The No. 3 Florida Gators men’s and women’s swim teams were faced with a tall task on Friday. With their meet against Alabama being postponed, the Gators opened SEC play on the road against Georgia’s No. 7 men’s team and No. 10 women’s team.
The Gators overcame the challenge in convincing fashion. UF swept the Bulldogs with the men (2-2) winning 172.5-127.5, and the women (3-1) winning 158-142 at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens.
To start with the diving portion of the meet, it was a record-setting performance from Florida’s men’s squad. UF junior Peyton Donald claimed a record-setting first-place finish in the 1-meter dives with a score of 382.95.
For the UF women, sophomore Camyla Monroy finished first with a score of 361.43.
Transitioning to the swimming events, the competitions yielded more success for the Gators. To start, the Gators claimed two first-place finishes in the 200-yard medley relay.
Florida’s women’s squad finished with a time of 1:38.44, and the men came in at 1:25.74.
The 1,000-yard freestyle was not as successful for the Gators. UF redshirt freshman Michaela Mattes finished third with a time of 9:50.84. On the men’s side, Florida sophomore Andrew Taylor claimed a second-place finish with a time of 9:01.73.
The 200-yard freestyle resulted in a similar performance for UF. Florida senior Emma Weyant finished third with a time of 1:47.26. The Gators’ men’s team finished second, with UF fifth-year Jake Mitchell’s 1:36.00 finish.
The 100-yard backstroke furthered UF’s success. The women’s team claimed a first-place finish, with sophomore Catie Choate finishing at 52.82. Florida’s men’s team claimed a second-place finish, with UF sophomore Jonny Marshall’s 47.85 finish.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, the Gators claimed a pair of first-place finishes. UF sophomore Molly Mayne claimed first place for the women with a time of 1:02.85. UF senior Julian Smith finished first with a52.93 time.
In the 200-yard butterfly, the UF women had another first-place finish. Fifth-year Julia Heimstead claimed a first-place finish with a time of 1:59.09. The men’s squad finished second, with junior Josh Liendo coming in at 1:43.51.
The 50-yard freestyle was dominated by Florida’s men’s team with a first-place finish. UF junior Ed-Fullum Huot led the way with a time of 19.78 seconds.
In the 100-yard freestyle, freshman Addison Reese placed fourth with a time of 50.56. Smith claimed a first-place finish for the men’s squad with a time of 43.39.
The 200-yard backstroke gave the Gators their third dual first-place finish. Choate claimed the women’s first-place finish with a time of 1:54.86. Freshman Aiden Norman finished first for the men with a time of 1:44.48.
The 200-yard backstroke yielded the fourth dual first-place finish for the Gators. Weyant finished first for the women with a time of 2:14.50. Junior Aleksas Savickas claimed the first-place finish for the men with a time of 1:58.47.
In the 100-yard butterfly, senior Olivia Peoples finished first for the women with a time of 53.20 seconds. Liendo claimed his second second-place finish of the day with a time of 46.31 seconds.
With the 400-yard IM being the last event of the day, Weyant brought the women another first-place finish with a time of 4:08.90. Senior Mason Laur finished in second for the men with a time of 3:53.78.
Florida will be back in action on Nov. 20, which kicks off the Georgia Invite. It is an all-day event, lasting from Nov. 20-22.
Contact Jackson Colding at jcolding@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Colding_Jackson.
Jackson Colding is a junior sports journalism major and The Alligator's Fall 2024 Swim and Dive Reporter. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym and playing hockey. He cannot wait to be as involved with The Alligator as possible.
