Following the Florida men and women swimming and diving teams’ fifth consecutive win in the Pinch A Penny Invitational this weekend, coach Gregg Troy has a better grasp on the talent he possesses in both of his teams as both the men and the women prepare for their dual meet against LSU on Saturday.
"Great weekend to have an opportunity to swim a championship format very early in the year," Troy said. "I think it gives everyone a little idea of what you are going to see at the end of the year even though it’s not until February or March, so good experience there.
"The women’s meet was a little more competitive than the men. Having an opportunity to have a team like Cal come in and add a different caliber to the meet for the state was real helpful and it was good to see that the women already stepped up a little bit from Week 1. Having this being their second competition, they responded real well to the presence of Cal being there."
Troy’s mention of the close competition the women faced was credited to California’s team which challenged Florida by coming within 100 points in the Invitational.
On the other side, the men’s team looked sharp in its opening meet.
"I saw some really good things. A lot of people competed with one another. We did a great job competing with FSU," Troy said.
"The men’s meet wasn’t quite as strong as the women’s meet, being there wasn’t someone to challenge us, we did a really great job of racing with one another within the team which is a really good skill for us to have as we go forward taking into training."
As far as the relay teams for both squads, the men raced well this weekend after taking all five of the races, which goes shows the depth they have up and down the roster.
Freshman Caeleb Dressel and senior Matt Elliott, in particular, were two who stood out to Troy in the Invitational.
"Caeleb is a big-time talent," said Troy. "He’s got great race instincts, good skills in all four strokes. ... When he’s swimming in the finals with our guys with a little bit of experience, it was a great experience for him. Raced extremely well. Real pleased with where he’s at the moment.
"Matt is coming off a great summer and he’s kind of put the pieces together a little bit to start of the year. He’s usually been a traditionally slow starter but he’s been a real factor in training sessions to this point and showing a little more leadership skills."
Not so much can be said for the women’s depth as they were missing five of their 19 athletes this weekend.
But Troy said junior Natalie Hinds will be a factor in everything the team does considering she is one of the best swimmers in the country.
Follow Aaron Friedland on Twitter @aafriedland
Freshman Caeleb Dressel jumps into the pool at the start of the 200-yard breaststroke event during Day 3 of the 2014 Pinch A Penny Invitational
