Florida’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams brought in a steady stream of hardware in their wins over the Auburn Tigers last Saturday.
While the No. 8-ranked women (11-0, 3-0 SEC) took home a 161-137 win over the Tigers to remain undefeated on the season, the No. 9-ranked men’s team (7-1, 2-1 SEC) sunk Auburn 204-96.
And as the Gators prepare to make the trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, on Saturday to face off against the Volunteers, they do so with even more honors under their belt.
This week, Florida’s Kieran Smith took home his third SEC Men’s Swimmer of the Week honor after his performance against Auburn. In his grapple with the Tigers, Smith hauled in three golds and posted a new best in the 100 free with a 43.50.
Two of Florida’s women also welcomed recognition this week as diver Brooke Madden was recognized as the SEC Women’s Diver of the Week for the first time in her career after her sweeps in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives.
UF senior Sherridon Dressel was recognized as the SEC Women’s Swimmer of the Week after picking up three gold medals in her performance against Auburn on Senior Day.
With momentum and confidence on their side as they head into Knoxville on Saturday, both of Florida’s squads will have to be sure that their complacency is in check as they prepare to battle two ranked Tennessee teams.
Florida’s men’s team has a three-spot advantage over the No. 12-ranked Volunteers heading into this weekend.
Tennessee is coming off of a loss to Georgia where the Vols’ Matthew Garcia swam well and picked up two gold medals — one as a part of the 200 medley relay (1:27.76) and the other coming from a win in the 100 back (47.98).
For the women, on paper, Tennessee poses the biggest threat to Florida this season.
The No. 4-ranked Volunteers will be the highest-ranked team the Gators have faced in their undefeated start to the 2019-20 campaign.
Tennessee senior Ericka Brown saw her storied season continue to roll as she picked up gold medals in three events against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Brown’s wins came in the 200 free (1:45.18), the 100 free (48.86) and the 100 fly (52.22).
The tussle between the Gators and the Volunteers gets underway at 10 a.m. on Saturday from the Allan Jones Aquatic Center at the University of Tennessee.
Follow Ainslie on Twitter @AinsliesTwoBits and contact her at alee@alligator.org.
