The No. 4 Gators women’s swimming & diving team is looking to cap off its season on a high note as 11 swimmers and one diver compete today for the 2015 NCAA Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The three-day meet begins at 11 a.m. with preliminary races, followed by finals each day at 7 p.m.
With 12 Gators competing overall, Florida (6-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) is tied for sixth most swimmers competing in the event.
UF’s swimmers have had two weeks of rest since the team competed at the Last Chance Meet in Gainesville on Feb. 27 - Mar. 1, and coach Gregg Troy hopes the time off has given the Gators the energy necessary to contend with a top-heavy field of teams.
“There a couple of real fantastic teams competing this week in Georgia and (California), but there are also a lot of schools that are going who are in very similar situations to us,” Troy said. “We are all looking forward to getting started on Thursday.”
Despite the team’s lack of depth -- the Gators have no seniors swimming in the event -- Troy will look to the experience of Florida’s six returning swimmers who competed in last year’s championships.
“Obviously we’d like to have a few more individuals going and competing this week, but we’ve been real slim all season depth wise,” Troy said. “So our girls that we will have competing will have to step up and race tough, as it will be a wide open meet.”
Last season, Florida finished sixth with a total score of 239 points. In the process, the Gators secured 15 All-American swims and broke six school records.
The Gators have won three NCAA Championships, with the most recent coming in 2010. While strong individual performances are expected, Troy said the key to the team’s success lies in how well the Gators swim in the relays.
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Junior Natalie Hinds competes in the 100-yard butterfly during Florida's 189.5-110.5 win against Arkansas on Saturday in the O'Connell Center
