The UT men’s and women’s swim teams will kick off their season with a dual meet at home on Oct. 9 versus Florida Southern College, set to begin at 10:30 am.
Both UT squads are coming off excellent seasons last year; they both began by beating FSC.
The Spartan men won with a 172-82 score, and the women’s team followed suit, winning 158-101.
UT will look to carry over last season’s triumphs into an even more successful season this year.
Head swimming coach Ed Brennan talked about the matchup of UT versus FSC.
“On paper, the men look to be evenly matched and we might have a slight edge on the women’s side,” Coach Brennan said.
While it’s true that the match versus FSC on Oct. 9 won’t make or break the season, the opening meet of the year is considered quite important.
“The first conference meet sets the tone for the season and we want to come out and not just beat them, but beat them down,” said UT senior Mike Verdi. “[The] Spartans are here, ready for the season [and] ready to show everyone what we can do.”
Coach Brennan was uncertain what kind of results the matchup versus FSC would bring.
“It’s a whole new ballgame. With swimming becoming an official conference sport this year, the results have recruiting implications. Naturally we would love to start with a win, but I’m not sure how much it means one [way] or the other after only six weeks of training,” Coach Brennan said. “I don’t think either team is really ready to race. With 20 freshmen on our squad, I can’t even guess how some of them will perform.”
However, Coach Brennan stressed the importance of a win since FSC is a Sunshine State Conference foe this year.
“For the first time in my 30 years at Tampa, we have a conference,” Coached Brennan stated. “It’s the first time a conference win will mean more than how we finish at [NCAA Championships]. It’s important.”
Though both Spartan swim teams feature several freshman, Sophomore swimmer David Humphrey had kind words for his new teammates.
“[We have a ] great class with a lot of talent,” said Humphrey.
Humphrey also spoke of what he wanted to see in the upcoming opening meet.
“Hopefully [we’ll] start out the year with a victory and hold onto that.”
Meanwhile, Verdi is already looking ahead to the rest of the year with lofty expectations.
“The Sunshine State Conference is ours,” said Verdi. “It’s in the bag. That’s not even a prediction, just a fact.“
April Weiner can be reached at april.weiner@spartans.ut.edu.