Florida Swimmers Prepared for SEC Championship Stage
Thursday, February 11, 2016 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
UF will compete at the SEC Championships from Feb. 16-20, in Columbia, Mo.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When it comes to swimming, the University of Florida carries with it a reputation of greatness. In less than a week, both the men's and women's swim teams will have the opportunity to extend that legacy when they travel to Columbia, Missouri, for the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championships. There, they'll have the opportunity to compete on one of the most celebrated stages in college swimming.
The history has been paved up until this point. It's now time to continue that tradition as the men, who lead the SEC in all-time championship titles (36), look to build on a three-year win streak at the conference meet. In addition, the Florida women, who also lead the conference in championship titles (17), will try to knock off six-time defending champions Georgia.
As competition nears, Florida Head Coach Gregg Troy has the Gators prepared for what's to be expected in the coming week.
"It's always an exciting time of the year when you get around to the SEC Championships," said Troy. "That's what we train for all year. The excitement is always mixed with a little apprehension because you don't always know what the outcome is going to bring. You can wind up putting in a lot of work and being successful, or you can put in a lot of work and come out unsuccessful -- you never know."
Troy, who is now in his 18th season at the helm of both programs, is well aware of the talent at the conference meet, but also made a point to stress to the student-athletes that there's more to it than just the swimming aspect.
"You have to prepare mentally and physically for the stretch we're competing across," said Troy. Whether you're a freshman or a senior, it's still five days of stressful competition and nine important sessions. We typically arrive two days early so it's ultimately a full week of being under the gun. If you come out overly eager and fired up in the first two days, you'll be exhausted by the end of the week.
Troy added.
"The Southeastern conference is by far the most talented it's ever been in my 19 years here. The top is every bit as deep and talented as it's ever been, and beyond that, the depth of talent throughout the top to bottom is much deeper. If we're consistent, and we can properly pace ourselves throughout five days of competition, and handle the ups and downs like we're capable of handling them, I know we'll be just fine.
Among those who have been through the week-long meet before, senior Jessica Thielmann has proven she has a strong hold on what it takes to be successful on the big stage. The Newcastle, England, native swam to a first-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle a season ago and a runner-up finish in the 500-yard freestyle. Now in her final season, Thielmann looks to defend her 1,650-yard freestyle crown and help the Florida women put together a strong week of competition.
"The SECs are such a crazy experience and they can be very emotional with a lot of ups and downs," said Thielmann. "Each day gets harder but that's when our training pays off. It helps that we'll have the coaching staff that we do with us all week because we really do rely on them heavily. They've been around the sport for such a long time and they know how to fire us up when we need it."
Looking at the men's side of competition, the Gators are hoping to lengthen the three-year win streak they started at the 2013 SEC Championships. Senior Arthur Frayler, who has been a member of all three previous championship seasons, has a feel for what it'll take to bring a fourth consecutive title back to Gainesville.
"We've been fortunate enough to bring home the title these past three years, but even with that, we realize nothing is ever guaranteed," said Frayler. "Having been successful in the past, we've continued to stress that we need to pace ourselves next week and not overdo it early on. If you're off for even one session at the championships, it can ruin the whole meet.
"The coaching staff that we have here at UF helps us with every aspect of our success," Frayler added. "Every single one of our coaches could be at the head of another Division I program. Having the benefit of their expertise and experience in every race is invaluable whether it's a sprint, distance, IM, fly, or a breaststroke race.
Frayler added.
"In a meet like this, when we travel with such a big team, it's good to know we can go talk to any single one of our coaches and they're all going to be on the same page as they help us. It's an added bonus to swimming at UF and it's something that separates us a bit from other schools."
The Gators will open the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championships on Tuesday, February 16, at 7:15 p.m. ET when they swim the 200-Yard Medley Relay and 800-Yard Freestyle Relay Finals.
Notable Links
Complete SEC Competition Schedule
Live Streaming from the SEC Championships
Live Stats from the SEC Championships
SEC Championships Central Page
Follow Along on Social Media
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
The history has been paved up until this point. It's now time to continue that tradition as the men, who lead the SEC in all-time championship titles (36), look to build on a three-year win streak at the conference meet. In addition, the Florida women, who also lead the conference in championship titles (17), will try to knock off six-time defending champions Georgia.
As competition nears, Florida Head Coach Gregg Troy has the Gators prepared for what's to be expected in the coming week.
"It's always an exciting time of the year when you get around to the SEC Championships," said Troy. "That's what we train for all year. The excitement is always mixed with a little apprehension because you don't always know what the outcome is going to bring. You can wind up putting in a lot of work and being successful, or you can put in a lot of work and come out unsuccessful -- you never know."
Troy, who is now in his 18th season at the helm of both programs, is well aware of the talent at the conference meet, but also made a point to stress to the student-athletes that there's more to it than just the swimming aspect.
"You have to prepare mentally and physically for the stretch we're competing across," said Troy. Whether you're a freshman or a senior, it's still five days of stressful competition and nine important sessions. We typically arrive two days early so it's ultimately a full week of being under the gun. If you come out overly eager and fired up in the first two days, you'll be exhausted by the end of the week.
Troy added.
"The Southeastern conference is by far the most talented it's ever been in my 19 years here. The top is every bit as deep and talented as it's ever been, and beyond that, the depth of talent throughout the top to bottom is much deeper. If we're consistent, and we can properly pace ourselves throughout five days of competition, and handle the ups and downs like we're capable of handling them, I know we'll be just fine.
Among those who have been through the week-long meet before, senior Jessica Thielmann has proven she has a strong hold on what it takes to be successful on the big stage. The Newcastle, England, native swam to a first-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle a season ago and a runner-up finish in the 500-yard freestyle. Now in her final season, Thielmann looks to defend her 1,650-yard freestyle crown and help the Florida women put together a strong week of competition.
"The SECs are such a crazy experience and they can be very emotional with a lot of ups and downs," said Thielmann. "Each day gets harder but that's when our training pays off. It helps that we'll have the coaching staff that we do with us all week because we really do rely on them heavily. They've been around the sport for such a long time and they know how to fire us up when we need it."
Looking at the men's side of competition, the Gators are hoping to lengthen the three-year win streak they started at the 2013 SEC Championships. Senior Arthur Frayler, who has been a member of all three previous championship seasons, has a feel for what it'll take to bring a fourth consecutive title back to Gainesville.
"We've been fortunate enough to bring home the title these past three years, but even with that, we realize nothing is ever guaranteed," said Frayler. "Having been successful in the past, we've continued to stress that we need to pace ourselves next week and not overdo it early on. If you're off for even one session at the championships, it can ruin the whole meet.
"The coaching staff that we have here at UF helps us with every aspect of our success," Frayler added. "Every single one of our coaches could be at the head of another Division I program. Having the benefit of their expertise and experience in every race is invaluable whether it's a sprint, distance, IM, fly, or a breaststroke race.
Frayler added.
"In a meet like this, when we travel with such a big team, it's good to know we can go talk to any single one of our coaches and they're all going to be on the same page as they help us. It's an added bonus to swimming at UF and it's something that separates us a bit from other schools."
The Gators will open the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championships on Tuesday, February 16, at 7:15 p.m. ET when they swim the 200-Yard Medley Relay and 800-Yard Freestyle Relay Finals.
Notable Links
Complete SEC Competition Schedule
Live Streaming from the SEC Championships
Live Stats from the SEC Championships
SEC Championships Central Page
Follow Along on Social Media
Players Mentioned
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