Florida Swimming Heads to Georgia for Top 10 Showdown

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Vanessa Pearl. Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble

Florida swimming and diving will begin the 2020-21 season in a top-10 showdown with Georgia on Friday, Oct. 30 at 10:00 a.m. inside Gabrielsen Natatorium.

Florida fans can catch the action on SEC Network+, or follow along with live results on the MeetMobile app and Georgia’s website. On Tuesday, the University of Georgia Athletic Association announced a no spectator policy for the entirety of their 2020 fall slate.

WOMEN’S PREVIEW

No. 10 Gators will open season against No. 4 Georgia at 10 a.m.

The Gators will experience a quick turnaround as they welcome the Miami Hurricanes to Gainesville for their season opener on Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m. The general public will not be permitted to attend.

A week later, Florida swimming will send representatives to the Toyota US Open in Sarasota, Fla. from Nov. 12-14. This year, USA Swimming has split up the event throughout nine different regional sites across the country. Swimming competition in 2020 will conclude with the Auburn Invitational on Nov. 18-20 at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center, while divers will hit the boards in the Miami Diving Invitational on Dec. 2-4 as the last event of the fall portion of the schedule.

Preseason Gator Splashes

Florida enters head coach Jeff Poppell‘s third season at the helm of the program as the No. 10 team in the opening College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Poll for the second straight season. Last year, UF jumped all the way to the top spot in the second poll after a 5-0 start and stayed ranked No. 1 for almost two full months.
The 2020-21 squad will feature 23 returners and 12 newcomers. Eight All-Americans, four All-SEC honorees and a pair of All-SEC Freshman Team member will highlight returners who posted an overall record of 8-1 last season (best since 2007-08) and back-to-back second-place team finishes at SEC’s.
13 athletes collected 36 All-America honors a year ago, with Vanessa Pearl leading all returners with five distinctions. Heading into her junior season, she is a seven-time All-American, owns two school records and has received All-SEC Second Team recognition twice.
Talia Bates, Leah Braswell, Kathleen Golding, Gabby Hillis and Nikki Miller all return after earning their first All-American honor of their career. Hillis ended her junior season at SEC’s with new top-10 swims in the 50 and 100 free, as well as being member of three top-10 program relays.
Pearl (400 IM), Braswell (1,650 free) Elizabeth Perez (3-meter) and Emma Whitner (Platform) notched a top-three finish at last season’s SEC meet to lead Florida with individual podium stops.
Diving will return four key members of a group that accumulated the most points of any team at SEC’s, registering 228 points and almost doubling their closest competitor. Ashley McCool earned a pair of NCAA Championships bids and Perez (3-M) and Whitner (Platform) each earned their first SEC medal finish a year ago.
The program set three program records in the classroom: Scholar All-Americans (24), SEC Honor Roll (34) and Team GPA (3.80).
Prior to the cancellation of the NCAA Championships, Pearl and Braswell each owned top-16 seeds in the nation- Braswell: 3rd, 1,650 free & 13th, 500 free/Pearl: 7th, 400 IM & 11th, 200 IM
After losing 13 swimmers and divers to graduation last season, UF will revamp their roster with 12 newcomers, including two transfers in Katie Mack (NC State) and Annette Schultz (Louisville).

Series History

Long-time rivals, Florida and Georgia will face off for the 34th time this year. UF is currently on a two-meet win streak after picking up wins last season in Gainesville and in 2018-19, the first UF victory in Athens since 1993. The matchup between the two programs last season was Florida’s first home meet of the season and saw the Gators winn seven individual events and a pair of relays en route to their sixth-straight victory to start off the season, marking the best dual start to a campaign since the 2002-03 Gators that got off to an 9-0 start.

The first season opener against an SEC opponent since 2014-15 versus Arkansas. The first time since the 2011-12 season that UF started their regular season in October (All-Florida Invite on Oct. 7-9). The latest start date to a regular season since 2000-01 when the Gators defeated Alabama 136-102 on Oct. 21 in Tuscaloosa

The Gators have faced the Bulldogs in three other season openers in program history, holding a 3-0 record in those meets. The last time the two competed in UF’s first meet of the season came in 1993-94 when the Gators pulled out a 123-120 victory. The year prior, Florida handled the Dawgs with a final score of 210-86. The first time came during the 1988-89 season (72-65).

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MEN’S PREVIEW

No. 3 Florida opens season in a top-10 battle with the No. 8 Bulldogs at 2 p.m. in Athens

Meet Day Procedures at Gabrielsen Natatorium | Meet Notes | SEC Network+ Stream |

Florida swimming and diving is set to open up their season on Oct. 30 at 2:00 p.m. against conference rival Georgia at Gabrielsen Natatorium.

