While the UF women’s swimming team emerged victorious against Virginia, the men’s squad sank, staining the Gators with their first blemish of the season.
Monday was the Gators’ first dual meet of the season as well as their first taste of intense competition, differing from the team’s victory at the All Florida Invitational earlier this month.
The women’s team barely squeezed by 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Champion Virginia with a 150-148 win. The final score was the squad’s tightest finish in the women’s history since their 150-149 win over UCLA in the 1997-98 season.
“Virginia is a much better team than the teams we swam against in the All Florida Invitational,” coach Gregg Troy said.
The women’s squad hasn’t lost a season-opening dual meet since UF sanctioned women’s swimming in 1972.
Contributing to Florida’s tight victory was junior Teresa Crippen, who nabbed second place in the 200-yard butterfly, edging sister and Virginia team captain Claire Crippen, who finished fourth.
Crippen also secured second place in the 200 individual medley and 1,000 freestyle. Fellow junior Shara Stafford also had a successful meet, earning first place in the 100 backstroke, second in the 100 fly and third in the 50 free. Freshman Elizabeth Beisel was the points leader for the women, grabbing victories in the 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley.
Beisel explained that this meet was more difficult than the last as the team is in the midst of one of their intense training cycles. Saturday, the team worked out for four hours while it also trained Monday morning before the meet.
“We’re pretty tired right now,” Beisel said. “But now we can be confident that, even if we’re tired, we can perform well.”
The men’s squad had a more difficult meet, falling in a 153-145 loss to the Cavaliers. Though, the Gators were short four All-Americans due to international competition.
Senior Conor Dwyer led the men in points, placing first in the 100 and 200 free, and 200 individual medley. Senior Logan Storie collaborated with sophomore Scott Sommer, junior Jeffrey Raymond and senior Balazs Gercsak to snag the top finish in the final event of the meet, the 400 freestyle relay.
With more than two weeks until their next competition, Dwyer, the reigning 2010 NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year, said the team would be concentrating on pushing through its rigorous training cycle.
“It’s starting to get intense,” Dwyer said. “We’ve been training hard in the pool and in the weight room.”
The Gators’ next matchup will be the team’s Southeastern Conference opener and first away meet against rival Georgia on Oct. 29.
