Florida Hits the Road for Auburn Dual
Thursday, January 22, 2009 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Florida swimming and diving will swing back into action this weekend in Auburn, Ala., as the No. 6-ranked men's (6-1, 3-0 SEC) and women's (6-2, 2-1 SEC) programs take on league foe Auburn in a dual meet match-up at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center Saturday. Meet time is slated for 1 p.m. (ET) and will feature an exciting competition between the ranked Gator squads and the No. 5-ranked Auburn women and No. 7-ranked Tiger men.
The Orange and Blue enter the showdown with Auburn after a busy weekend of competition Jan. 16-17 when the team split ways for two invitationals and a home dual with Florida Atlantic University. In Gainesville, the Gators swept FAU on their home turf, with the men winning 174-123 and the women securing a 159-127 decision over the Owls.
In invite action, the UF women brought home the Swimming World Magazine College Conference Carnival crown after setting four pool records in Piscataway, N.J. on the Rutgers University campus, accumulating 300 points and several NCAA provisional marks and season-best times. Meanwhile, in Dallas, Texas, a small squad of nine Florida men swam to a second-place (311 points) finish at the Dallas Morning News Classic, hosted by Southern Methodist University. Florida was led by senior Bradley Ally and junior Shaune Fraser. Ally secured an NCAA automatic standard in the 400 IM, while Fraser swam the third-fastest 200 fly time in the SEC so far this season.
While the Gators were busy in action, both Auburn squads have been idle since Jan. 8 when they hosted the top-ranked Texas men and the No. 4-ranked Longhorn women. Both Texas teams served the Tigers losses, however, Auburn excelled in relay action, opening and closing the showdown with relay wins on both the men's and women's side.
The conference match-up between the Gators and Tigers always promises an exciting dual filled with great competition. While the Gators hold the all-time series advantage on both sides, Auburn has proved to be a challenge for the Gators the last couple outings. In the last head-to-head action, the Tigers took the win on the men's side, while Florida claimed a victory in women's action. In the 2006-07 season meeting, the Tigers swept the Gators on both sides, but in 2005-06, Florida swept.
Last Time Out Against Auburn
Florida and Auburn last met in Jan. 26, 2008 in Gainesville. Florida split the dual, with the women taking a 165-135 win, while the men fell to the Tigers with the same score, 165-135.
The Overall Series
The Gators lead the all-time series in both men's and women's action. This Saturday, UF and AU will be meeting for the 36th on the men's side, while the Gator and Tiger women meet for the 29th time in history.
Men: 21-14
Women: 17-11
For complete results and a recap following the SEC match-up, visit www.GatorZone.com Saturday afternoon.
-UF-
