At last year’s SEC swimming and diving championship meet, Caeleb Dressel was the star.
The then-sophomore scored a meet-leading 96 individual points and contributed on relay teams that earned a combined 248, leading UF to the conference title for the fourth season in a row.
Today, the Gators men’s and women’s teams will compete in the SEC Championship meet again, this time in Knoxville, Tennessee. And after last season’s results, the men’s team is hoping to continue its dominance while the women’s team — which finished in sixth place a season ago — will try to capture its first conference crown since 2009.
“(They’re) certainly not going to be the favorite at the conference meet,” Troy said of the women’s team following its loss to Tennessee.
The meet — which is a five-day event — is being held at Tennessee’s Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center and will conclude on Feb 18.
Florida’s men’s team, which currently ranks No. 6 in the nation, was 3-1 in the conference this year, with its only loss coming against then-No. 8 Georgia on Oct. 28.
In their 178-122 loss to Georgia earlier this season, Florida athletes Samuel Smith, Dressel and Jan Switkowski all competed.
Smith won both the 1-meter and 3-meter events, Dressel went on to win the 50-free in 19.56, and Switkowski won the 200 IM at 1:47.20.
Georgia, however, won’t be the only talented team the Gators men’s team will have to worry about. The SEC has two more schools ranked inside the top 10 in No. 7 Auburn and No. 10 Alabama.
Florida’s women’s team, meanwhile, has struggled in the SEC this season, finishing 1-4 in the conference. Its only victory within the conference was a 188-112 win against Arkansas more than three months ago.
Like the men’s team, the women’s team (No. 19) will also be challenged against No. 4 Georgia, which won a national title last season, and No. 11 Auburn, both of which the Gators lost to this season.
“It’s just a really, really good Georgia team,” Troy said back in October.
The women’s team fell to Tennessee 151-149 in its last contest of the season on Jan. 28. The loss was the closest defeat of the season and the team’s second loss in a row.
The men’s team, meanwhile, finished the regular season on a four-meet winning streak, beating Tennessee 183-117 in its last meet of the regular season.
Beginning Thursday, the SEC Swimming and Diving Championship will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
Contact Sean Denison at sdenison@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @SeanDenison.
UF swimmer Caeleb Dressel slaps hands with a teammate during Florida's 183-117 win against Tennessee on Jan. 28, 2017, in the O'Connell Center.
