Florida Divers Set for SEC Championships
Wednesday, February 10, 2016 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
Gators will compete from Feb. 16-21, at the Mizzou Aquatic Center
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Six days remain between now and when the University of Florida divers open the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championships inside the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, Missouri. For some, the week-long championship event is nothing new. But for others, it will mark their first go-around in a setting of this magnitude.
"We're all very excited for the SEC Championships to finally be here," said UF Diving Head Coach Dale Schultz. "Our seniors have shown an incredible work ethic this season and they're continuing to show strides of improvement. Regardless of the sport, it can be easy for seniors to 'mail it in' at this time of the year and start thinking about their careers after diving, but this group hasn't done that. They continue to set a great example for our underclassmen with hard work and gradual improvement each day at practice.
"As we continue to work toward the championships, I like what this entire group is showing, and it's a product of the hard work they've continued to put in day-in and day-out throughout the entire season. We've trained hard all year for this and we just need to stay healthy and focus on what we're capable of."
On the men's side of the diving well, the Gators are led by newcomer Sam Smith and senior Zach Hernandez. Smith, a Knoxville, Tennessee, native, currently ranks second in the SEC off the Platform (366.23), third off the 3-Meter (392.70), and fifth off the 1-Meter (351.60). In addition, Hernandez ranks among the Top-10 lists with scores of 370.95 off the 3-Meter (eighth) and 317.63 off the platform (10th).
While Smith has found early success in his time as a Gator, the week ahead still marks unchartered territory as he looks to leave an impact at his first conference meet. Despite any added pressures, it's a week he's looking forward to.
"I'm expecting it to be a long week of competition, but a good one," said Smith. "With us being up there for nearly eight days, I'm just going to get cozy and do what I can to help the team out.
"It'll obviously be something new for me, but I plan to treat it like every other meet. Zach [Hernandez] and I have talked a little bit about it as well. It's great having someone like him around to help me through my freshman year. He's a great role model and he's been able to answer my questions as we've gone through the season.
For Hernandez, the upcoming week will mark his fourth and final go at the SEC Championships. The 2015 All-American looks to build on an 11th-place showing off the platform at the 2015 championships.
"It's a long week and you have to pace yourself," said Hernandez. "You start off and get pretty excited for the entire week but you have to know how to control it. If you get too excited at the beginning, you won't have enough left in you to finish down the stretch.
"It's definitely an exciting week of competition though. We've trained all year for this part of the season and it'll be exciting to see how everything unwinds."
On the women's end, senior Kahlia Warner has remained a constant among the leaderboards for the Florida divers all year. The 2015 All-American set a school record off the platform a season ago at the conference meet and looks to build on the success that's carried her this far.
"We're all very excited and looking forward to the SEC Championships," said Warner. "They're extremely tiring and you leave it pretty sore from competing all week, but at the same time, you're having a lot of fun and there's constantly adrenaline going through your system. There's truly nothing out there that's quite like it for us."
Warner will to join fellow seniors Delaney Dye and Emily Mosher at this week's championships. With a combined nine years of experience at the conforence meet between the trio, the senior class looks to guide a talented group of newcomers through their first week on the big stage.
"Our biggest role's as seniors will be to lead by example for the younger divers," said Warner. "We'll be there to support them if they need it and we'll make sure they stay relaxed and know they're here for a reason. It's important for them to enjoy the atmosphere and embrace their first opportunity to compete in a setting like this."
The Gators will open competition on Tuesday, February 16, at Noon ET with the women's 1-Meter preliminaries, and the men's 3-Meter competition at 3:15.
Complete Diving Schedule: (All times ET)
Tuesday:
Noon Women's 1 -Meter Prelims
3:15 p.m. Men's 3-Meter Prelims
6:30 p.m. Women's 1-Meter Finals
7:30 p.m. men's 3-Meter Diving Finals
Wednesday:
2 p.m. Men's 1-Meter Prelims
7 p.m. Men's 3-Meter Finals
Thursday:
2 p.m. Women's 3-Meter Prelims
7 p.m. Women's 3-Meter Finals
Friday:
2 p.m. Men's Platform Prelims
7 p.m. Men's Platform Final
Saturday:
2 p.m. Women's Platform Prelims
7 p.m. Women's Platform Finals
Notable Links
Live Streaming from the SEC Championships
Live Stats from the SEC Championships
SEC Championships Central Page
Follow Along on Social Media
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
#GoGators
"We're all very excited for the SEC Championships to finally be here," said UF Diving Head Coach Dale Schultz. "Our seniors have shown an incredible work ethic this season and they're continuing to show strides of improvement. Regardless of the sport, it can be easy for seniors to 'mail it in' at this time of the year and start thinking about their careers after diving, but this group hasn't done that. They continue to set a great example for our underclassmen with hard work and gradual improvement each day at practice.
