The Gators’ men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams travel to Auburn on Wednesday to compete in the three-day 2020 Fall Auburn Invitational.
The meet will consist of preliminary races to start each day, followed by diving and finals for each swimming event. Prelims are scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. start time on Wednesday and Thursday and a 9:00 a.m. start on Friday. Diving is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start for the first two days of the meet and an 11:00 a.m. start Friday. The top 18 times in the preliminaries will then face off in the finals in either heat A, B or C. These races are scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Only the A and B heats will be scored. The relays, platform dives and the 1,650-yard freestyle are the only events that will operate differently, with only one heat.
Each athlete is limited to four individual events, but they are allowed to participate in an unlimited number of relays.
The No. 10 UF women’s swim team is coming off of their first win of the season against Miami on Nov. 5. The team dominated the Hurricanes, taking the top spot in all 14 swim events of the meet. Similar dominance will be necessary to take down a No. 19 Auburn team.
Against Miami, Cecilia Porter, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week, and junior transfer Annette Schultz each notched their first wins as Gators. The newcomers’ continued success will be vital against the Tigers.
Several swimmers on the men’s side are making a quick turnaround from the US Open that finished up on Nov. 14. Juniors Kieran Smith and Robert Finke are coming off the high of medaling in multiple races out of Sarasota in that meet.
The No. 3 Gators men’s team will have to keep up the energy still against No. 22 Tigers. This is the men’s second team meet of the season and they currently sit with a 0-1 record after a tough loss to Georgia.
The men are looking to find the same success they did last year at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center. It was at the same location that they took home their eighth straight SEC Championship last season.
The meet will mark the final swimming matchup of the fall portion of the season. The divers will be back on Dec. 2 at the Miami Diving Invitational, while the swimmers will return on Jan. 9 for a home dual meet against Texas A&M.
Contact Sara Kate Dyson at skatedyson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @sarakatedyson.
Robert Finke during the Gators' meet on Day 3 of the SEC Championships on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at Martin Aquatics Center in Auburn, Alabama. Finke and other Gators return to Auburn for an invitational this week.
