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The Gators men’s swimming and diving team is headed to the NCAA Championships this Wednesday in Minneapolis. The Gators are No. 3 in the AP poll for the championships and have a chance to take it home this year. The meet will take place from Wednesday to Saturday and will include fifteen different Gator swimmers.
1️⃣5️⃣ Gators Invited to NCAA Championships 👀
📝: https://t.co/ifHNhjoLlw#GoGators
— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) March 8, 2023
SEC Champions
Despite an SEC dynasty over the past decade, the Gators haven’t taken home an NCAA title since the 1980s. Florida lost two Olympic medalists to graduation this past year, suggesting a decline in their performance. However, recent success in the 2023 SEC championship meet suggests otherwise.
The Gators have won 11 consecutive SEC titles and dominated this year. Florida took home first place in four of the five days of the meet and won by margins of over 200 points. Smoking the competition as of late, the hopes are high for Florida.
https://twitter.com/SEC/status/1627147987464986625?cxt=HHwWgoC93aee5ZQtAAAA
National Championship in Sight
The Gators could be sneaky favorites to win the NCAA championships this year after recent showings.
Florida’s participants in this year’s NCAA Championship include Amro Al-Wir, Eric Brown, Adam Chaney, Joaquin Gonzalez Pinero, Dillon Hillis, Mason Laur, Joshua Liendo,
Oskar Lindholm, Giovanni Linscheer, Macguire McDuff, Alfonso Mestre, Jake Mitchell, Aleksas Savickas, Julian Smith and Tyler Watson.
The standout for the Gators this season has been freshman Josh Liendo. Liendo has performed at the top of the country at both sprint freestyle and butterfly. Adam Chaney is another important member for Florida. Chaney currently holds the top time for the 100 backstroke. Florida also has strong competitors in breaststroke events and relays.
The main competitors for the NCAA title this year include California, Texas and Arizona State. California and Texas have been the consistent winners of the competition for the past decade, but there is much more competition toward the top this year.
— Gators Swimming & Diving (@GatorsSwimDv) February 22, 2023
