Florida Swim & Dive Hosts FSU in Regular-Season Finale
No. 4/10 Florida Swim and Dive return from a bye week Friday and gear up to host in-state rival No.12/NR Florida State.
This will be the Gators’ final push before they begin to prepare for the SEC Championships on Feb. 16.
The Seminoles travel to The Swamp for the diving portion of the meet at 11 a.m.. Seniors Casey Greenberg and Elisha Dees will be honored prior to the first event. The Seminoles and Gators swim teams will travel to Ocala for the swimming portion of the meet at noon.
Florida men’s swim and dive will use this meet to hone in on their skills as they look forward to returning as SEC champions after falling short for the first time in 12 years following a runner-up finish in 2025.
“We’ve been grinding hard for the last few weeks, and this week in particular, so I don’t imagine that we’ll be at our absolute peak, because we are trying to peak in a couple of weeks to a month at championship. meets,” said Florida head diving coach Bryan Gillooly.
Over the last month, the Gators have competed and won in dual meets against Auburn (193.5 -105.5) and LSU (156-105). Divers also competed in the three-day Tennessee Invite earning four top-three finishes
Once Friday’s meet has concluded, the team will look to rest for the hard competition that are to come.
“I’m expecting my team will be a little worn down,” Gillooly said. “We’re working hard in the weight room with our conditioning, doing a lot of reps this week, but they’re showing the potential that they could still do some great things like we did last year at this competition.
“After this meet, is when we can kind of start letting up and just really having fun and enjoying the championship season.”
The last time these two programs met came in 2025, when the Gators’ diving team dominated with first-place finishes in every event.. The Florida men’s swimming team, however, narrowly lost to the Seminoles 150-149, while the women got swept 161-138 in an upset. Historically, the Florida swim and dive teams have dominated Florida State with a 6-1 all-time record.
Although the Florida-Florida State rivalry remains competitive, the teams actually have a friendly relationship.
“Usually Friday night, the teams get together and we’ll have a dinner or something together,” Gillooly said. “In the past, we’ve gone to gymnastics and as a group and showed them a little of what the Gators are all about.”
Nevertheless competition is competition, and the Gators are always looking to stay on top.
“We want to win and we want to do our best, but we want them to do their best too. We want to beat them on a good day,” Gillooly said.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Swimming and Diving
