Florida women’s swim and dive touched down in Federal Way, Washington, to compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship. The annual meet represented the height of a season’s worth of preparation for a chance to claim the title of best collegiate program in the nation. After months of intense training, countless hours in the pool and the pressure of concluding a long season, 14 Gators came together to battle for top spots on the leaderboard.
Florida’s sixth-place finish marked the first time since the 2013-2015 seasons the program has earned three-straight NCAA top 10 finishes. Although the Gators notched yet another impressive top 10 placement, it’s a notable setback from their third-place win in last year’s championship.
Despite powerful performances from standouts like sophomore Bella Sims and senior Emma Weyant, Florida failed to secure a first-place win in any event, which ultimately kept it from a podium appearance.
Day 1 of the competition kicked off on Wednesday with the 200-yard medley relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay. The Gators started strong in the medley relay, where Sims, freshman Anita Bottazzo and seniors Olivia Peoples and Micayla Cronk set a program record. The time of 1:33.92 landed them in fifth place.
Florida, the reigning NCAA 800-yard freestyle relay champion, held steady in seventh place before heading into the final leg of the relay. As the team continued to fall behind, sophomore anchor Lainy Kruger dove into the water and hoped to push up the leaderboard. In the last 200 yards, Kruger split a 1:43.67 to boost the Gators to third-place with the second-fastest time in program history, 6:53.41. Sims, Kruger, Weyant and freshman Julie Brousseau were awarded first-team All-American honors.
The first day of competition wrapped up with the Gators in third place behind Virginia and Stanford.
On Day 2, the individual spotlight shifted to fifth-year Mabel Zavaros and Brousseau in the 500-yard freestyle. Zavaros finished 13th with a time of 4:39.92, earning her second career All-American honor. Brousseau, a 2024 Olympian, made her presence felt in her NCAA debut. After finishing 10th in the consolation final with a time of 4:36.58, she earned her first individual All-American honor.
The diving portion of the meet opened on Day 2 with sophomore Camyla Monroy in the 1-meter event. Coming off her NCAA Zones B first-place finish, Monroy started with a score of 46.80. The sophomore’s second and third dive scored in the 30’s and dropped her below the advancing top-16 spots. She ultimately fell short, placing 19th with a final score of 277.10.
The Gators concluded Day 2 in ninth place without a top-3 finish and no appearances in final legs of key races. On Day 3, however, Florida posted its best performance of the meet with three podium finishes.
Sims, a 2020 Olympian, faced one of her toughest challenges yet in the 100-yard backstroke final. As the race unfolded, she was locked in a fierce battle with Virginia sophomore Claire Curzan and trailed closely behind her for nearly the entire race. With just a breath to go, Sims surged toward the wall, and in a final desperate lunge, she touched just 0.01 seconds behind Curzan. Her 49.12 was the second-fastest time of the night, a career-best performance that earned her second place. It also marked the best finish in the event in UF history and the 13th-fastest time in NCAA history.
Just moments later, Weyant took to the pool for her battle in the 400-yard individual medley. The pressure was high as she aimed to improve on her runner-up finish last year. With each stroke, she held off the competition, touching the wall in 3:59.05. It was the second consecutive year that Weyant earned second place in the event, marking her third career All-American honor.
As the evening progressed, the Gators found themselves with one final chance to land a first-place finish on Day 3 of the competition.
The 400-yard medley relay was the last event of the day, and Sims dove in first with a 49.54 backstroke split. Bottazzo followed in the breaststroke as she posted a 57.36, keeping Florida in contention. Peoples then took over the butterfly leg with a 50.65 split, pushing the team even closer to the top. Finally, Cronk entered the water as the team’s anchor in freestyle. With everything on the line, she delivered a blistering 47.63 freestyle split, anchoring the relay to a third-place finish in 3:25.18, Florida’s best result since 2010.
As the final day of the championships dawned, the Gators found themselves sitting in sixth place, just 18 points behind Tennessee for fifth. With the finish line in sight and only a few events left, they had one last chance to make a statement.
Freshman Addison Reese represented Florida in the 200-yard butterfly. She surged through the final stretch, touching the wall with a time of 1:54.30 to claim 13th place and her first career All-American honor.
Sims continued to put on a commanding performance and closed out her meet in the 200-yard backstroke with a second-place finish of 1:47.11, Florida’s only podium finish of the day.
Meanwhile, on the diving boards, Monroy entered the platform event, her final chance to contribute to the team’s score after narrowly missing the finals in both the 1-meter and 3-meter competitions earlier in the week.
Despite her best efforts, she placed 17th, just one spot shy of qualifying for the final event.
In the end, the Florida women’s swim and dive team capped off the 2025 NCAA Championships with a solid sixth-place finish, totaling 232 points. While they fell short of overtaking Tennessee for fifth, the Gators' performance throughout the meet showcased their resilience, depth, and ability to compete with the best in the nation.
Next, the Gators men’s squad will head to Federal Way, Washington, from March 26 to March 29 to fight for the men’s NCAA championship title and officially close out the season.
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.