Preseason Gator Splashes

The Gators will open up two-time SEC Coach of the Year Anthony Nesty‘s third season ranked No. 3 in the preseason College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Top 25 Poll, the highest of any SEC team.
This year’s team will consist of 25 returners from their eighth-straight SEC Championship campaign in 2019-20. Among the returners are 12 All-Americans, 10 All-SEC team honorees and a trio of SEC All-Freshman members.
The team will add 16 newcomers to offset losing 11 swimmers and divers to graduation in 2019-20.
After stellar sophomore campaigns, American record holders and SEC event champions Kieran Smith (2020 SEC Male Swimmer of the Year) and Robert Finke will return to lead Florida. Smith earned seven All-American honors (the most possible) last season to go along with three SEC event championships, a new 500 free American record and a new SEC and UF 200 free record. Finke posted the fastest time ever in the 1,650 free by six full seconds at SEC’s, while also earning an additional pair of All-American accolades and top-three SEC finishes in the 500 free (fifth-fastest in the nation) and 400 IM.
Will Davis and Clark Beach return after earning All-American nods in back-to-back seasons. Davis, a seven-time All-American, posted career bests in the 100 fly and 50 free at SEC’s, as well as being a key member of three Florida relays that medaled in Auburn. Beach, a member of the US National Team, earned All-SEC First Team honor as a member of Florida’s SEC Championship Record 800 free relay. Individually, Beach posted a second-place finish in the 200 back, medaling for the second time of his career and tallying the seventh-fastest time in the nation.
Isaac Davis, Miguel Cancel, Eric Friese, Brennan Gravley, Dillon Hillis, Gerry Quinn and Kevin Vargas will head into this season after earning their first career All-American honors a season ago. Hillis exploded at SEC Championships, posting an A-cut in the 100 breast with his third-place time of 51.28 (fourth-fastest in nation). The time also sits as the second fastest in program history.
Gravley, Vargas and Friese were named to the All-Freshman SEC team. All three qualified for an A-final in their first conference competition- Gravley (1,650 Free), Friese (100 Fly) and Vargas (400 IM)- to earn the honor. Gravley’s mile time was good enough for a bronze medal in his first conference championship action.
After competing in just two meets last season due to an injury, 2018-19 All-American and All-SEC First team honoree Trey Freeman will look to make his anticipated return to the water for UF.

Series History

The Gators and Bulldogs have been long-time rivals, competing in 81 matchups over the history of both programs. Florida swimming currently leads the all-time series with an overall record of 60-18-3, including a 6-3-1 tally in the last 10 duals. Last year, the two faced off on Nov. 1 in Gainesville in the Gators’ home opener. Florida would walk away victorious, claiming a 163-118 victory as six different Gators would go on to win eight individual events, including taking the top-three spots in the 50 free, 100 fly and 100 breast. UF would sweep the 200 medley and 400 free relays as well.

This year’s season opener marks the first season opener against an SEC opponent since 2014-15 versus Arkansas. Additionally, this year’s matchup is the first time since the 2011-12 season that UF started their regular season in October (All-Florida Invite on Oct. 7-9). Finally, Oct. 30 is the latest start date to a regular season since 2000-01 when the Gators lost to Alabama 127-110 on Oct. 21 in Tuscaloosa

The 2020-21 opener will mark the 16th time these two programs have faced off in Florida’s first meet of the season. In those matchups, the Gators hold a 14-1 record. The last time the Gators and Bulldogs met to open up UF’s season was during the 1993-94 season. The only loss in a season opener versus Georgia came in 1952.

From Georgia

Last Friday, the Bulldogs claimed 22 overall event wins in the first of a home-and-home series with the Gamecocks. In the women’s session, a 165.5-129.5 Georgia win, seniors Olivia Anderson, Courtney Harnish, and sophomore Zoie Hartman each won two races, with Harnish and Hartman posting four B-cut times. For her sweep of the breaststroke events, Hartman was named SEC Women’s Swimmer of the Week.

In the men’s 182-97 victory, freshman Jake Magahey took SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week honors with three wins in the 200, 500, and 1,000 freestyle. Redshirt senior Javier Acevedo returned from a one-year absence to earn wins in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke, receiving the SEC Men’s Swimmer of the Week award. Senior Jack Dalmolin swept the breaststroke events, while fellow senior Zach Allen was named SEC Diver of the Week after taking the 1-meter competition.

— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Florida Swimming and Georgia Swimming. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.

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