The swimming and diving version of the Deep South's oldest rivalry between the University of Georgia and Auburn is set to splash into the pool Friday at the Martin Aquatic Center.
It will be the second home meet of the season for the men's team and the third for the women's.
The 2-0 men's and 3-0 women's teams will try to build off last Friday's victory over Penn State.
Coach Brett Hawke said both Auburn squads have room for improvement, and mental toughness is a neccessity on the teams' wish list.
"Just staying in the present is a big thing for us," Hawke said. "We tend to get carried away looking too far ahead. If we just stay in the present and focus on the little details that we need to get better at, we are in a pretty good spot."
Assistant coach Sam Busch said stamina needs to be consistent throughout the meet.
"We need to learn how to rally in the 200-yard races," Busch said. "We have to be able to finish that back half of those races. We also need to be able to finish races at the end of the meet when everyone is tired."
While the Auburn men have led the SEC with 15 consecutive conference titles and eight national titles, Georgia and Auburn have fought it out on the women's side, with the Lady Bulldogs winning the SEC title last year.
Auburn and Georgia have been the two dominant women's programs in the SEC through the last 15 years. The two teams have combined for 13 SEC titles and nine national titles since 1997. Georgia has the edge in SEC titles 8-5, while Auburn has the edge in national titles 5-4.
Senior diver Vennie Dantin said facing the Bulldogs at home is an advantage, especially since the Georgia women have not lost at their own aquatic center in 75 meets.
"Home advantage is always good," Dantin said. "I know for us divers, the springboards are always a big thing for us, and they kind of differ a little bit at each pool. We are comfortable with the way our home springboards are since we are on them all the time, and just to know that the fans in the stands are our fans makes us feel more comfortable."
This will be the second time this season both the men and women will swim together. The first was last Friday against Penn State.
Swimmer Max Murphy, senior in political science, said he likes the change of pace when the men and women are able to swim together.
"It just makes it more fun to compete, especially, when both the women and men are swimming fast," Murphy said.
This will be the last home meet for either squad until January when they face Texas.
Attendees are encouraged to wear orange, as Friday's 3 p.m. meet will feature the All Auburn, All Orange promo.
The first 150 fans in attendance will receive an Auburn drawstring backpack.
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