Even after a fall to Florida two weeks ago, Alabama swimming and diving coach Dennis Pursley said his team is ready to get back up and show the rest of the teams its full potential.
“I would be very disappointed if that’s not the case,” Pursley said. “We expect them to take the bull by the horns and take advantage of the opportunity because it is a great opportunity for the team and for every individual on the team. Our expectations are that they will make the most of that.”
The Crimson Tide swimming and diving team will travel to Auburn Firday for the Auburn Invitational, taking the entire team along for the ride. This will be the first time all season the entire team has traveled to an away meet.
Despite coming off of a loss, Pursley said his team has to learn from it.
“There’s 20 reasons, but there’s not a good reason, and I think that’s one thing we have got to learn to do is to bring our ‘A’ game to the pool no matter what circumstances,” Pursley said. “No matter who we’re competing against, no matter what time of the year, no matter whether we’re sick or healthy, injured or not injured, no matter what the circumstances, we’re going to bring our best effort to the pool deck. I want to see us regroup and do that more effectively at the Auburn Invitational.”
Alabama will face more than just the Tigers at the Auburn Invitational. Georgia and Florida State will also be in attendance.
The Crimson Tide previously faced FSU more than a month ago, with the women beating the Seminoles 167-133. The men were unable to win against FSU, losing 179-121.
The three-day meet will also boast more events than a normal duel meet can offer, giving each team more opportunities. Though Alabama will have more possibilities, the competition will also have the same amount. Pursley said the Crimson Tide has to close the gap between itself and the competitors.
“It’s the same for everybody, so we’ve got broader range, but so do our competitors,” Pursley said. “There’s four teams in this competition. Two of them are not only SEC heavyweights, Auburn and Georgia, but they are also two of the best teams in the country. The third one is one of the better teams in the country we swam against in a competition earlier, Florida State. On paper, they’re probably stronger than what we saw in the duel meet. Again, we’re going to be challenged to see how we’re going to respond to a situation where we’re going up to teams, where we don’t stack up on paper on this point team-wise top to bottom, but what we need to do is close the gap.”
Pursley also said the team must focus on itself before hitting the pool.
“It’s all about not focusing on who we’re competing against,” Pursley said. “It’s all about focusing on your execution, on being the best that you can be, on swimming the perfect race, on supporting your teammates to the best of your ability, focusing on the things that you can control that will impact performance and not let other things get in the way.”
