Senior swimmer Rex Tullius has a positive mindset for the next three days.
It's something that his coaches have instilled in him and the rest of the team. The UF men's swimming and diving teams (8-2)have trained hard for this meet, and Thursday through Saturday, they will get the chance to prove it.
Eleven UF men, Tullius included, will compete in the NCAA Championships on March 26-28 in College Station, Texas. This meet - the last of the season - follows a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships.
"It's always great to be a Florida Gator, and I want to go out with a bang," Tullius said.
Tullius will train with the team next year but will not compete.
At the NCAAs, he will be swimming in the 200-yard individual medley, the 200 backstroke and the 100 back.
Tullius knows what it is to be a champion - he won the 200 back title in the SECs this year and is second in the nation in that event - and he will work claiming another title in the next few years.
"I'm 0.3 (seconds) off the time in front of me, and I just want to race and win," Tullius said. "I want a shot at a national title."
Senior Bradley Ally is entering the championships with a solid history. He has the fastest time in the 200 IM and the third-fastest time in the 400 IM among those competing.
Last year the UF men snatched eighth place and 38 All-American honors.
The Gators will start preliminaries at 11 a.m. and finals at 7 p.m. each day.
"We train and compete as if no other team is more ready than us and that gives us a mental edge," Tullius said.
