The orange-and-blue lane dividers, “Go, Gators!” chant and alligator floaty filled the pool with a sense of nostalgia.
Eleven graduating Gators were called up to the pool walkway Wednesday. Taylor Ault, Bettina Boszormenyi, Adrianna DeBoer, Gabby Hillis, Ashley McCool, Nikki Miller, Liz Watts and Emma Whitner were celebrated before the meet began.
Clark Beach, Ethan Beach and Marty Stange from the men’s team were also recognized.
Each Gator was greeted with their coaches’ handshakes, a bouquet of flowers, a plaque and a round of applause. Their career highlights and achievements were called out over the intercom.
“I will always remember this special group of student athletes and be inspired by the unrelenting resiliency that they demonstrated days in and days out,” said Jeff Poppell, head coach of women’s swimming and diving.
Florida beat the Ospreys 176-74 Wednesday night. But for the senior class, the meet was subpar, with 43 points between six swimmers. The class had 17 less points than it did at the Nov. 5 Miami meet. McCool and Whitner didn’t compete because the meet didn’t have diving events.
The meet, however, was successful for other seniors.
Four seniors made the all-time Gator list. Talia Bates now sits at No. 9 for her 52.77100-yard butterfly and No. 10 for her 2:12.53 200-yard breaststroke. Katie Mack ranks No. 9 on the 50-yard freestyle list with a time of 22.34. Amanda Ray is now at No. 5 for her 1:55.26 200-yard butterfly. Tylor Mathieu sits at No. 10 for her 2:12.53 200-yard breaststroke.
“I can’t express how proud I am of this team and specifically this group of seniors,” Poppell said.
The seniors made a name for themselves during their time in Florida. Hillis was a three-time All American, Ault and McCool were a two-time All Americans and Miller was an All American once. Ault, McCool and Miller also made it on the 2020 CSCAA Scholar All-America first team while Whitner made it on the second team.
While the seniors will be missed, the season isn’t over yet. Florida will face the Auburn Tigers Saturday. The season is set to finish on March 20 concluding the NCAA championships.
Contact Faith Buckley at fbuckley@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @_faithbuckley
Faith is a third-year journalism student specializing in sports media. She hopes to one day work as a play-by-play announcer for the National Hockey League.
