MIAMI, Fla.— Over the next three days, the University of Florida's women's swimming and diving team will hit the road for their first three meets of the season, beginning with a dual-meet with FIU on Sept. 26 at 4:00 p.m.
Thursday's meeting with the Panthers will be the first time the schools have competed against each other.
The Gators will be back in the water the next day against the Miami Hurricanes. The Gators hold an all-time record of 7-0 against the Hurricanes, with their last win coming last year by a score of 184-95.
The women and men will then come together in Boca Raton on Saturday for their last meet of the weekend at FAU. The Gators and Owls have a long history dating back to the 1998-99 season, with the Gators holding a perfect 15-0 record against them. Last season, the Gator program opened up at FAU and picked up a 226-71 victory to start off the year.
In 2018-19, first-year head coach Jeff Poppell led the Gators to an overall record of 10-2 (4-1 SEC) and a final CSCAA Poll Ranking of No. 8. The Gators carried the regular season success into postseason competition, finishing runner-up at the SEC Championships (the best since 2011) and earning eight All-American honors at NCAA Championships to cap off the year.
The Gators will bring back a ton of experience and the majority of their top performers from last year. 30 letterwinners return and every Gator who earned All-SEC honors and five-of-six All-Americans will be back. Additionally, eight newcomers will look to make an impact in their first season at Florida.
"We are very excited to be taking our entire team to South Florida for three days of competition," said Poppell. "In addition to using this opportunity as a gauge for where our team is currently, we can't wait to see our freshmen compete for the Gators for the first time."
Follow the meet live on Twitter @GatorsSwimDV and check back to Floridagators.com each day for full results and a recap.
All-SEC returners:
Leah Braswell (first-team)
Taylor Ault (second-team)
Emma Ball (second-team)
Sherridon Dressel (second-team)
Bella Garofalo (second-team)
Brooke Madden (second-team)
Vanessa Pearl (second-team)
All-American returners:
Dressel (2): 100 back, 400 MR
Kelly Fertel (1): 400 IM
Garofalo (1): 400 MR
Madden (1): 1-Meter
Pearl (2): 200 IM, 400 MR
Full week schedule:
FIU: 4:00 p.m.
Miami: 4:00 p.m.
FAU: 10:00 a.m.
https://floridagators.com/news/2019/9/25/womens-swimming-diving-gators-open-2019-20-season-with-three-straight-road-meets.aspx?path=swimmingdiving-women
