The Gators men’s swimming and diving team is No. 1 in the country, has the third most NCAA qualifications, top-10 times in 14 out of 18 events and is the favorite to walk away from Austin, Texas, with the NCAA Championships crown.
But what’s on paper won’t matter when the racing starts today at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center as Texas hosts this year’s national championship meet.
Florida is led by its group of seniors — Brad deBorde, Marcin Cieslak and redshirt senior Sebastien Rousseau — who have been the leaders of the nation’s best team in and out of the pool. And in an atmosphere where experience under the big lights goes a long way, these Gators are well-equipped to perform.
“A lot of character on the team, and they handle adverse situations pretty well, so I feel real comfortable that we’re going to see great efforts,” coach Gregg Troy said. “How good it is, we won’t know that until after the meet is over.”
Cieslak’s last trip to NCAAs was bittersweet.
Although he made the podium in all three of his events in 2013, it was three straight silvers for the 18-time All-American as Florida came in a disappointing sixth place. Troy even jokes with him about last year’s trio of runner-up finishes, Cieslak said. He wants this year to be different.
Coming off of his best swims this season in the 200-yard individual medley, 100- and 200-yard butterfly from the Southeastern Conference Championships last month, Cieslak enters NCAAs with top-8 national times for each of his three events.
But he isn’t the only swimmer looking for his first individual NCAA title.
Neither deBorde nor Rousseau have won individual gold in their four years of competing at the national meet.
Rousseau is sitting on the nation’s second-fastest 200-yard fly time this season from SECs, and his 200- and 400-yard IM times place him sixth in the country.
DeBorde — UF’s 50-yard freestyle record holder — posted the second-fastest time in his signature event at the conference meet, just 0.08 seconds off the national leader.
“When you’ve got guys that have been there before, four years — Sebastien (Rousseau), Marcin (Cieslak), Brad deBorde, Connor Signorin — you feel pretty comfortable that they’re going to handle the pressure in a situation,” Troy said.
“And three days, they know what to expect and they know what they’re looking at. That also rubs off on the younger guys a little bit.”
Swimmers like juniors Dan Wallace and Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez have asserted themselves as consistent contributors to the Gators during their undefeated regular season and second consecutive SEC Championships title.
He isn’t normally a distance swimmer, but this season Troy called on Wallace to swim the 500-yard free. And the All-American from Scotland has responded by recording the fastest time in the country — nearly two seconds ahead of the next best swim.
His main focus isn’t on his personal goal, which include making a title run at the 500-yard free and 400-yard IM, but on helping the Gators win a national championship.
“I just want to pick up as many points as I can for the team,” Wallace said. “And every little bit helps.”
Follow Logan McGuire on Twitter @loganjmcguire
Senior Sebastien Rousseau swims the butterfly in the men’s 400-meter individual medley on Aug. 28 in the Pinch A Penny All Florida Invitational. Rousseau and the Gators start competition at the NCAA Championships today.
