Facing Florida – Vanderbilt Commodores

10th-ranked Gators come to Nashville for Vanderbilt swimming season opener
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt swimming is set to make its season debut Saturday when SEC foe Florida visits Centennial Sportsplex for an 11 a.m. meet.
It’s the second time in the last four years the Commodores will face the Gators—who are ranked 10th in the preseason CSCAA poll—in their opening competition of the campaign.
“We’re looking for a really good start to the season,” head coach Jeremy Organ said. “We’re doing some new things with new coaches on staff, so it’s all new to this team. Our expectation is to create what our zero is for the year, this is what we’re going to build off of. I think that most of our individuals are in a really good spot to get this season started, we’re really looking forward to a fun Saturday.”
Among the Commodores’ 20 returning letterwinners are a trio of individuals who have swum at the CSCAA National Invitational Championship over the last two seasons. Melissa Cowen and Aubrey Hull each competed in three events at the event last March, while Emily Constable participated in three events with Hull the previous season.
Hull enters her junior season the school record holder in the 100 and 200 backstroke, and she also set school freshman standards in both those events as well as the 100 freestyle her first campaign at the collegiate level. Constable also currently holds Vandy’s freshman record in the 100 breaststroke, one of three events—along with the 200 breaststroke and 50 freestyle—that Cowen led the team in last season.
In fact, the Dores return their top swimmer in every event from 2025-26. Madelyn Porter also recorded the program’s fastest times in three events last season, the 200, 500 and 1,000 freestyle, while fellow senior Bailey Ratzburg finished with the team’s best marks in the 200 and 400 individual medley. Also back are another senior, Kate Heintz, who led Vandy in the 100 butterfly, and the duo of Merritt Zieminick (1,650 freestyle) and Ellie Butler (200 butterfly).
Three other seniors—Grace Ciaramitaro, Liv Gooding and Olivia Solimine—are among the 16 upperclassmen on the Commodore roster this season, Organ’s 21st leading Vanderbilt in competition.
Admission to Saturday’s meet is free to the general public.

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