The SEC has always been one of the top conferences in all of college sports. Currently in football, there are seven of the Top 25 teams in the country, with Georgia the first team outside of the rankings. Swimming is exactly the same way.

In the most current rankings, in men’s swimming, there were eight SEC teams ranked in the Top 25, again with another SEC school right outside the rankings. On the women’s side, there are also eight teams ranked. The reigning women’s national championship team is also from the SEC.

“It’s a big advantage to have the opportunity against it [the SEC] early on,” Alabama coach Dennis Pursley said. “The SEC is the strongest conference in the country, so by the time we get to the NCAA championships we will be battle tested. Having these early meets against strong SEC opponents is a big plus.”

Both teams traveled to Columbia, Missouri, on Friday, to take on the Tigers. Pursley went into the meeting with the belief that Missouri is one of the better teams in the country, so it was going to be a much tougher meet than what the Alabama swim teams have experienced so far. Last year, Missouri’s men’s team was ranked No. 13 in the country, while the women’s team was ranked No. 21.

With all that being said, though, the Alabama’s men’s team defeated Missouri, 183-114. The women’s fell, 167-132.

Although it was a high-profile meet, Pursley made sure his team was looking at the bigger picture.

“Each meet is important in some degree,” Pursley said. “It’s also more important to us in our preparation plan for us at the end of the season. The first meet [against Delta State] was an opportunity for us to baseline what the team looked like and see the new freshmen, which was step one. Now we are at step two and looking to take that next step. We are now facing tougher teams which is good for our preparation for the end of the season.”

At this point in the season, the Alabama teams are in the midst of doing their hard training sessions, so Pursley said it’s an awkward point in the year.

“It’s a bit of a catch 22,” Pursley said. “The short term impact of hard work can be a negative on performance, since everyone is kind of beat up, torn down and fatigued. It’s not till you rest and sharpen up that hard work comes to fruition and you get the benefit and results. It’s really how each swimmer reacts to the hard training.”

Every year since Pursley took over as head coach, the team has improved. Last year, the Crimson Tide men’s team finished sixth in the NCAA meet to close out the season.

Pursley emphasizes that the only way to get better is by doing the hard work necessary to be the best athlete possible. The way he likes to run his training schedule has worked.

“You have to take that risk and pay the price if you want to have a chance to be where you want to be when it counts the most,” Pursley said. “It always pays off. Our philosophy is to put the emphasis on the championship competitions when it counts the most. I’ve always told my teams you can smile early in the season, or you can smile at the end of the season, but you won’t be smiling at both times. You have to take your pick.”