The five-day Southeastern Conference Championships begin today as the nation’s top-ranked Gators men’s swimming and diving team (8-0, 5-0 SEC) and the No. 5 women’s team (5-3, 3-2 SEC) will each take on five of the top-25 teams in the country in Athens, Ga.
On the men’s side, No. 1 Florida headlines the bunch, but No. 4 Missouri, No. 6 Georgia and No. 13 Auburn — winner of the conference crown in 16 of the last 17 years — could make a play for the title during this week’s competition.
Florida is the heavy favorite after thrashing its competition this season.
UF’s women will have to stare down the country’s best in No. 1 Georgia and No. 8 Tennessee. Both got the better of the Gators in the regular season.
“This is an exciting time for us,” coach Gregg Troy said. “Championship season is always big in swimming. Everything counts the rest of the way. You’ve got to take your enthusiasm and maintain it over five days if you want to win in probably the best conference in the country.”
Eight SEC champions from a year ago return for the Gators: redshirt senior Sebastien Rousseau, seniors Brad deBorde and Marcin Cieslak, juniors Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez and Matt Elliott and sophomore Pawel Werner for the men, and senior Elizabeth Beisel and sophomore Natalie Hinds for the women.
Cieslak and Beisel will be flirting with greatness this week.
Due to restrictions put in place in 1990, athletes can only compete in three events at SECs, but the two will still have a shot at making school history.
Cieslak’s six SEC individual titles are just two fewer than Gator great Ryan Lochte, who shares the all-time record at Florida with two others.
The 2012 Polish Olympian will be competing for three conference championships, two of which he won at last year’s SEC meet.
The face of the women’s team in her time at Florida, Beisel has earned seven SEC individual titles and, regardless of how this year pans out, will go down as fifth all-time in conference championships at UF.
But she has a shot at something more.
If she pulls off the hat trick like she did in 2012, Beisel will become the second Gator to win 10 SEC titles since the three-event limit was imposed 24 years ago. She trails only Nicole Haislett, who went a perfect 12 for 12 from 1990-94.
Beisel has been an iconic swimmer for Florida in her four years, earning conference and national individual titles, but she has watched as SEC rival Georgia has gotten the better of her team four years running.
She is hoping this year will be different.
“We look really good. I think we do have a chance to beat Georgia,” Beisel said. “That’s obviously the goal ... Just try to win.
“It’ll definitely be a tight meet, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Beisel is looking to the rest of her team to step up in what she called a grudge match after UF fell to UGA in November 2013.
Senior Hilda Luthersdottir was a swimmer Beisel mentioned. Her performances in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke claimed both of Florida’s school records this year.
She brings them along with her, taking that energy and igniting her fellow Gators to swim fast through the joy it brings her. It’s something she doesn’t try to hide.
“It’s inspiring for all of us because seeing her as happy as she is after her race, swimming fast,” Beisel said. “It makes us all want to feel the same thing.”
And ending a collegiate career with something Florida hasn’t been able to accomplish since 2009 — the SEC crown — is something that she knows is within reach.
“I think this is the best team that I’ve ever been a part of in my four years here,” Beisel said.
“So for it to be my senior year, I really want to do really well.”
Follow Logan McGuire on Twitter @loganjmcguire
Elizabeth Beisel competes in the 200-yard butterfly during Florida’s match against Auburn on Jan. 25 in the O’Connell Center. Beisel is aiming for a three-event sweep at the Southeastern Conference Championships starting today.
