Caeleb Dressel is being hailed as one of the best sprint prospects ever despite having never suited up for a college team.
Dressel, from Clay High and the Bolles swim club in Jacksonville, committed to Florida on Tuesday after visiting Gainesville during the weekend.
The high school senior is one of the top recruits in the 2014 class and owns the national high school 50-yard freestyle record at 19.29 seconds — just .17 seconds slower than senior Brad deBorde’s school-record time. Dressel also swims the 100-yard free in 43.29 seconds, making him a more than adequate replacement for deBorde after he graduates.
At the Junior World Championships over the summer, Dressel placed third in the 50-yard free and took first in the 100-yard free while setting a new championship record.
He will be a second-generation Gator, following in his father’s footsteps, assuming he stays true to his commitment.
The high school senior has not signed his national letter of intent.
Divers surging: Florida’s swimming and diving teams have been among the top teams in the nation during the fall season.
The men’s team is currently sitting at the No. 1 spot, and the women are at No. 3, and it isn’t just the swimmers propelling them to those high rankings.
A bright spot for the Gators this year has been in women’s diving. They have totaled six event wins and 88 total points through the first four dual meets, compared to no wins and 42 total points after four dual meets last year.
Sophomore Kahlia Warner, who transferred to UF in the spring, accounts for a big part of that improvement. She has contributed five wins and 58 points this season.
Men’s diving has improved after a rough opening in the first two dual meets. A slow start that saw only one win through the first two dual meets was followed by three wins and 37 points in the other two meets this fall.
Redshirt sophomore Zach Hernandez has been a key player in Florida’s success. He picked up three wins and totaled 31 points in the last two meets against Alabama and Georgia.
But the men are without redshirt senior Chris Jones, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery.
Jones had the best performance of his career at NCAA Zone Diving on the platform, finishing in eighth place in the finals. Diving coach Donnie Craine said he is hopeful to have Jones back by SECs in February.
Follow Logan McGuire on Twitter @loganjmcguire.
