Although Florida isn’t picked to win the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships this weekend, coach Gregg Troy said the 14 women who qualified for the event are determined to defend their title.
“(We’re) not the favorite, but we haven’t been the favorite in the past either, so the girls kind of relish in that role,” he said. “We’ve looked good the last couple of weeks.”
Troy said freshmen Elizabeth Beisel and Hilda Luthersdottir will play a huge role in the team’s fate at the meet, which is in Austin, Texas, today through Saturday.
“Even though they are freshmen, they have a lot of experience,” he said. “They do have to step up. The biggest challenge for them is you’ve got to swim well in the morning at the NCAA meet.”
Troy said the Gators will also lean on the squad’s elders to provide leadership. That includes diver Monica Dodson, the squad’s lone senior, as well as juniors Teresa Crippen and past NCAA champions Sarah Bateman and Shara Stafford.
Crippen, who will swim three individual events and one relay, won’t compete on the first day of the competition and has to do in two days what the other swimmers hope to do in three.
“She’s got to be tough with the way she goes about it, but there’s no one more articulate with the way they train,” Troy said.
Crippen will swim in the 800-yard freestyle relay, one of Florida’s four qualified relays. Troy said the success of the relays is key for the team, which has placed in the top 10 the past 10 years, to bring home a win.
“This is the first time this season we’ve had everyone healthy,” he said. “Hopefully our relays are going to be a little better, and it will be real key for us.”
Troy said he expects the major contenders to be No. 3 Stanford, No. 2 California and No. 1 Georgia, the team that narrowly beat the No. 7 Gators at the Southeastern Conference Championships last month.
“They all look good on paper, but fortunately the meet isn’t swum on paper,” he said. “And then there’s another eight to 10 teams that are all in the mix, and we’re certainly one of those.”
