Freshman Conor Gesing has dazzled in his debut season. He placed first in the men’s 1-meter against Miami, Virginia, and Georgia. He also placed first in the men’s 1m at the Tennessee Invite.
The momentum didn’t stop in the SEC Championships. Gesing earned third place in the men’s 1m final with 371.30 points in his first championship appearance.
The No. 4/3 Florida Men’s and Women’s Swim and Dive teams traveled to Auburn, Alabama to compete for a second consecutive SEC Championship. The men’s team entered this week with an undefeated in-and-out of conference record of 7-0 while the women’s team are 7-1, with an undefeated conference record of 5-0.
The men’s team is seeking its 12th-consecutive championship while the women’s team chases its second-consecutive SEC title after clinching the championship for the first time last year since 2009.
Head coach Anthony Nesty hopes to earn his sixth-straight men’s title and second women’s title.
The first day of SEC Championships kicked off with the men’s 1-m dive and the women’s diving team event.
Sophomore Peyton Donald followed Gesing in the men’s 1m final to place fifth with a score of 347.00 points.
In the men’s 1m preliminary round, Peyton Donald and Gesing found success by securing top-five spots and a slot in the men’s 1m finals. Gesing ranked third with 342.20 points, and Donald placed fourth with 322.70 points. Senior Skip Donald scored 249.35 points to trail in 26th place.
Freshman Camyla Monroy, junior Carina Lumia, and sophomore Casey Greenberg scored 303.50 points to place second in the women’s team event.
Tomorrow, the women’s 3m, men’s diving team event, women’s 200 medley relay, men’s 200 medley relay, women’s 800 free relay, and men’s 800 free relay will take place.
The first event of the day, the women’s 500 free, begins at 9:30 a.m. The meet can be streamed on the SEC network.
Contact Shaine Davison at sdavison@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @shainedavison.
