Swim & Dive returns to face home home to face Florida and Kentucky

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee swimming & diving is set to welcome two SEC opponents in their fi rst home SEC contest, as the Vols and Lady Vols take on Florida and Kentucky on Friday afternoon at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center during Alumni Weekend. The meet will begin at 11 a.m. ET. At-tendance is free for the public, however fans should be aware of UT’s clear bag policy as well as the use of metal detectors upon entry. The meet will be streamed on SEC Network+, and fans can also follow along with live scor-ing on MeetMobile.The Vols and Lady Vols last competed on Oct. 27 against Texas A&M, where the No. 6 Vols fell to the 13th-ranked Aggies and the sixth-ranked Lady Vols were defeated by No. 25 Texas A&M. Tennessee was down several key athletes during the meet against the Ag-gies due to international events occurring last week.For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee swimming and diving on X/Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook. Scouting the GatorsThe defending SEC Champions, Florida won their 11th consecutive men’s SEC Cham-pionship last year and won their fi rst champi-onship since 2009 on the women’s side. The Gators return lots of production from last sea-son and are off to a hot start in 2023-24. The third-ranked UF men’s squad has defeated both No. 15 Virginia and No. 9 Georgia; the No. 7 Florida women’s team defeated 13th-ranked Georgia, but fell on the road to top-ranked Virginia.Scouting the WildcatsKentucky brings a 19th-ranked women’s squad and 25th-ranked men’s squad to Knox-ville. Under the direction of new head coach Bret Lundgaard, the Wildcats have competed in three dual meets. The women have compet-ed in duals against Arkansas, where they fell, and Eastern Michigan, resulting in the fi rst vic-tory of the season. Both the men and women competed in a dual meet on Oct. 4, falling to Indiana in Bloomington.Competing Against the Best in DualsUT’s schedule to this point has featured all dual meets against top-25 programs. UT split a dual to open the season against Louis-ville, where they defeated the No. 3 Cardinal women but fell to the 12th-ranked men. Down several key pieces due to international compe-tition, the Vols fell to 13th-ranked Texas A&M and the Lady Vols fell to the No. 25 Aggies. Tennessee’s challenging slate continues as Kentucky’s men’s and women programs are ranked 19th and 25th, respectively. The Gators boast a men’s team that is ranked third, and a women’s team that ranks seventh.Defending NCAA Champion Jordan CrooksTennessee will raise Jordan Crooks’ NCAA Championship banner to the rafters of Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center during Friday’s meet. The SEC swimmer of the year took fi rst-place in the 50 free at the NCAA Championships last season, defeating Flori-da’s Josh Liendo by .08 seconds and the rest of the fi eld by .27 seconds. Crooks also took the SEC Championship in the event, winning by almost a half of a second and becoming just the second collegiate swimmer to join the 17-second club in the 50 free.Welcoming Alumni HomeFriday’s meet will serve as Tennessee swim-ming and diving alumni weekend, coinciding with the University’s homecoming weekend. UT will welcome alumni from the program home for a celebration of their accomplishments and the rich history of the programs.