In last week’s victory against No. 6 Auburn, the Gators men’s swimming and diving team — which won 10 out of 16 events — improved its dual-meet win streak to three.
Saturday, the men’s team will look to extend its streak to four when the Gators host SEC rival Tennessee at the O’Connell Center at 10 a.m.
“The threat they present is a real one,” associate head coach Jeff Poppell said. “When you go up against the likes of a Tennessee, there’s no truer test.”
The CSCAA Coaches poll has both Tennessee’s men’s and women’s swim teams ranked No. 20 and No. 15, respectively. The Gators , meanwhile, remain ranked No. 10 and No. 20.
Coming off a loss to No. 5 Georgia last week, Tennessee’s men’s team will look to stop the Gators men’s momentum before the SEC Championship meet starts on Feb. 14.
“The way we look at it,” Poppell said, “is that it’s just preparation for what we’re gonna see at the SEC meet and the NCAA meet.”
Tennessee swimmers David Heron and Kyle DeCoursey won two events each last week and are having strong seasons for the Volunteers. It was the best dual meet of Heron’s career, as he won both the 1,000 free and 500 free.
The Gators men’s team had strong performances last week, as well. Caeleb Dressel and Maxime Rooney were each rewarded with their second SEC weekly honors on Tuesday.
Dressel — who placed first in all four events he competed in — won Male Swimmer of the Week.
“He was fantastic as usual,” associate head coach Anthony Nesty said. “The main thing about Caeleb is that he’s a competitor. He knew going into the Auburn meet that the athletes there were going to be ready.”
Like the men, UF’s women’s team — which lost to Auburn, 103-197, last week — will also have a tough matchup this Saturday against Tennessee.
Poppell said the women’s team’s loss to Auburn was “a good indicator of where kids are at this point of the season.”
Contact Sean Denison at sdenison@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @seandenison.
Florida's Caeleb Dressel reacts after winning the 100-yard freestyle at the NCAA men's swimming and diving championships Saturday, March 26, 2016, in Atlanta. The initials on his face are in honor of a former teacher. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
