Talia Bates ferociously took position on the diving stand in the 200-yard freestyle Friday. As the horn went off, the sophomore dove head first into the water and swam aside brutal competitors in the toughest collegiate swim meet of the season.
The Gators women’s swimming and diving team ranked No. 17 with a score of 84.5 at the 2021 NCAA Championships Saturday.
While they didn’t make the top 10, the Gators ranked their highest since their ninth place end in 2015. The competition challenged the team as 281 swimmers across 51 universities took the pool in Greensboro, North Carolina from March 17-20.
Florida showed strength in numbers and racked in the most qualifiers at 17. The team held 27 spots in the championships.
Bates suited up for the 200-yard freestyle A-final on day four of the competition.
Determination and strength powered the race, and Bates got a taste of first place the first 75 yards. The 100-yard checkpoint quickly passed, and first place slipped from the swimmer’s fingers. Bates endeavored a comeback. In a momentous battle for the last 15 yards of the race, she grasped the fingers of second place and drowned the competition with 1:43.49.
She became the only Gator to receive All-American honors and placed second on UF’s all-time best list with her preliminary time of 1:43.28. She broke her previous record of 1:45.05 against UNF Jan. 20.
Bates went back-to-back and competed in the 100-yard freestyle B-final Saturday. She led the group as they hit the 75-yard mark but fell short to North Carolina.
Still, the sophomore pulled in 48.09, beat her previous 48.52 record at Auburn in November and secured the fourth-best program time.
But Florida’s accolades didn’t end there.
The 800-yard freestyle relay kickstarted competition Wednesday. Sophomores Talia Bates, Katie Mack and Kathleen Golding and senior Nikki Miller competed in the B-final.
Bates surged the water with a lead in the first 150 yards and swam close in distance with Georgia’s swimmer. Mack took over the second leg of the race with a clear advantage but fell second to Kentucky. The race lagged from there, however.
The team took a hit during Golding’s leg as Kentucky rapidly grew the gap. Miller rounded out the relay in fourth place for the heat with a time of 7:01.43.
They ranked ninth overall and made 10th place on UF’s all-time best.
The Gators kept the fire into day two with the 200-yard freestyle B-final relay. Mack, Bates, senior Gabby Hillis and junior Kirschtine Balbuena took lane four in the third and final heat.
The Gators were in tight quarters the first 25 yards, as competitors swam nip and tuck to win the race.
The team soon fell to fourth under second-leg swimmer Bates but picked up its game under Hillis. The senior dove far and caught up to second place.
The determination dripped off Balbuena in the final leg of the race. She took mighty strides to secure second place at 1:28.89. Florida lost to Tennessee by .19 seconds and ranked 19th overall.
Sophomore Tylor Mathieu continued the victorious route on day two in the 500-yard freestyle B-final.
The swimmer started solid the first 50 yards, but played catch up the first 100. Mathieu boasted an advantage over her competition: strong kicks.
She stayed underwater for longer periods of time because she propelled with a lot of power and strength. She quickly peeled off seconds from her time from the tactic.
Mathieu ranked 11th overall with a time of 4:40.34 and topped her previous time of 4:42.10 at the 2020 SEC Championships.
The 1650-yard freestyle B-final took place the final day with four Gators in the water. Senior Taylor Ault ranked 20th overall, Mathieu 22nd, freshman Elise Bauer in 32nd and freshman Lain Shahboz in 35th.
Florida wrapped up the NCAA Championships with freshman Amanda Ray in the 200-yard butterfly B-final. Ray fell to last place the first 25 yards but stayed neck-to-neck with Louisville for the most of the race. The freshman swam up to sixth place at 1:55.30 and fell just short of her 1:55.26 record.
Florida diving didn’t disappoint either. Senior Ashley McCool placed 10th in the one meter and 13th in the three meter with 321.30 points.
The Gators pulled in sweet victory with high rankings, new swim records and multiple honors. Florida’s performance worked as a testament for their solidified prowess in the NCAA and set a standard for next season.
In addition to Bates’ All-American Honors, 11 Gators received Honorable All-American Honors, an award given to competitors who rank No. 9 to 16 in their respective events. Full results can be found here.
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.
