With two dual meets remaining this season and the Southeastern Conference Championships a month away for the No. 3 Florida men (6-0, 3-0 SEC) and No. 8 women (4-2, 2-1 SEC), the season’s last head-to-head matchups are being used to gauge how Florida’s swimmers are racing and what final adjustments are needed.
“The two dress rehearsal meets at the end of the month will be real key for us: competing against Auburn here … at home and going to Tennessee,” coach Gregg Troy said.
“Both those meets’ start times are the same times as the prelims at the NCAA and SEC meets, so it gives us a great chance to see how those folks will respond in good competition early in the day.”
However, Troy stressed that the results from Florida’s next two meets are not drawing his focus, making it clear he is sternly set on the conference championship on Feb. 18 and national championship on March 27.
He said nobody would remember the dual meets by the time SECs come around. But he is not letting his swimmers take those competitions easy.
“Now, if we get someone qualified at the meet, that’s real big. So, we’ve got a few people that haven’t qualified,” Troy said. “And if you’re qualified, then your preparation for the conference meet is a little different than your preparation if you haven’t qualified.”
The Gators have notched eight men’s and 13 women’s NCAA “A” cuts across 13 different events, including every relay except the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay and 200-yard medley relay, guaranteeing those swimmers and relay squads a spot in the NCAA Championships.
Senior Elizabeth Beisel has notched four “A” cuts — including one relay — leading the team for most individual qualifications at three. But with sophomore Sinead Russel and senior Ellse Zalewski swimming on all five relays, the duo totals the most qualifications for the Gators with seven and six, respectively.
On the men’s side, the powerhouse duo of senior Marcin Cieslak and redshirt senior Sebastien Rousseau continue to succeed with the postseason nearing. Rousseau and Cieslak both have four total “A” cuts to go with senior Brad deBorde’s two.
Follow Logan McGuire on Twitter @loganjmcguire
