A decade-long run was on the line for the Florida men's swimming and diving teams heading into the 2025 SEC Championship in Athens, Georgia. The Gators had dominated the SEC for 12 consecutive years, winning trophy after trophy with their speed and endurance. Following back-to-back joint conference victories, the men's and women's teams hoped to extend their streak with a third straight title sweep.
But this year’s meet came with an added challenge. Texas, the defending Big 12 champion, officially joined the SEC after winning 12 consecutive league titles. The stage was set for a showdown between two dynasties, and although Florida responded with one of its most dominant performances this season, it fell short.
After six long days of intense competition, the Florida men and women each claimed a silver medal. Both teams constantly struggled against Texas and jumped between silver and bronze with known rival, Tennessee.
Despite the loss, the Gators broke 46 records, two of which were NCAA records, and tallied a total of 29 medals.
On day one, freshman Alex Painter, junior Josh Liendo, senior Julian Smith and fifth-year Jake Mitchell got the ball rolling for the Gators with a program, SEC and SEC meet record in the men’s 800-yard freestyle relay, winning the program’s fourth consecutive title in the event.
The relay squad executed flawless transitions, taking the lead early and maintaining it from start to finish. The hot start helped Liendo and Smith gain momentum, as the entire Florida squad went on to set several more records.
On day two, they clinched another UF record in the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay with junior Ed Fullum-Huot and sophomore Scotty Buff. The historic race time of 1:13.29 landed them a silver medal.
Smith proved to be key to Florida’s quest for gold by shattering an individual NCAA and American record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 49.51 seconds. Smith’s achievements earned him the SEC Swimmer of the Meet award, which was bestowed on Saturday.
In the women’s 1-meter diving, sophomore Camyla Monroy put up a commanding performance to grab Florida’s first gold in the event since 2021. Monroy was named SEC Diver of the Meet.
Although UF started strong on the first day, it still trailed behind Texas and couldn’t catch up as the meet went on.
Texas’ depth across multiple events countered Florida’s early success and the Longhorns began stacking up top-three wins in key races. With that, Florida began to fall, and by the end of day two, the Gator men were sitting in fourth place and the women in second on the leaderboard.
As day three rolled in, Florida staged a powerful comeback to regain a spot on the podium. Smith’s 200-yard individual medley gold title and the Gators’ second-place finish in the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay was enough to propel them back up to second place.
Meanwhile, the Florida women had difficulty performing in final events. Without a single gold or silver medal win, the women were bumped down to third place at the end of the day.
The battle continued on day four, as the margin between the Gators and Longhorns narrowed for the men and widened for the women. Florida picked up five more medals, three of which were gold.
UF sophomore Conor Gesing highlighted the day with a strong win in the men’s 1-meter diving event. His 412.75 performance on the springboard set a new school record and marked the program’s first win in the event since 2003.
On the swimming side, Liendo and senior Emma Weyant earned three-peats in the men’s 100-yard butterfly and women’s 400-yard individual medley, respectively. Weyant remains undefeated in the event since transferring from Virginia and joining Florida before her sophomore season.
Both teams ended day four in second place. Day five proved to be Florida’s most powerful performance yet, as the Gators took home five gold medals and set two NCAA records.
Three of those gold medals were won by sophomores Bella Sims and Jonny Marshall in the women’s and men’s 100-yard backstroke, respectively, and Smith’s 100-yard breaststroke.
The final two golds of the day were achieved in the men’s and women’s 400-yard medley relay. Smith aided Marshall, Liendo and Painter in setting an NCAA record, swimming 2:55.56. The women’s relay squad featured Sims, freshman Anita Bottazzo, senior Olivia Peoples and Isabel Ivey with a time of 3:24.78.
Nevertheless, the Gators’ dominant performances still weren’t enough to dethrone the Longhorns, and the men and women finished the day in second place once again.
With one day remaining, Florida’s chances of extending its title streak were slipping away. The Gators needed a near-perfect finish to overtake Texas, but the Longhorns refused to give up their lead.
Florida delivered a statement performance in the women’s and men’s 200-yard backstroke, with Sims and Marshall in first place to inch closer to Texas’ lead. The women made a final push in the 200-yard breaststroke to claw back some points but ultimately couldn’t catch a top-three win.
Sims, freshman Addison Reese, sophomore Lainey Kruger and senior Micayla Cronk’s third-place finish in the women’s 400-yard freestyle relay solidified the women’s team spot as silver medalists with Texas in front by 271 points.
The final event, the men’s 400-yard freestyle relay, sealed the Florida men’s fate. The Gators needed to win the race to keep their hopes alive, but Texas took control from the first leg and never trailed. When the Longhorns’ anchor swimmer touched the wall first, it was official –Florida’s 12-year SEC title streak had come to an end.
Florida will now look to regroup and improve ahead of the NCAA Championship coming up on March 26 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington.
The Gators will next host the two-day Florida Invitational on Feb. 27.
Contact Isabella Sanin at isanin@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @BellaaSanin.
Isabella is a senior sports journalism major and the Spring 2025 swim and dive reporter. This is her third semester at The Alligator. In her free time, she enjoys cheering on her favorite sports teams and baking.
