The Alabama Crimson Tide swimming teams are gearing up for the 2019 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships at Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Georgia, this week.

Coming off a strong performance at the Auburn Invitational on Feb. 10 that produced 12 wins for the Crimson Tide, head coach Dennis Pursley is looking forward to seeing if his swimmers carry that momentum over into this week.

“It’s championship time,” Pursley said. “From day one, this is what we’ve worked for and talked about from the beginning. This is what we get excited about.”

For senior swimmer Emma Murray, the trip to Athens will be a little sweeter. Hailing from Atlanta, Murray will be swimming in the same pool where she swam in many championship meets throughout high school in Gabrielsen Natatorium.

Murray will have her mom and dad, Amy and Gordon, along with her sister, Maggie, and many friends in the stands to see what could be her final races. Murray will swim the 100-meter butterfly and both the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes.

“I don’t think my friends have ever seen me swim, which is funny,” Murray said. “They get to see the best part though.”

On the men’s side, the 2018 SEC Champion in the 200-meter freestyle relay and 2018 first team All-American in the 400-meter freestyle relay Laurent Bams will have one of the busiest schedules in Athens.

The Eijsden, Netherlands, native will compete in the 100-meter freestyle, butterfly and breaststroke events. Bams will also be looking to add his name to both the 200- and 400-meter freestyle relay teams, which will be constructed based on the performance of the swimmers in the preliminaries.

“This is my last year,” Bams said. “I just want to do really well for the team. I can’t wait to cheer, be on those relays and in that loud environment.”

Both the men’s and women’s teams will have their work cut out if they want to knock off both reigning SEC champions this week. The Florida men’s team has won the conference championship meet six straight times, while Texas A&M has won three straight championships on the women’s side.

“We’re always in for a real dog fight,” Pursley said. “You can finish sixth or seventh in the SECs and then top 15 in the national championships. That’s what makes it fun though. It’ll be some high-energy competition.”

The 2019 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships can be seen Tuesday-Saturday on the SEC Network