Junior Alicia Mathieu’s job on Sunday was much different than a majority of the field. While most Gators only had to worry about swimming 100 or 200 yards for an event, Mathieu had to swim a mile.
In the 66-lap, 1,650-yard freestyle, Mathieu came from behind against teammate and training partner Jessica Thielmann to win and set the pace for Florida on the final day of the All Florida Invitational.
“It definitely feels much better coming back than getting caught,” Mathieu said. “It gives you a lot of extra motivation as you’re catching someone and going by them, so it felt pretty good.”
Mathieu won with a time of 16:37.03 to help extend the women’s lead by 20.
While Mathieu controlled the pool with endurance, Brad deBorde dominated the sprint events. After deBorde finished second in the 50 free to Florida State’s Mark Weber on Friday, the junior took first place in the 100 free with a time of 44.88 on Sunday.
“He was a little disappointed with the 50 on his first day, but that’s only because Brad expects to win every time he goes to the block,” associate head coach Martyn Wilby said. “I couldn’t be happier with him. It’s a great starting point for him.”
After winning the 100 free by .16 seconds, deBorde wrapped up the meet by swimming the second leg in the 400 free relay. In that race, deBorde helped UF beat out FSU’s relay team by .13 seconds.
“I’m a sprinter, so it’s what I’m used to,” deBorde said. “I live on that .01 difference, so I know that every little thing I do makes a difference. I like to put the pressure on in practice and get the little things right, so in the meet, it’s just rehearsal.”
The men ended with a clean sweep on Sunday by winning all six events. They also won the meet with a total of 1,273 points — 354 ahead of second-place FSU. The women also secured a team win with 1,141.5 points and 12 top-three finishes.
“This morning might have been our worst session in terms of racing and in terms of swimming where you need to be, but we turned it around tonight,” Wilby said. “I thought tonight was really good. There was a lot of good racing, and that’s what you’re looking for.”
*Editor's note: A photo caption incorrectly identified UF swimmer Elizabeth Beisel. The original version listed freshman Jessica Thielmann.
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
UF junior Elizabeth Beisel speaks to her teammates at the All Florida Invitational at the O'Connell Center in 2012.
