The Gators’ wait is over.
After watching Auburn win the Southeastern Conference championship 16 straight times, Florida finally finished on top.
The Gators captured the 2013 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships after 11 straight second-place finishes, snapping the Tigers’ long reign on top.
UF won with a total of 1,408 points.
"We have been chasing Auburn and nipping at their heels every year and we’ve been close a couple of them," coach Gregg Troy said in a release.
"This kind of takes us over the top from the standpoint that it gets the monkey off our back."
Florida’s women finished third behind SEC champion Georgia and second-place Texas A&M.
But the women did not leave College Station, Texas, empty-handed. Senior Elizabeth Beisel earned the Commissioner’s Trophy as the high point winner for the second consecutive year.
Natalie Hinds was named SEC Female Freshman Swimmer of the Year.
"It’s a good building point towards the NCAA meet," said Troy, who was named SEC Men’s Coach of the Year. "It’s not an end in itself, but it certainly is a good conference win."
Sophomore Matt Elliott competes in the 100-yard breaststroke against Tennessee on Feb. 1 at the O'Connell Center.
