The SEC and NCAA Championships are just around the corner, but first, the UT men’s and women’s swimming teams face a familiar foe in Gainesville.
The Florida Gators boast one of the best records (M: 5-1, 3-1 SEC, W: 5-2, 4-1 SEC) in the SEC and look poised to have a strong performance in the NCAA Tournament. UT’s head coach Matt Kredich is ready for the challenge the Gators will bring.
“They’re the defending SEC champions, and they are a team of very tough competitors,” Kredich said. “They protect their turf as well as anybody … We have a great schedule. In odd years, we finish our dual meet schedule in one of the toughest places to swim in the conference against one of the toughest teams in the conference.”
Florida’s men and women are both ranked No. 7 in the country. Both teams are coming off thrilling victories against the No. 6 and No. 10 ranked Auburn Tigers.
In the past, the Lady Vols have struggled against the Gators, winning only twice in the 28 meet series. The Lady Vols did beat the Gators last year in Knoxville 152-148.
The men, however, have always been evenly matched against Florida. The Gators hold a slight 21-20 lead in the all-time series between the two. The Vols lost to Florida last year 179-121, as the Gators won 10 of the 16 events.
The Gators are stellar in their home pool. The men have won 19 straight dual meets in the O’ Dome, with their last dual-meet loss coming in 2010 to Virginia. The women, meanwhile, have posted a 14-4 record in the same category the past four seasons. The women’s last loss at home came earlier this season against Minnesota on Nov. 8.
Senior Tristan Slater knows what the Gators bring to the table in terms of talent.
“They’re a strong team,” Slater said. “It’s a really good challenge for us. … I think if we just race hard against them, the results will come.”
Slater also went on to discuss the feeling of competing in his final regular season meet.
“It’s weird, definitely weird,” said the English breaststroker. “I don’t think it’ll be as emotional as Senior Day against Georgia last week, but it’ll definitely be special … It’ll definitely be weird, but I know it’ll be good.”
The men and women will both be looking for a strong finish in this meet to better prepare themselves for the SEC and NCAA championships.
Coach Kredich is excited for the possibilities that both championships bring to his team.
“What we’re focused on his having everyone swim better than they ever have before, dive better than they ever have before and really respond to competition,” Kredich stated. “The SEC and NCAA championships are all about competing better than the guy or woman next to you. … I don’t wanna put any limits on us, but I think we can be great at both meets.”
The Gators will face off against the Vols this Saturday in Gainesville beginning with diving at 9:30 a.m. and swimming competitions at 11 a.m. The meet will be broadcast on ESPN3.
