S&D Opens Season Friday at All-Florida Invite

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Miami swimming & diving teams will open the 2013-14 season Friday at the fourth annual All-Florida Invitational hosted by the University of Florida.

Six other programs from the Sunshine State will be competing in the three-day meet: Florida State, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Southern, North Florida, Nova Southeastern and the host Florida Gators.

“I’m excited for our team,” first-year head swimming coach Andy Kershaw said. “They put in a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of dedication. This is their reward – to have a chance to get on the blocks and see what they can do. This is what they look forward to and why they put in all that work.”

Kershaw said his team’s goal was to enter its first meet with the confidence to swim in any race. After a strenuous first month of preseason training, he thinks his team has accomplished that goal ahead of Friday’s opening day of competition.

“Even though we always have our eyes on conference and national championships, there are only so many opportunities during the season to practice racing,” he said. “I think it’s important to take advantage of these chances.”

The offseason was highlighted by a strong showing from the Hurricanes divers, as redshirt junior Sam Dorman captured three gold medals at the 2013 AT&T National Diving Championships in Iowa. Senior Zac Nees partnered with Dorman to earn gold in the 3-meter synchro event, helping Miami reel in four first-place medals.

“We have such great talent and experience with our team of divers – whether that’s from the NCAA Championships, conference championships, or internationally,” Kershaw said. “We’ll rely on them a lot to help show our team the way.”

On the swimming side, the Hurricanes enter the new season with a healthy mix of returners and newcomers. Kershaw will look to his veteran leaders, including senior Katherine Nicholson, to guide the team’s freshman class through the inevitably difficult stretches of the long season.

“Katherine has been a tremendous leader for us. She is already beginning to show the young talent what it means to be a Cane,” Kershaw said. “For the freshmen, there’s always a learning curve – just like with anything.”

Friday’s opener represents a new chapter for a Miami Hurricanes program looking to continue its ascent towards both conference and national elite status.

“College swimming is the greatest arena for swimming because it brings in a team element,” Kershaw said. “It’s crucial that we maximize these opportunities, and that starts up in Gainesville this weekend.”

The event will consist of morning preliminary sessions each day and finals sessions each evening. Diving will take place approximately one hour after the morning sessions on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s sessions begin at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Both Saturday and Sunday sessions begin at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Florida Swim Network will broadcast the final sessions on all three days.

Schedule of Events: