Gators Start 2012 With Busy Weekend Schedule
Friday, January 13, 2012 | Men's Swimming & Diving
The University of Florida swimming and diving team is set for a busy weekend of competition beginning Friday evening with three competitions over the next three days. Select swimmers from the men's team will travel to Dallas, Texas to compete in The Classic @ SMU, beginning Friday, Jan. 13, and concluding on Saturday, Jan. 14; the Gators play host to Florida Atlantic at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon; while alumni members of the Florida program will compete in the 2012 Austin Grand Prix Jan.13-15.
The Classic @ SMU will feature Southern Methodist University, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 USC, No. 16 North Carolina, No. 20 Purdue and the nationally ranked No. 13 Florida Gators. Due to the format of the meet, competing teams must have a representative in each race, however, each of those teams are limited to only eight swimmers and one diver for the entire meet.
Competition in Dallas is set to begin at 7:30, both Friday and Saturday. Live stats will be available once the meet begins by following this link.
| The Classic @ SMU – Order of Events | |
| Friday | Saturday |
| 400 Medley Relay | 200 Medley Relay |
| 400 IM | 500 Freestyle |
| 200 Freestyle | 200 Breaststroke |
| 50 Freestyle | 200 Backstroke |
| 1-Meter Diving | 3-Meter Diving |
| 100 Butterfly | 100 Freestyle |
| 100 Backstroke | 200 Butterfly |
| 100 Breaststroke | 200 I.M. |
| 800 Freestyle Relay | 200 Freestyle Relay |
While some swimmers are off to the Lone Star State, Florida will open up 2012 dual action at home Saturday at 1 p.m., with diving set to begin at 11 a.m., when FAU travels to Gainesville. The meet will mark the third time this season that the two teams have faced off. They have previously met at the 2011 All-Florida Invitational and Georgia Tech Invitational. In both instances, Florida has proven victorious over FAU.
The women have claimed the top spot of each invitational, while FAU finished fifth at the All-Florida and eighth at the Georgia Tech Invitational. In the opening meet of the season, the Gator men took first against an Owls squad that finished closely behind in third – and accomplished the same feat later in the season when the Gators finished second at Georgia Tech, ahead of an Owls squad that took eighth.
It is almost a year to the day that Florida and FAU have competed in a dual meet. On Jan. 15, 2011, the two teams went head-to-head in Gainesville. Florida captured two victories as the women went on to defeat FAU, 178-11, and the men, 175-114. With the last two wins under their belt, the Gators have yet to lose a meeting against the Owls, with the men leading the series, 14-0, and the women, 15-0.
Meet notes for Florida vs. FAU, can be found here.
| Florida vs. FAU – Order of Events | |
| Time | Event |
| 11 AM | 1 Meter Diving (Men & Women) |
| 1 PM | 200 Medley Relay 1,000 Freestyle 200 Freestyle 100 Back 100 Breast 200 Fly 50 Free |
| 2 PM | 3 Meter Diving (Men & Women) |
| 2:45 PM | 100 Free 200 Back 200 Breast 500 Free 100 Fly |
| 3:15 PM | Break (15 Minutes) |
| 3:30 PM | 400 IM 400 Free Relay |
The hectic weekend schedule isn't just for the Florida swimming and diving team, as several Gator alumni will be on hand in Austin, Texas, for the 2012 Austin Grand Prix at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center on the campus of the University of Texas. The meet will begin on Friday, Jan. 13, and conclude on Sunday, Jan. 15. It will feature former Gator All-Americans Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Fla.), Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.), Shaune and Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands), Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England), Stephanie Proud (Durham, England) among others.
Please make sure to check GatorZone for daily updates from this busy week in Florida's schedule. Fans are encouraged to follow the swimming and diving program on Twitter and Facebook.
