Coming into this weekend’s All-Florida
Invitational, UF coach Gregg Troy said he would be paying close
attention to how his freshmen swimmers react to their first
collegiate meet.
After three underclassmen logged NCAA “B” cuts
Friday in Gainesville, it’s safe to say the new guys are adjusting
well.
The top freshman performance of the day was
turned in by Carlos Omana, who won the 500 freestyle with a time of
4:24:43. The Miami native earned victory in a race that pitted him
against two older teammates, Jason Taylor and Connor Signorin, who
finished second and fourth respectively.
The 200 individual medley also saw impressive
swims by freshmen with Matt Elliot hitting the tile in second place
and Eduardo Solaeche ending the race third.
Unlike the men’s performance, which was driven
by a number of fresh faces, the Florida women relied on key
returners to carry their team.
Senior Sarah Bateman and sophomore Elizabeth
Beisel both won individual events, while senior Teresa Crippen
earned a top-three finish.
In the women’s 200 IM, the trio swept the
podium with Beisel getting the individual victory with a time of
1:58:05.
After taking the medley by nearly four
seconds, Beisel then turned her attention to the 500 free, which
she won by five seconds over teammate Jaime Bohuncky.
Bateman also earned an individual victory in
the 50 free with a time of 22:90.
Both Gators squads sit atop rival Florida
State after Day 1, with the men leading the Seminoles 320-306,
while the women hold a more secure advantage of 317-273.
Florida looks to build on their lead Saturday,
when the finals begin at 7 PM at the O’Connell Center.
