SEC SWIMMING AND DIVING CAPSULES

Alabama Crimson Tide

Men and women

Head Coach: Eric McIlquham

Current National Ranking: NR/NR

2007 NCAA Finish: 14th/NR

2007 SEC Finish: Fifth/seventh

SEC Team Titles: 2/1

Fast fact: Alabama has hosted the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships six times since 1981, more than any other school in the conference. Both of Alabama’s team titles on the men’s side (1982 and 1987) were won at the Alabama Aquatic Center.

Athletes to watch: Aaron Fleshner, sophomore, diver, seeded first off the 1- and

3-meter boards ... Agustina de Giovanni, Sophomore, Breaststroke/IM, seeded in the top 10 in the 400 IM and 100 and 200 breaststroke

Arkansas Razorbacks

Women

Head Coach: Jeff Poppell

Current National Ranking: NR

2007 NCAA Finish: NR

2007 SEC Finish: Ninth

SEC Team Titles: 0

Fast fact: Head coach Jeff Poppell, in his second year as Arkansas’ head coach, swam for Georgia and swam and coached under Florida’s Gregg Troy at the Bolles School.

Athlete to watch: Madison Palmer, junior, diver, seeded first off the 1 and 3-meter boards

Auburn Tigers

Men and women

Head Coach: Richard Quick

Current National Ranking: Fifth/fifth

2007 NCAA Finish: First/first

2007 SEC Finish: First/first

SEC Team Titles: 13/4

Fast fact: Auburn’s Richard Quick began his second stint as the Tiger’s head coach this fall. He served as Auburn’s head coach from 1978-82 before moving on to Texas, where he won five NCAA titles and later Stanford, where he won five.

Athletes to watch: Cesar Cielo, junior, freestyle, seeded first in the 50 and 100 freestyles ... Ava Ohlgren, sophomore, freestyle/butterfly/IM, seeded first in the 200 and 400 IM as well as the 100 freestyle and 200 butterfly, she is also seeded second in the 200 freestyle, third in the 50 freestyle, fourth in the 100 butterfly

Georgia Bulldogs

Men and women

Head Coach: Jack Bauerle

Current National Ranking: 10th/first

2007 NCAA Finish: 13th/fifth

2007 SEC Finish: Third/second

SEC Team Titles: 3/6

Fast fact: Jack Bauerle, in his 29th season as head coach at Georgia, and associate head coach Harvey Humphries, in his 27th year coaching the Dogs, have the longest combined tenure of any coaching duo in SEC swimming and diving history. Both men also swam for Georgia as well.

Athletes to watch: Troyden Prinsloo, sophomore, freestyle, seeded first in the 500 and 1650 freestyle ... Colleen Haase, freshman, breaststroke, seeded first in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes

Florida Gators

Men and women

Head Coach: Gregg Troy

Current National Ranking: Sixth/third

2007 NCAA Finish: Fourth/seventh

2007 SEC Finish: Second/third

SEC Team Titles: 33/16

Fast fact: Associate head coach Anthony Nesty has fond memories of the Alabama Aquatic Center, winning the 100 butterfly here in 1992 as a senior at Florida, leading the Gators to the SEC team title as well.

Athletes to watch: Roland Rudlof, sophomore, backstroke/freestyle, seeded first in the 200 backstroke and fifth in the 500 freestyle ... Caroline Burckle, senior, freestyle/IM, seeded fifth in the 500 freestyle, sixth in the 1650 freestyle, seventh in the 200 freestyle and eighth in the 100 breaststroke

Kentucky Wildcats

Men and women

Head Coach: Gary Conelly

Current National Ranking: NR/NR

2007 NCAA Finish: NR/10th

2007 SEC Finish: Eighth/fourth

SEC Team Titles: 0/0

Fast fact: Gary Conelly’s first SEC Championships as Kentucky’s head coach came in Tuscaloosa at the 1992 SEC Championships.

Athletes to watch: Tyler Reed, freshman, freestyle, seeded in the top 10 in both the 200 and 500 freestyle ... Jennifer Bradford, senior, freestyle, seeded first in the 50 freestyle

LSU Tigers

Men and women

Head Coach: Adam Schmitt

Current National Ranking: NR/NR

2007 NCAA Finish: 28th/17th

2007 SEC Finish: Sixth/sixth

SEC Team Titles: 1/0

Fast fact: Head coach Adam Schmitt won three SEC 50 freestyle titles and was part of the LSU’s lone SEC team title in 1988.

Athletes to watch: Niko Dalman, Junior, Diver, seeded first off the platform ... Paige Brown, senior, diver, seeded first off the platform

South Carolina Gamecocks

Men and women

Head Coach: McGee Moody

Current National Ranking: NR/NR

2007 NCAA Finish: 31st/36th

2007 SEC Finish: Seventh/Eighth

SEC Team Titles: 0/0

Fast fact: McGee Moody is in his first year as South Carolina’s head coach, making him the ‘youngest’ coach in the league in terms of years on the deck of the SEC

Athletes to watch: Dominique Lendjel, sophomore, IM, seeded first in the 200 IM and third in the 200 backstroke ... Claire Thompson, freshman, freestyle, seeded in the top 12 in the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle

Tennessee Lady Vols

Women

Head Coach: Matt Kredich

Current National Ranking: Seventh

2007 NCAA Finish: 10th

2007 SEC Finish: Fifth

SEC Team Titles: 0

Fast facts: During the 2005-06 season, the first under head coach Matt Kredich’s direction, Tennessee broke 11 of the 19 school swimming records.

Athlete to watch: Christine Magnuson, senior, butterfly, seeded first in the 100 butterfly and second in the 50 freestyle

Tennessee Volunteers

Men

Head Coach: John Trembley

Current National Ranking: Seventh

2007 NCAA Finish: 11th

2007 SEC Finish: 4th

SEC Team Titles: 10

Fast fact: Head Coach John Trembley won the SEC 100 backstroke and butterfly titles in Tuscaloosa as a Vol swimmer in 1971 while only one of Tennessee’s 10 league titles, 1976, came in Tuscaloosa.

Athlete to watch: Jonas Persson,junior, Ffreestyle, seeded first in the 200 freestyle and second in the 100 and fifth in the 50

Vanderbilt Commodores

Women

Head Coach: Jeremy Organ

Current National Ranking: NR

2007 NCAA Finish: NR

2007 SEC Finish: 10th

SEC Team Titles: 0

Fast fact: Vanderbilt’s last SEC Championships before the program was disbanded in 1992 came at the Alabama Aquatic Center. The program was reinstated beginning with the 2006-07 season.

Athlete to watch: Leigh-Ann Axt, freshman, butterfly, Vanderbilt’s top seeded athlete at the championships.