"As we continue to work toward the championships, I like what this entire group is showing, and it's a product of the hard work they've continued to put in day-in and day-out throughout the entire season. We've trained hard all year for this and we just need to stay healthy and focus on what we're capable of."
On the men's side of the diving well, the Gators are led by newcomer Sam Smith and senior Zach Hernandez. Smith, a Knoxville, Tennessee, native, currently ranks second in the SEC off the Platform (366.23), third off the 3-Meter (392.70), and fifth off the 1-Meter (351.60). In addition, Hernandez ranks among the Top-10 lists with scores of 370.95 off the 3-Meter (eighth) and 317.63 off the platform (10th).
While Smith has found early success in his time as a Gator, the week ahead still marks unchartered territory as he looks to leave an impact at his first conference meet. Despite any added pressures, it's a week he's looking forward to.
"I'm expecting it to be a long week of competition, but a good one," said Smith. "With us being up there for nearly eight days, I'm just going to get cozy and do what I can to help the team out.
"It'll obviously be something new for me, but I plan to treat it like every other meet. Zach [Hernandez] and I have talked a little bit about it as well. It's great having someone like him around to help me through my freshman year. He's a great role model and he's been able to answer my questions as we've gone through the season.
For Hernandez, the upcoming week will mark his fourth and final go at the SEC Championships. The 2015 All-American looks to build on an 11th-place showing off the platform at the 2015 championships.
"It's a long week and you have to pace yourself," said Hernandez. "You start off and get pretty excited for the entire week but you have to know how to control it. If you get too excited at the beginning, you won't have enough left in you to finish down the stretch.
"It's definitely an exciting week of competition though. We've trained all year for this part of the season and it'll be exciting to see how everything unwinds."
On the women's end, senior Kahlia Warner has remained a constant among the leaderboards for the Florida divers all year. The 2015 All-American set a school record off the platform a season ago at the conference meet and looks to build on the success that's carried her this far.
"We're all very excited and looking forward to the SEC Championships," said Warner. "They're extremely tiring and you leave it pretty sore from competing all week, but at the same time, you're having a lot of fun and there's constantly adrenaline going through your system. There's truly nothing out there that's quite like it for us."
Warner will to join fellow seniors Delaney Dye and Emily Mosher at this week's championships. With a combined nine years of experience at the conforence meet between the trio, the senior class looks to guide a talented group of newcomers through their first week on the big stage.
"Our biggest role's as seniors will be to lead by example for the younger divers," said Warner. "We'll be there to support them if they need it and we'll make sure they stay relaxed and know they're here for a reason. It's important for them to enjoy the atmosphere and embrace their first opportunity to compete in a setting like this."
The Gators will open competition on Tuesday, February 16, at Noon ET with the women's 1-Meter preliminaries, and the men's 3-Meter competition at 3:15.
Complete Diving Schedule: (All times ET)
Tuesday:
Noon Women's 1 -Meter Prelims
3:15 p.m. Men's 3-Meter Prelims
6:30 p.m. Women's 1-Meter Finals
7:30 p.m. men's 3-Meter Diving Finals
Wednesday:
2 p.m. Men's 1-Meter Prelims
7 p.m. Men's 3-Meter Finals
Thursday:
2 p.m. Women's 3-Meter Prelims
7 p.m. Women's 3-Meter Finals
Friday:
2 p.m. Men's Platform Prelims
7 p.m. Men's Platform Final
Saturday:
2 p.m. Women's Platform Prelims
7 p.m. Women's Platform Finals
Notable Links
Live Streaming from the SEC Championships
Live Stats from the SEC Championships
SEC Championships Central Page
Follow Along on Social Media
#GoGators
Players Mentioned
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Men's Swimming & Diving
Diving
/ Women's Swimming & Diving
Diving
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