Friday will be a bittersweet moment for freshman Natalie Hinds.
When the No. 11 Florida women’s swimming and diving team (1-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) hosts No. 4 Texas A&M (3-0, 1-0 SEC) for a dual meet, Hinds will be reunited with two of her best friends, whom she hasn’t seen since they left for college.
Freshmen Claire Brandt and Romy Landeck chose to stay close to home after high school, but Hinds felt the need to explore outside her home state of Texas.
“Texas A&M is just not my personality,” Hinds said. “It’s more country than I am.”
With her first fall semester at UF nearing an end, she remains happy with her choice to wear the orange and blue.
“Freshman year’s been amazing,” she said. “It’s been full of new challenges that I never thought were possible. I just love it. I love the friends that I’ve made. It’s just a good environment.”
In a new city, state and atmosphere, she initially had a difficult time staying focused.
UF is a place where one must be “mentally tough,” she said.
Hinds has had no shortage of guidance or leadership thanks to the team's big-sister program, in which each freshman is paired with an upperclassman.
Senior Jamie Bohunicky is Hinds’ big sister and has taken her under her wing, Hinds said.
Junior Elizabeth Beisel is an outspoken leader for the team and another upperclassmen that Hinds has gotten close to.
“[Beisel] and ‘J-bo’ (Bohunicky), to be honest, are really good assets to the team,” Hinds said. “They both helped me out tremendously and they’re both really good people to talk to if you need anything."
When the team traveled to Dallas, Hinds didn’t want to leave her family, and Beisel and Bohunicky helped her deal with her emotions.
On a team that has 10 freshmen, the big-sister program has been helpful in keeping the newcomers dialed in on the bigger picture: winning an SEC championship.
After a disappointing loss to Georgia Oct. 25, which Hinds attributed to the Bulldogs' height and talent combined with injured Gators not being able to compete, the team bounced back the next day with a victory against South Carolina.
The No. 1 Florida men’s team (2-0, 2-0 SEC) will also compete against No. 21 Texas A&M (0-2, 0-1 SEC) on Friday.
