
Florida’s in a good spot to do just that, considering it hasn’t shown its best yet. Based off the initial psych sheet, the Gators have at least one student-athlete seeded in the top 10 in 11 of the 16 events on the men’s side (3-meter, 50 free, 100 fly, 100 free, 200 back, 200 fly, 200 free, 200 IM, 400 IM, 500 free and 1650 free) and six of the 16 events on the women’s side (1-meter, 3-meter, 100 back, 200 free, 400 IM and 1650 free).
Individually, the Gators have a handful of defending SEC champions who’d like to keep those titles in Gainesville. On the men’s side, Caeleb Dressel won both the 50 and 100 free events at the 2016 SEC Championships and has also placed first in the 100 fly for the last two years. Prior to Dressel arriving in Gainesville, former Gator Marcin Cieslak was a back-to-back 100 fly champion, meaning that a Gator has won the event for the last four years.
The men’s 200 free has also featured a Florida winner for the last three seasons (Dan Wallace in 2014, Mitch D’Arrigo in 2015 and Pawel Werner in 2016). D’Arrigo has the potential to reclaim his title from two seasons ago.
Junior Amelia Maughan, who was an underdog as a freshman in 2015, was the last Gator to win the 200 free title on the women’s side and has a good chance to take it back this year as a 4-seed.
Two-time 100 free champion Natalie Hinds and 2016’s 1- and 3-meter winner Kahlia Warner have exhausted their Gator eligibility, but the Florida women will look to make runs at keeping those titles as well.
As for relays, the men’s side dominated last season, winning the 200 free and medley relays, 400 medley relay and 800 free relay (which Florida has won four-straight years).
UF will also put this season’s road experience to the test this week. The SEC’s five-day format is the longest of any major conference’s championships and is implemented to spread events out. The Gators have certainly gotten used to competing away from home, having endured a stretch of 10 consecutive team road meets before ending its regular season at home.
Florida will open competition tomorrow at 10 a.m. with time trials. Each day will consist of prelims in the morning and finals in the late afternoon (times vary depending on the day – for the full schedule of events, click here).
Results can be viewed live on utsports.com and will be posted in full on FloridaGators.com at the conclusion of each day of competition. The meet will be streamed live on SEC Network +.
Fans planning to visit during any day of the meet are encouraged to visit Tennessee’s meet information page for more on tickets, parking, the clear bag policy, etc. Doors open to the public at 9 a.m. each day.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Tuesday, Feb. 14
Men’s 1-meter
Women’s 3-meter
200 medley relay
800 free relay
Wednesday, Feb. 15
Women’s 1-meter
500 free
200 IM
50 free
200 free relay
Thursday, Feb. 16
Men’s 3-meter
400 IM
100 fly
200 free
Friday, Feb. 17
Women’s platform
200 fly
100 back
100 breast
400 medley relay
Saturday, Feb. 18
Men’s platform
1650 free
200 back
100 free
200 breast
400 free relay
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Men
No. 7 Auburn
No. 10 Alabama
No. 6 Florida
No. 5 Georgia
(RV) Kentucky
LSU
No. 14 Missouri
South Carolina
No. 16 Tennessee
No. 25 Texas A&M
Women
Alabama
Arkansas
No. 11 Auburn
No. 19 Florida
No. 4 Georgia
No. 16 Kentucky
No. 24 LSU
No. 13 Missouri
South Carolina
No. 14 Tennessee
No. 9 Texas A&M
Vanderbilt
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News courtesy of Florida Athletics.
