The University of Florida men’s swimming and diving team has been patiently waiting for their turn to jump into the water for the 2012 Men’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships after the women swam last week in Auburn, Ala. The group of thirteen Gators finally got their chance this morning in Federal Way, Wash., when they kicked-off the three-day meet with the first session of morning prelims at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.

With the morning swims under their belt, a pair of Gator swimmers, along with two relays will swim again in tonight’s finals. Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland) will swim up in the 200 IM alongside the 200 freestyle relay, while Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.) will swim down in the 50 free with the 400 medley relay.

After a somewhat controversial start to the day which reviewed the start of every 200 free relay heat, Florida’s team of deBorde, Matt Norton (Port Orance, Fla.), James Turner (Ft. Pierce, Fla.) and Matt Curby (Oviedo, Fla.) became the first Orange and Blue representatives to swim again in tonight’s final after they stopped the clock at 1:17.67 – the third fastest time in program history. With their efforts, and the help of the morning’s fourth-fastest opening 100 split by deBorde (19.56), the group will enter tonight’s final with a seven seed.

Despite the quick start by the 200 free relay team the race of the morning, without a doubt, was the 200 IM as Gators swam in five of the seven heats.

This morning’s token swim came from sophomore Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland) as one of the Gators five representatives in the 200 IM. In a tight race between Cal’s Martin Liivamagi and Arizona’s Austen Thompson, Cieslak gained the advantage in the final 50-yards with his free split to capture the quickest time of his heat at 1:43.27. The time seeds him fourth heading into tonight’s championship final behind Stanford’s David Nolan (1:42.70), Cal’s Marcin Tarcznski (1:43.15) and Michigan’s Kyle Whitaker (1:43.27).

Although there was a significant number of Gators in the 200 IM, Cieslak was the lone swimmer to make the cut and swim again in tonight’s finals. The sophomore was followed by a group of four, freshman teammates.

Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez (Madrid, Spain) was the quickest of those freshmen as he turned in the next-fastest time for Florida at 1:45.71 for 24^th overall. Dan Wallace (North Berwick, Scotland) followed suit after he touched in 1:46.02 for the 27^th-quickest time of the morning. The two other freshmen swimmers who rounded out the Gators in the 200 IM were Matt Elliott (Peoria, Ill.) who swam a 1:47.04 for 34^th, and Curby who pushed into the pad at 1:47.73 for 42^nd in the field.

deBorde secured his second of three, and lone individual appearance in tonight’s finals after he pushed into the pad at 19.42 in the preliminary heat of the 50 free. The time was just one hundredths of a second behind the eight seed – Cal’s Seth Stubblefield – to make the cut into the championship final. He was followed by Turner who stopped the clock at 20.01 for 39^th overall in a field that featured 73 swimmers.

The third appearance for the sophomore sprinter, deBorde, comes as a member of the 400 medley relay. He will swim down alongside Curby, Elliott, and Cieslak after the quartet combined to stop the clock at 3:09.85 for the twelfth-fastest time of the morning, and fourth-quickest mark of the consolation final.

With the morning’s efforts, Florida will swim in all but one event tonight as three Gators took to the pool for the 500 free in sophomore Connor Signorin (East Windsor, N.J.) and freshmen Nicholas Caldwell (Sarasota, Fla.) and Carlos Omana (Miami, Fla.). Signorin posted the quickest swim for the Gators with a 4:20.40 swim for a 27^th-place finish overall. He was followed by teammates, Caldwell (4:21.08) and Omana (4:29.71), who finished 30^th and 42^nd, respectively.

The 2012 NCAA Championships will continue tonight from the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash. Florida will swim in four events including the 200 freestyle relay, 200 IM, 50 free and 400 medley relay. For live stats, please follow this link. Live streaming will be provided free-of-charge by clicking here.

For all the latest information on Florida women’s swimming and diving at the NCAA Championships, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/swimmingdiving/men or, for up-to-the-minute updates from Auburn, Ala., follow swimming and diving on Twitter @GatorZoneSwimDv. You can also follow the Gators on Facebook.

200 Free Relay, 7th, 1:17.67

Brad deBorde, 19.56

Matt Norton, 19.19

James Turner, 19.28

Matt Curby, 19.64

500 Free

Connor Signorin, 27^th, 4:20.40

Nicholas Caldwell, 30^th, 4:21.08

Carlos Omana, 42^nd, 4:29.71

200 IM

Marcin Cieslak, 4^th, 1:43.27

Eduardo Solaeche-Gomez, 24^th, 1:45.71

Dan Wallace, 27^th, 1:46.02

Matt Elliott, 34^th, 1:47.04

Matt Curby, 42^nd, 1:47.73

50 Free

Brad deBorde, 9^th, 19.42

James Turner, 39^th, 20.01

Matt Norton, DQ

400 Medley Relay, 12^th, 3:09.85

Matt Curby, back, 47.62

Matt Elliott, breast,

Marcin Cieslak, fly,

Brad deBorde, free