A little more than a week ago, Shara Stafford’s outlook for the season looked bright.
After dealing with a freak occurrence of almost fainting in the pool against Georgia Tech on Jan. 7, the All-America swimmer won the 200-yard freestyle against Florida Atlantic just eight days later.
Stafford, a junior, said after the race all her tests and doctors’ appointments stemming from her condition were over, and she could get back to racing.
She was unable to receive clearance to travel and compete Friday at Auburn, leaving doubts about her health and how the Gators can replace her.
“Shara’s had some medical issues that she’s working with the doctors, and they haven’t cleared her at the moment because our No. 1 concern is to make sure that she is healthy and that there is no threat to her well-being,” coach Gregg Troy said.
Troy said the tests Stafford’s doctors are currently running are “cardiology related,” and he is pretty confident she will be back this season.
Until then, Troy will have to rework the lineup to substitute one of his best upperclassmen on a team with one senior, diver Monica Dodson.
Stafford’s participation is also critical for all four of Florida’s relay events to be successful when the team competes in the Southeastern and NCAA Championships in February and March. She has been a part of a team-high six wins this year and has also contributed to the four fastest relay times the Gators have had all season.
Without her help on the road against the Tigers, her teammates were not able to manage a single relay victory.
“When you take her out of the meet lineup, we get a real juggling match,” Troy said. “We’re a little bit slim, numbers-wise. If we move her, we’ve got to move three other people to places where they’re not quite as good to make sure we can cover for losing her.”
