Florida Swims Against Indian River State College Sunday
Sunday, January 30, 2011 | Women's Swimming & Diving
WHO: No. 5/8 Florida vs. Indian River State College
WHAT: Swimming and Diving Dual Meet
WHEN: Sunday, January 30: Diving at 11 a.m. ET; Swimming at 1 p.m. Doors open at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Stephen C. O'Connell Center Natatorium, Gainesville, Fla. (Located between Gates 2 & 3)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The No. 5 University of Florida men's swimming and diving team and No. 8 women's squad return to the pool Jan. 30 for the Gators' regular-season dual-meet finale against Indian River State College at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Natatorium. Doors open at 9 a.m., with diving beginning at 10 a.m. The Senior Day ceremony is at 11:30 a.m., with the dual meet starting at noon. Admission is free.
The Gator men own a perfect 24-0 record against Indian River, while the women boast a 25-2 all-time mark against IRSC. The two schools last met in dual-meet competition on Jan. 9, 2010, at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Natatorium. The Gators walked away with event victories in all 32 races, 16 each on the men's and women's sides. Florida's men swam to a 174-102 win over IRSC, while the UF women won by a 168-101 margin.
The last time the Orange and Blue competed was Jan. 29, when the No. 5/8 University of Florida men's and women's swimming and diving teams sent 12 seniors out in style, sweeping Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee on Senior Day at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The No. 5 men's team defeated the No. 7 Vols, 198-101, while the No. 8 Gator women triumphed over the No. 10 Lady Vols by a 180-120 margin. The 97-point victory for the UF men is the most lopsided win over UT in school history, while being the most points scored by the Gator men and the largest margin of victory in a one-day dual meet since a 208-88 conquest over Florida Atlantic on Jan. 26, 2001. The 198 points were the most in a one-day SEC dual meet since outscoring South Carolina, 248-68, on Oct. 27, 2000, which was also the last time the men of Orange and Blue had a 90-plus point margin of victory in SEC competition. The Florida women improved to a perfect 25-0 all-time against the women of Tennessee, winning by the largest margin of victory against UT since a 157-86 win on Jan. 26, 2007. The 60-point victory over Tennessee was the biggest SEC win for the Gator women since defeating Auburn by 80 (195-115) on Jan. 22, 2010. Last year's Senior Day in Gainesville against the Tigers also marked the last time the UF women topped the 180 mark in scoring.
At the meet vs. Tennessee, senior captain Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.) won three separate events, including swimming the fastest NCAA time this year in the 400-yard individual medley. Dwyer clocked in at a personal best and NCAA “B” cut time of 3:44.73, the eighth-fastest mark in school history. Earlier in the meet, Dwyer won the 200-yard freestyle with a NCAA provisional mark and UF season-best time of 1:34.33, the fastest time in the SEC (fourth nationally). In the first swimming event of the day, Dwyer teamed up with redshirt sophomore Marco Loughran (London, England), freshman Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland) and fellow senior Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) to capture the 200-yard medley relay with a UF season-best tying NCAA “B” cut of 1:28.84.
Indian River State enters the meet having won 36 consecutive NJCAA National Championships on the men's side, and 29 on the women's. The Pioneers last competed against the University of Tampa on Jan. 22, where the men won, 146-116, and the women lost, 138-123.
The Gator men currently hold the fastest SEC times in the 200-yard freestyle (1:34.33), 1,000 free (9:00.48), 200-yard individual medley (1:45.52), 400 IM (3:44.73) and 800-yard freestyle relay (6:31.74). All five times are in the top 10 nationally, while senior captain Conor Dwyer's (Winnetka, Ill.) times in the 1,000 free and 400 IM rank as the fastest in the NCAA this season. The men are led by Dwyer, who earlier this month became the only swimmer in SEC history to be named SEC Male Swimmer of the Week four times in the same season. On Nov. 3, the reigning 2010 NCAA and SEC Male Swimmer of the Year was named CollegeSwimming.com's Counsilman-Hunsaker National Collegiate Male Swimmer of the Week for the second time in his career.
The Gator women presently own the fastest SEC times in the 200-yard backstroke (1:54.27) and 400 IM (4:06.84). Along with the Gators' top times in the 50 free (22.41), 1,650 free (16:10.41) and 800 free relay (7:11.99), both the 200 back and 400 IM are in the top 10 nationally. The women are anchored by freshman swimmer Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.), who on Nov. 23, 2010, became the first female freshman in SEC history to be named SEC Female Swimmer of the Week three times in the same season. Two weeks earlier on Nov. 10, the 2010-11 U.S. National Team member was named CollegeSwimming.com's Counsilman-Hunsaker National Collegiate Female Swimmer of the Week for the first time in her career.
Senior Monica Dodson (Franklin, Ind.) has anchored the diving squads, being awarded SEC Female Diver of the Week twice this season, including earlier this month. Dodson set the school record in the women's three-meter diving competition against Virginia on Oct. 11 with a score of 362.11. The lone senior on the women's swimming and diving team has already nine events this season (two on the one-meter boards, five on the three-meter boards and two platform competitions).
Gator fans are also encouraged to follow the swimming and diving program via Twitter or Facebook.
