The 2014 Men's and Women's SEC Swimming and Diving Championships start this Tuesday, Feb. 17, and will conclude on Saturday, Feb. 22 in Athens, Ga.
Historically, Auburn has dominated these championships, and the Tigers plan to be strong contenders again this year.
This is only the second year where the format has changed to a five-day format, and Auburn diving coach Jeff Shaffer thinks the change has been a change for the better.
"Switching the format really helps the divers," Shaffer said. "There is only one day where both groups compete on the same day and then you get a day off. It helps for better recovery and better preparation for the next event. It allows them to really get involved in the team and help in that aspect."
Auburn swimming head coach Brett Hawke gave some insight on training for the SEC Championships and what it takes to compete at the top.
"We decided this year to put a meet between the Florida meet and the SEC Championships," Hawke said. "It really gave us a chance to hone our skills and it gave our team a lot of confidence coming off Florida and then definitely getting a chance to improve on their swims. The last few weeks, confidence has been high and the focus has been great, which is a good thing."
Hawke also explained how deep the SEC has gotten over the years, including the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M.
"You can see depth emerging, because every team is getting a couple of swimmers that are really good," Hawke said. "I think it's going to be a very competitive meet. Missouri and Texas A&M are two of the toughest teams in the country, so there really isn't a front runner going into the meet."
Hawke said competing at Georgia's Gabrielsen Natatorium, the host of the 2014 Championships, would also benefit the Tigers.
"It's always a fast pool," Hawke said. "We've been going there every year now and our swimmers are very familiar with it. It always produces fast swimming."
Dating back to 1994, Auburn has won the overall Swimming and Diving SEC team championship every year except for 1996 and 2013.
Auburn is looking to bounce back from last year's defeat to Florida, as the loss snapped 16 consecutive years of Auburn winning the SEC championship dating back to 1997.
Both the men's and women's teams will be leaning on senior leadership to get back to the top of the SEC.
"We've got a great senior class on the men's side," Hawke said. "James Disney-May is swimming the backstroke for us this year. Marcelo Chierighini [is] in the sprint freestyle and Zane Grothe in the middle distance races, plus TJ Leon in some sprint events and relays. You can't forget about John Santeiu on the boards for us. I'm really looking forward to watching the seniors perform."
The women's team will be counting on some young swimmers to step up big over the next few days in Athens.
"We've gotten great leadership from Emily Bos and Aubrey Peacock," Hawke said. "I think there is a lot of buzz around some of our young swimmers in their first SEC Championships. The way they come together as a team is what I'm excited to see."
Over the five days of the SEC Championships there will be ups and downs, but Shaffer said the key for the team is to stay poised and cut down on mistakes.
"Our goal is the same, in an any athletic event. If you minimize the mistakes, you have the opportunity to be successful," Shaffer said. "You know, we're capable of putting people in the finals at night, we've just got to do well in the morning. We've got some knicks and dings, but SEC's start on Tuesday and we've got to be ready."
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