Stripped of his socks and shoes, Florida’s men’s swimming coach Anthony Nesty stood on the pool deck in the James E. Martin Aquatics Center in Auburn, Alabama.
As the confetti fell and his post-meet interview concluded, he stepped to the waters’ edge and made the celebratory plunge.
For the eighth-consecutive year and the 41st time in school history, the No. 11 Florida men’s swimming team was crowned SEC Champions, leaving Texas A&M in its wake.
After hauling in 15 medals — five gold, four silver and six bronze — the Gators amassed 1,194 points, 218.5 more than the second-place Aggies.
Sophomore Kieran Smith, who was awarded the men’s Swimmer of the Meet recognition, lit up the competition for five straight days. Smith snatched a medal in all but the final day of competition.
And though Smith’s individual SEC titles in the 500 free and 400 individual medley, and his contributions in 800 free relay and 400 medley had implications within the conference meet, his performances sounded throughout the swimming world.
Leading off Florida’s 800 free relay, Smith’s 200-yard split time of 1:30.11 was good enough for a SEC and UF record. Smith’s swim in the relay also stands as the fourth-fastest 200-yard swim in history.
In the 500 free, Smith touched the wall in 4.06.32, setting a new NCAA and American record.
However, he wasn’t the only Florida swimmer to make his way into the record books.
Sophomore Robert Finke posted the fastest mile-swim in American history on the final day of the meet.
Erasing six seconds from the previously-held American record, Finke stroked through 1,650 yards in 14:12.08.
“I am incredibly proud of our men,” Nesty said in a release. “This championship is extremely challenging physically due to the length of days in the competition itself. Every team wants the prize and are equally hungry.”
Meanwhile, Florida’s No. 7-ranked women’s team managed a runner-up finish for the second straight season.
Battling to the wire, the Gators outscored the future-champion Tennessee Volunteers by 68 points in the final day of action. However, by the end of the meet, Florida remained just 28.5 points shy.
Florida sophomore Leah Braswell notched a third-place finish in the 1,650-yard free on Saturday with a 15:54.54, while junior diver Emma Whitner struck silver after her performance on the platform.
Senior Sherridon Dressel would also pick up one of the Gators’ combined seven medals in her performance in the 100 back after posting a 50.64, good for a silver medal.
“It was truly a team effort with all 22 of our athletes contributing throughout the week,” Florida coach Jeff Poppell said. “No one really gave us a chance heading into the meet but our team believed we could win. We just ran out of gas a little this evening.”
Now, Florida’s swim squads turns its focus to the NCAA Championships. The women’s championships span March 18-21 and March 25-28 for the men. The men will go on the road to Athens, Georgia, for the Last Place Invitational on Feb. 28-29. Meanwhile, the Gators’ divers will head to the NCAA Diving Zones March 9-11.
Follow Ainslie on Twitter @AinsliesTwoBits and contact her at alee@alligator.org.
