Courtesy: Florida Athletics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Saturday is a special day in which we honor our senior class. Five women and seven men will be recognized for their contributions to the program over their four years of competition. The No. 6/8 Florida swimming & diving team hosts No. 9/13 ranked Tennessee at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium.
Last time out, the Florida men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams traveled to Auburn, Alabama for a matchup with the nationally ranked Tigers. The men defeated the No. 25 Tigers, 182-118, but the women fell to No. 7 Auburn, 187-113.
Last season, the women’s team fell to Tennessee, 184-116. The Lady Vols have won the last two meetings, but the Gators have won 16 of the last 20 meetings. On the men’s side, the Gators knocked off the Vols, 178-122. The Florida men have won 15 of the last 20 matchups against Tennessee.
For the No. 8 ranked women, Vanessa Pearl clocked the fifth-fastest swim in the 400 IM and in the 200 Breast, as well as the sixth-fastest time in the 200 IM times in the NCAA this season. Leah Braswell is currently the sixth fastest in the 500 Free and the 1,650 Free, as well as the 18th-best swim in the 1,000 Free. Mabel Zavaros holds the 11th-best time in the 200 Back and the 20th-fastest swim in the 400 IM. Emma Ball has the 15th-best time in the 100 Back. Kelly Fertel comes in with the eighth-fastest mark in the 400 IM and 12th-best time in the 200 IM.
Khader Baqlah has the fourth-best swim in the NCAA in the 200 Free to pace the No. 6 ranked men. He’s added the ninth-best time in the 500 Free and ranks 16th in the 1,000 Free. Maxime Rooney holds the nation’s eighth-fastest time in the 100 Free and produced the 11th-best swim in the NCAA in the 200 Free. Kieran Smith notched the 13th-fastest times in the 200 Free and in the 400 IM. Trey Freeman swam the 15th-fastest in the 1,000 Free and 17th-fastest in the 500 Free. Robert Finke collected the NCAA’s 11th-best swim in the 1,650 Free and 19th-best swim in the 1,000 Free. Grant Sanders has the country’s eighth-best time in the 400 IM and 20th-fastest mark in the 200 IM.
The meet starts on Friday with the women’s 1-meter and the men’s 3-meter. On Saturday, the meet starts with a celebration for our senior swimmers and divers beginning at 9:30 a.m. Events are scheduled for a 10 a.m. start on Saturday.
PARKING: On Friday, February 1st, parking will be available for spectators at Flavet Field. After 3:30 pm that day, parking will be available in the North Lot/Garage of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. On Saturday, February 2nd, parking will be available in the garage of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
ENTRANCE: Spectator entrance will be Gate 2. Please be aware that there are metal detectors at this entrance.
Swimming Event Schedule
FRIDAY
4:30 p.m.
Women’s 1-meter
Men’s 3-meter
SATURDAY
9:30 a.m.
Senior Ceremony
10:00 a.m.
200 Medley Relay
1,000 Freestyle
200 Freestyle
100 Backstroke
100 Breaststroke
200 Fly
50 Free
Women’s 3-meter
100 Freestyle
200 Backstroke
200 Breaststroke
500 Freestyle
100 Fly
Men’s 1-meter
200 IM
400 Free Relay
Them Gators will be cryin after this one.
The Big Mean Laddie Vols Machine will tsunami those poor little she-gators.
Now the MEN’s meet should be pretty close but with the South African mid-year WhodunitHoulie and DeCoursey the heir apparent to Dressel at this years SEC MEET, and the ZigZeng led AMAZING Mans Vols diving FORCE aint no Florida tradition gonna help the home team. I say show no mercy TN!!! Florida gettin ready for the worst home whoopin since ever
Do you know the reason we know the toothbrush was invented at the University of Tennessee?
Nope PLEASE enlighten us!
If it had been invented anywhere else, it would have been called the TEETHbrush.
Haha good one OR perhaps the GUMbrush?
What does that have to do with this meet?
Because they wanted to have better teeth than everyone else?
And gums! Gingivitis can add to bad breath! Them TN swimmers are great at holding their breath (bad or not) while kickin real fast underwater sorta like fishes!!! Yeee HAAA GO ManVols and GirlVols!!!
Ooops looks like I forgot ta carry the 1 into the 100 column…darn. Those She-gators and Hegators got lucky at home.The Man Vols and Girl Vols musta caught a flu or something. Oh well…next year!!!
Who’s crying now !