Courtesy: Florida Athletics
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida men’s swimming and diving team travels to Florida Atlantic and Miami, as it begins the 2018-19 season. The FAU meet is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27.
Anthony Nesty takes the helm as first-year head coach for the 2018-19 season. Nesty has spent the last 20 seasons with the Gators.
Florida opens the season with a familiar foe in the Owls. Last season, Florida knocked off FAU, 179-103, in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Natatorium. This marks the third time in three seasons that the Owls and Gators have competed against each other, Florida won the previous matchups.
The matchup against Miami on Friday, Sept. 28 will feature the dive team for the Orange and Blue. Alex Farrow, Lyle Hayes-Macaluso, Nick Lydon, and Santiago Morales will represent the men against the Hurricanes.
UF returns five All-Americans from last year’s team. Khader Baqlah, Chandler Bray, Bayley Main, Maxime Rooney, and Michael Taylor headline the returners. These five also earned First Team All-SEC honors for their efforts at the 2018 SEC Championships.
The team welcomes 14 freshmen to the program, including five athletes who rank inside the Top-50 according to CollegeSwimming.com. Trey Freeman and Kacper Stokowski are among those tied at the No. 1 position. Kieran Smith, Robert Finke, and Will Davis also reside in the Top-50.
Updates for all meets can be found at @GatorsSwimDv on Twitter.
Full Week Schedule
· Thursday at FAU – 3 p.m.
· Friday at Miami – 3 p.m.