There is perhaps no better way for a team to finish the regular season then by prevailing over a conference rival.
On Saturday, in their final swim meet before the Southeastern Conference Championships in February, the Gators men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams defeated both top-15 ranked Tennessee teams 185-115 and 170-130, respectively, in Knoxville.
The No. 3-ranked UF men’s team was dominant from the opening, winning their first seven events of the meet over the No. 12-ranked Volunteers. Saturday’s victory also extended the men’s winning streak against the Volunteers to eight straight years, dating back to 2008.
After losing the first event of the day in the 200-yard medley, the No. 15-ranked UF women’s team found their rhythm. They proceeded to win 10 of the next 11 events, extending their current winning streak to five over the No. 12-ranked Volunteers.
“We saw some good things out of our men’s and women’s teams today,” UF coach Gregg Troy said in a release. “We finished well in close races and put up good performances across the board.”
After getting off to a slow start last weekend against the Auburn, the Gators made it a priority to take an early lead. In the first 20 events of the meet, both UF teams combined for 15 victories, including a victory in the 3-meter dive by senior Khalia Warner.
Sophomore Caeleb Dressel swept all four of his events during the meet, including a tight victory racing as the fourth leg for the men’s team in the 200-yard medley relay.
Seniors Jessica Thielman and Natalie Hinds each gathered a pair of victories for the women’s team. Thielman was victorious in both of her individual races, including a 4.12-second victory over Tennessee’s Autumn Finke in the 1000-yard freestyle.
Hinds was victorious in two of her three individual events. In her first event of the meet, Hinds edged out Tennessee’s Faith Johnson by a mere hundredth of a second to capture the victory in the 50-yard freestyle.
The Gators also found some improvement on the diving boards. On the women’s side, Warner was victorious in both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Freshman and Knoxville native Samuel Smith produced solid finishes on the men’s side, finishing third in the 3-meter dive and second in the 1-meter dive.
The Gators have more than two weeks to rest and prepare before the SEC Championships begin on Feb. 16, in Columbia, Missouri.
Contact Sean Doty sdoty@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @TheRealSeanDoty.
Caeleb Dressel touches the wall at the end of his leg of the 400 meter freestyle relay during Florida’s meet against Auburn on Jan. 23, 2016, in the O’Connell Center.
